Please do NOT advertise FREE ANIMALS!!

Everyday I see post on Facebook, listings on craigslist, and other sites of people offering free cats and dogs. I understand that a lot of these animals were dumped or lost and crawled under your porch or shed and had a liter and now you not only have an adult animal you did not want, but several little ones that need loving homes. What you may not know is that people are searching sites like Facebook for these animals to do unspeakable things to these "unwanted" pets. Free animals end up as bait for dog fighting trainers, as food for snakes or other carnivores, or end up sold to research labs. Please do not advertise that you have free animals on any site, classified ad, or email listing. There are many local rescue groups that will help you find a proper home and veterinary care for these animals. Charge a small adoption fee, please try and provide beginning veterinary service, ask to see ID or a driver's license and always trust your gut if someone doesn't seem to be representing themselves honestly. I know trying to find good loving homes is difficult, but a little of your time can mean the difference between life and death for these animals. Houston has more than 1 million homeless animals and it takes all of us working together to eliminate this crisis.

Got Plans for Saturday Night??

Please join us Saturday, August 16 at Outlaw Dave's Worldwide Headquarters for a fundraising event. Great Music, Food and People all benefiting the Barrio Dogs Fixit Spay Neuter Project. Please help us help those who can not afford basic veterinary care for their pets.

Did you find a lost or homeless animal??

Did you find a lost or homeless animal that you are trying to help? There are many lost and homeless animals in the Houston area. Estimates put the number between 600,000 and 1 million. Many groups work the area to help these animals as best they can, but to reduce this number it will take all of us working together. There are many resources available to help you if you decide to help a lost or homeless animal. Leaving them on the streets or in the park can only lead to injury or death for the animal. Check out the steps above to see how you can help save a lost or homeless animal and help spread the word on social media and among your friends.

NO MORE EXCUSES, Spay/Neuter Your Pet

I have heard so many stories recently about why people will not spay or neuter their pets. One woman trying to find homes for a liter of puppies stated pregnancies happen some times. Another said her dogs don't need to be fixed because they are indoor dogs and don't socialize with other dogs. Others have said they wanted their children to witness the miracle of birth, or the dogs won't live satisfied lives if they are fixed, they can't afford spaying/neutering, or they need to breed to be healthy. These are just excuses of irresponsible pet owners. Owning a pet is a responsibility. Houston currently has 600,000 to 1.2 million homeless dogs living in the streets and parks. City Animal Control receives 400 calls a day and receives nearly 2,000 animals a month. This does not include those brought in to Harris County, three other official shelters in the city, or those abandoned and rescued by volunteer groups. There are more than 140 rescue groups working in the Houston area trying to feed and rescue as many of these dogs as possible, but if people were to have their pets spayed/neutered, we would not have so many homeless/abandoned dogs on the streets.

Everyone knows puppies are cute and kids love them. They are hard to resist. I know, I have been swayed by that sweet puppy breathe and adorable antics myself. But before you say yes to that crying child or yourself, ask yourself if you are prepared to provide the best and healthiest home for that cute little pup. Puppies grow up to be dogs! While they are still under a year of age they must be de-wormed, given shots, and can be spayed/neutered at 8 weeks. After 1 year, healthy dogs require a yearly vet visit and rabies shot and may need other booster shots to remain healthy.

Small breed dogs can come into heat as young as 5 months so the younger you spay, the less chance you have of being one of those people that end up with an unwanted liter of pups. Spayed/neutered pets are also healthy and happy pets. Birthing and nursing a liter is a strain on even a healthy dog. If the mother dog is not monitored she may become malnourished and could even develop seizures. If you think you can't afford to spay/neuter your pet when get her/him, how do you think you are going to afford caring for a liter of pups??

Spaying/Neutering can keep dogs from getting ovarian and uterine cancers as well as testicle cancer. It also reduces the desire to roam and escape the yard. Spaying/neutering does not change your dogs personality, he/she will still be that lovable dog they were before the surgery. Spaying/Neutering may lead to weight gain in less active dogs, but your vet can recommend a lower calorie food and feeding schedule to prevent this.

So please, NO MORE EXCUSES, spay or neuter your pet. Call your veterinarian and make an appointment tomorrow morning. If you don't have a vet, ask for recommendations from friends/family or check with your local shelter. Check with local rescue groups for low cost/free spay and neuter programs. Be a responsible pet owner. Love your animals and provide them with the best life possible.

Community Awareness Event: No One's Dog Photo Exhibit

DiverseWorks, Barrio Dogs, and Box 13 present No One’s Dog a community-based photography project documenting Houston’s animal overpopulation crisis

COMMUNITY AWARENESS EVENT: Saturday, August 9, 5 – 7 pm at Box 13 ArtSpace, 6700 Harrisburg Blvd., Houston, TX  77011

For anyone who may not have been able to visit the No One's Dog photo exhibit at DiverseWorks, there will be another event on Saturday August 9 form 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm at Box 13 ArtSpace located at 6700 Harrisburg, Houston, TX 77011. You may also view all the photos submitted for this project as well as new ones that are being added at the following link on flickr: https://www.flickr.com/groups/houstondogs/ .

These photos are hard to look at but show the need for more to be done. Through no fault of their own, these animals are fighting for their lives and need our help. 

There are millions of homeless, lost and abandoned dogs roaming Houston's streets and parks as seen in these photo. Many are injured, sick and starving. Education and low cost/free spay and neuter programs are the only way to prevent the many unwanted animals abandoned on the streets and in shelters each year. Educating children about the responsibilities of pet ownership is the first step in creating a generation of people who realize that owning a puppy or kitten is 15-20 year commitment and that animals do not need to be bred. Access to affordable wellness programs and medications is also needed to make sure these animals have long and healthy lives. 

It will take the community coming together to make this happen. We all need to work together, volunteering to assist local rescue groups is a great way to see the problems and the solutions. People are needed to foster rescues, present education programs at locals schools/events, and lobby our local government to do more than capture and kill these abandoned and lost animals. Please join us.