Our Projects
Our existing animal welfare system is broken. Alliance members are addressing shortcomings to build a region where pets and people thrive. Through collaborative efforts, we create projects on multiple fronts to tackle the root causes of our animal welfare challenges. We intend for efforts to be scalable and inclusive so participants in all 13 counties within our region can engage in our work and make improvements in their home communities.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
The first step in building a safety net of services to support people and pets is learning what already exists, understanding community needs, and then working to fill those gaps. To accomplish this, we have developed three surveys to capture vital information. Please complete the appropriate surveys as an organization or business and as an individual. Please also share these with others and ask that they help, too!
Citizens & Pet Owners
Animal Welfare Industry
Are you part of the animal welfare industry? To understand what services are available where, we need to hear from shelters, rescues, veterinarians, service providers, and pet retailers. Your responses are invaluable as we work together to build a safety net of services for our community.
Human Services & Community
Does your nonprofit or government agency serve people in the community? Whether you provide basic needs, medical services, counseling, education, spiritual guidance, or recreation, we would like to know if your stakeholders have shared information about their pets and if you provide any assistance for them. Your responses will help us help you!
GETTING PETS HOME FASTER
There are dozens of online lost and found dog and cat pages. This makes reuniting pets harder because owners and finders may not use the same sites. The Alliance advocates for Petco Love Lost to be everyone’s FIRST stop. The site features AI facial recognition technology and pulls information from sites like Nextdoor and Ring, as well as from participating animal shelters and rescues.
Shelters and rescues are encouraged to:
* register with Petco Love Lost
* download the Petco Love Lost workbook with helpful RTO tips
* post information about Petco Love Lost on your website
* work with your shelter software provider to set up timely automated updates
STREET COUNT
For years, we have heard about the problems roaming pets create in some areas. In fact, many residents completing the UT Health of Houston Surveys in 2010 and 2018 chose loose animals as their top neighborhood concern, above traffic and crime. This is not unique to Houston; however, we know many areas of our region have high numbers, contributing to more breeding, increased bite cases, and cruelty as people act out in frustration.
To tackle this issue, it would help to have a better estimate of the number of dogs and cats and their conditions. The Alliance is developing plans to initiate a street count using an app designed for this specific purpose. Volunteer teams will drive designated routes and count what they see. These representative numbers will help to calculate an overall total.
Dozens of volunteers will be needed from across the region. Click here for more information about volunteering for this historic effort.
