Best Friends Animal Society and Harris County Public Health Team Up to Open
Pet Reunion Pavilion in Wake of Hurricane Harvey
Partnering Texas groups Austin Pets Alive!, Houston Pets Alive!, Houston PetSet
Houston, TX (Sept. 11, 2017) — Best Friends Animal Society is excited to announce the opening of the Pet Reunion Pavilion. Harris County Public Health’s (HCPH) Animal Shelter secured the facility and expedited the creation of a center where families separated, from their pets during or following Hurricane Harvey, can come search for their four-footed family member. Other important partners in this unique facility are Austin Pets Alive!, Houston Pets Alive!, and Houston PetSet.
Austin Pets Alive!’s Katy location will move into the NRG Park for this initiative. Best Friends will work to continue reunions with pets that have been separated from their families.
Located at the NRG Arena in Houston, the Pet Reunion Pavilion will act as a hub for families to find their pets displaced by Hurricane Harvey. If a lost pet is found, it is recommended to first take the animal to the local shelter, where it is most likely to be reunited with its owner.
“I would like to thank Best Friends Animal Society for their efforts in setting up this Pet Reunion Pavilion and Harris County officials for providing the facility for us to use,” said Dr. Mic.
hael White, Director of Veterinary Public Health at HCPH. “So many families and pets have been affected by the hurricane. Groups like Houston Pets Alive!, Austin Pets Alive!, and Houston Pets Set have been instrumental in our efforts to reunite pets with their families. The collaboration between many organizations is much needed and necessary so that our communities and pets can begin recovering from the effects of Harvey.”
“One of our primary goals in the wake of the storm is to ensure pets are reunited with their families,” said Brent Toellner, incident command for Best Friends Animal Society. “Staging an area in Houston is a priority for us as we want to make it as easy as possible for happy reunions.
“Following our Rescue and Reunion Center in Montgomery Country, we’re furthering our work in the area to help the animals affected by Hurricane Harvey and are opening this collaborative operation based at NRG Arena in Houston,” Toellner said.
Austin Pets Alive! has focused its initiatives on saving as many lives as possible in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and will continue its work on behalf of owner-surrendered and shelter pets. In partnership with Houston Pets Alive! they will manage a temporary shelter location for any non-owned pets and are coordinating efforts with other No Kill shelters to help these animals through adoption. The joint Houston Pets Alive! / Austin Pets Alive temporary shelter is at 8620 Stella Link Rd. Houston TX 77025
“The best way for lifesaving at this scale to function and be successful is by coordination and partnership – both with the community and with other organizations working towards the same goal,” said Dr. Ellen Jefferson, Executive Director of Austin Pets Alive!. “While Austin Pets Alive! has already taken around 2,000 pets into its care, the collaboration between these organizations will be critical to longer-term solutions for the pets of Houston.”
Andrea Birkelbach, Founder, Houston Pets Alive!, said, “It is our mission to continue our life saving efforts well after the Hurricane Recovery has ended.”
Houston PetSet will provide space and resources for smaller local organizations that have been involved with Hurricane Harvey rescue.
“Through this collaboration we are able to extend our support of the animal rescue community in the Greater Houston area by linking needs to resources through our local and national partners. The smaller, grass-roots and volunteer-based nonprofits have and will continue to play a vital role in animal rescue and reunification efforts and Houston PetSet is committed to supporting them both at the Pet Rescue Pavilion and long after,” said Tena Lundquist Faust and Tama Lundquist, Co-Presidents of the Board of Directors for Houston PetSet.
Pet Reunion Pavilion
1 NRG Park
Houston, TX 77054
Hours open to the public: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
*NOTE; Pet Reunion Pavilion will be closed to the public on the following Sundays: Oct.1, Oct. 8 and Oct. 15 when the Houston Texans are playing home games.
To search for your lost pet online, please visit bestfriends.org/hurricaneharvey
It is also important to search on the local municipal shelters’ websites and on PetHarbor.com.
Credit: Ready Harris News http://readyharris.org/News-Information/Ready-Harris-News/Post/27052
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