New Longview Shelter Signals Shift in Caring for Pets

LONGVIEW — Longview-area residents are gearing up for a big change in animal care. KETK and the Longview News-Journal report the Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center is set to open in a few weeks, but the movement to change the area’s mindset toward animal welfare started months ago. Directors say it’s paramount they get the word out that the new shelter signals an intention to make Longview and Gregg County a better place for animals as well as people.

After decades of taking in stray, unwanted animals, the Humane Society of Northeast Texas will close its doors permanently the day after the new Longview facility opens, which could be as early as July 1. Shannon DeRosa is executive director for the new 20,885-square-foot shelter on H.G. Mosley Parkway at Pecos Street. She says it will be a no-kill shelter for healthy, adoptable animals. That means euthanasia won’t be used except in cases of animals that have health or other issues that make them unadoptable when the shelter is overpopulated.

Community pet overpopulation compounds the problem. DeRosa said the Humane Society reported taking in about 65 stray animals in one day this past week and has been averaging more than 45 animals daily. Those are numbers that will pose problems even for the Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center, which is almost four times larger than the Humane Society shelter. Just like the Humane Society, the new shelter will continue fostering relationships with rescue groups.

The best way to combat any overcrowding problems, DeRosa said, is education. “We’re going to be talking about the advantages of spay and neuter. There’s medical advantages. There’s behavioral advantages,” DeRosa said. “There’s a lot of myths out there that need to be dispelled about why it’s not good to spay and neuter.” Tactics for dispelling those myths will include interacting with the community when people come to the shelter or call and ask questions. Staff and volunteers also will use tools such as the shelter’s website, training classes, and adoption packet literature to educate about how owners can train their pets, eliminate their pets from running off or into the streets, and keep them on their own properties, DeRosa said.

These are the ways of responsible pet ownership that are considered progressive in animal welfare, and they can go a long way in not only reducing cities’ tax burdens and euthanasia risks, but also the risk of liability and financial loss for pet owners, she said. Those risks can range from pets causing a motor vehicle wreck while crossing a road to the cost of simply getting them back from the shelter after they’re picked up by animal control officers. DeRosa added, “It all starts with population control, and so with that, our big push is going to be spay and neuter.”