EDINBURG — Animal shelters’ efforts to find homes for furry friends is a task in itself, with limited resources exacerbating an already-difficult situation in the Rio Grande Valley, where the stray population is booming and accommodations are lacking. Throw in colder temperatures, and matters become even more dire.
Palm Valley Animal Society is one of the few shelters in the Valley combating this issue and though they aren’t the only organization helping animals find their forever homes, they, like the strays they take in, could use all the help they can get, according to one shelter director.
“One of the biggest things that could help is if people came in tonight and this weekend and [foster dogs], adopt them, get them out of here, get them into their homes where they can keep them warm and toasty inside,” Palm Valley Animal Society Executive Director Donna Casamento said, adding that shelters see an increase in calls during severe weather conditions.
The Trenton location consists of 5 acres accommodating two facilities and plenty of outdoor kennels to house the animals. The kennels are covered in tarps to help combat the winter weather and on especially cold days. They alternate the animals from indoor to outdoor and vice versa.
Palm Valley also uses kerosene-powered heaters both within their buildings and the outdoor kennels to help keep short-haired dogs warm during the cold. According to Casamento, long-haired dogs, such as huskies, enjoy colder weather since their fur is better suited for lower temperatures.
There are about 20 heaters on location. Some were bought by Palm Valley and the others were donated by a generous resident which is especially helpful during winter, but the shelter requires a consistent flow of resources to keep them running.
“If anybody’s got some extra kerosene, send it our way,” Casamento laughed. “We go through two cycles of this every night.”
Kerosene isn’t the only resource the shelter seeks.
Blankets are essential in order to keep the animals as warm as possible as well as new tarps due to the fact they get worn out and tear in harsh conditions.
Volunteers are also sought after. They can help take dogs on walks and even foster them for a few days to help them get out of the crowded shelter.
Casamento also pointed out the lack of access to veterinarian care in the Valley resulting in animals not getting spayed or neutered, which perpetuates the influx of strays.
“We have people waiting for our appointments to get back in for spay and neuters. We are short two veterinarians,” Casamento said. “There is a huge lack of veterinarian care and having that more available and having access to spay and neutering would reduce the stray population.”
Over the last couple of weeks, PVAS received over 150 puppies. Newborn pups aren’t typically stray, they’re usually abandoned due to the cost of caring for them.
During cold and rainy winter weather, the shelter sees a 20% uptick in calls and on a normal day they receive over 100 calls.
“Our intake is going to go up on a night like this, calls are going to go up,” Casamento said Saturday. “The best thing in the world [people] can do is to not bring them here tonight.”
The shelter only has so much space to keep the animals safe and warm, so by adding to their already populated kennels would mean less space for the rest.
Residents are asked to consider fostering a stray by either keeping the animal in their garage or building a makeshift shelter for them to escape the harsh weather conditions.
If taking one in is impossible, consider asking neighbors, friends or family members to see if they could take in an animal in need, she said.
“Neighbors can help neighbors,” Casamento added. “If it was your dog and it got out for one reason or the other and maybe a neighbor had found it, wouldn’t you love it if a kind friend picked it up and kept it safe in the cold weather and then helped it find its way back home?”
Check out Monitor photojournalist Joel Martinez’s full photo gallery to see how the shelter is accommodating the animals during cold temperatures:
Photo Gallery: As temperatures drop, needs mount for local animal shelters
