MIDLAND, Texas — Cats and dogs aren’t meant to roam the streets of West Texas.
But when they do, they often end up in the local shelters waiting for their owners to take them home or go to a new one.
In Odessa, the shelter has been taking in lots of strays recently.
"Right now we are currently in a depressed economy and as a result of that we’re seeing a lot of abandoned dogs and so we’re receiving huge intake here and as a result, that’s one of the reasons we’re doing this program," Steve LeSueur, OPD public information officer said.
That’s why they’re pushing free adoptions this month.
"It’s important that they find a good home," LeSueur said.
It fluctuates at both shelters, but Odessa is seeing 40-100 dogs and less than 10 cats any given day.
For Midland it's about 75 dogs and 45 cats.
But Midland adoption numbers over the past 3 years have declined.
In 2018, 449 pets were adopted. In 2019, 427 and in 2020, 416.
“2020 has been a challenging year for everyone. The pandemic has forced people to stay home; which, in turn, may have kept people away from the shelter," said Leah Lewis, Midland animal services manager.
But for both shelters, finding these pets a stable living situation is their primary goal.
Lewis said that when you adopt from the shelter, you save a life and you’re making room for others. She said the shelter has a great selection of animals that need a loving forever home.
If you'd like to learn more about adopting a pet, you can call Odessa's shelter at (432) 368-3527 or Midland's animal shelter at (432) 685-7420.