ASPCA Assists SPCA of Texas with Emergency Sheltering of Pets Displaced by Hurricane Harvey

Dallas, Texas—At the request of the SPCA of Texas, the ASPCA^® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®) has deployed a team of professional responders to help provide sheltering support and daily care for more than 150 pets displaced by Hurricane Harvey at an emergency animal shelter established by the SPCA of Texas in Dallas. The shelter is expecting to receive approximately 250 more owned animals from transports from evacuee shelters in Alexandria and Shreveport, La. that are shifting people and pets to Dallas by the week’s end, bringing the total emergency animal shelter population to nearly 400 animals, including dogs, cats, birds and reptiles.

The vast majority of these animals—all owned pets—arrived at the mega shelter at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas with their owners. These animals were then transported by Dallas Animal Services to the emergency animal shelter at the old Reunion Arena parking garage in Dallas, just two blocks away from the mega shelter. Sheltering pets as close as possible to their owners facilitates visits between pets and owners and will make it easy for evacuees to pick up their pets when they are ready to move on.

“The SPCA of Texas welcomed our response team earlier this week, and we’re happy to help care for these animals while their owners rebuild their lives,” said Matt Bershadker, ASPCA president and CEO. “We are committed to providing quality care and enrichment for these animals until they can be reunited with their owners. During natural disasters, few things are as rewarding as seeing displaced pets going home with their families.”

“The SPCA of Texas is putting every available resource behind assisting pets and people who have evacuated the Gulf Coast to the North Texas area. We’ve transported hundreds of adoptable shelter pets from the coast to free up space for rescued animals, sent food and supplies to the affected areas, and to date have sheltered almost 600 pets owned by evacuees. In the meantime, we continue to rescue, heal and find homes for pets right here in our backyard,” said James Bias, president and CEO of the SPCA of Texas. “We’re thankful to be working with the ASPCA to provide exceptional care for all pets at the emergency animal shelter, as the responsibility of caring for evacuees’ best friends and family members is of paramount importance. Seeing the tears of joy and hearing the happy barks and purrs is humbling, and keeping people and pets together as a family through this disaster fulfills our mission.“

Any evacuees affected by the hurricane and flooding on the Gulf Coast who need assistance with their pets should contact the SPCA of Texas at 214-742-SPCA (7722). For more information on how the SPCA of Texas is responding to pets and people during this time, please visit www.spca.org/hurricane-harvey.

The ASPCA’s response following Hurricane Harvey includes the relocation of hundreds of displaced shelter animals from Texas and Louisiana to other shelters, including the ASPCA Adoption Center. The ASPCA deployed water rescue teams to assist local agencies with search-and-rescue efforts by boat, provided critical sheltering supplies, dispatched its mobile medical unit to help injured storm animals, and established a temporary shelter for lost pets until they can be reunited with their owners. 

As it assists municipalities in Texas, the ASPCA is simultaneously engaging with agencies throughout the Southeast states to assist with pre-evacuation, relocation, and emergency sheltering efforts in anticipation of Hurricane Irma. For the latest updates on the ASPCA's disaster response efforts, please visit www.aspca.org/harvey-response.