Dogs and Cats at Our Local Animal Shelter Need Your Help

First let me say: Please consider adopting from the shelter before you "purchase" an animal from a pet store, breeder or even a rescue. I will explain more about this in a bit.

A stroll through our local animal shelter in Texarkana yesterday (Animal Care and Adoption Center) was not a sad trip but rather a happy one because of all the smiling faces looking at me as I moved past each dog's kennel. There were so many that volunteered but I was only there to take a photo of one dog. The dog that would be featured in the newspaper, TV and radio for the week. Such a tough decision but there was one particular dog that I had promised to give the day too. Her name is Red.

Miss Red is a Chow mix, approximately 4 years old and weighs about 35 pounds. She is very sweet and would make a great family pet--good with kids. She appears to have had some house-training too because she waited until we were outside to take care of business. She comes with a FREE wellness exam from Pleasant Grove Animal Hospital.

If you do not have room for a new pet, please consider volunteering. You can walk dogs at the shelter, do fundraisers or donate items for the animals. If you do not have time to go to the shelter, you can donate food by stopping at Tractor Supply Company on Stateline Avenue and purchasing a gift card. Shelter representatives will use the cards for dog and cat food when they run short, which is VERY often.

Now back to Miss Red. She likes to sit at your feet and lean on your leg. She enjoys being pet and likes to cuddle. She is always very quiet, even when all of the other shelter dogs are barking, Miss Red just watches quietly.

Our local animal shelter always has so many dogs available for adoption. There are also puppies, cats and kittens available for adoption. The others are waiting for their chance to get on the adoption floor so please consider adding a furry friend to your family.

Here are a couple of videos of Miss Red and be sure to check out all of the dogs, puppies, cats and kittens at the shelter in the videos below.

There are many different breeds and sizes of dogs at the shelter. Check out the video below that shows all of the dogs on the adoption floor. Small, medium or large...whatever size you are looking for you can find at our local animal shelter.

The fee to adopt a dog is only $40 and just $20 for a cat. All animals adopted from the shelter must be spayed or neutered--its the law. Spays cost from $89 to $104 and neuters are $76 to $92. The price varies depending on the weight of the animal.

Here are all of the dogs and puppies on the adoption floor:

These animals need loving, walks, brushing and attention. They need to feel special, if only for 5 or 10 minutes. Please consider adopting a pet. These animals have great potential, they just need a chance to show you.

Check out all of the cats and kittens that are available for adoption. There are many different types of cats and personalities to choose from:

Texarkana Animal Care and Adoption Center located at 203 Harrison, Texarkana, Arkansas. The shelter is open to the public Monday through Saturday, 10AM to 5PM. Their phone number is 870-773-6388. Click here for directions to the shelter.

Our local shelter usually has over 100 dogs and over 30 cats available for adoption every day. There are many more animals located in the holding areas "downstairs" that are either waiting for their owners to reclaim them or hoping for a spot on the adoption floor to open. There were only a few adoptions last week which means there were a lot of animals that had to be euthanized. To see more of the adoptable animals visit the shelter at 203 Harrison in Texarkana, Arkansas or check out their website at AnimalCareAdoptionCenter.org.

Did you know that one unspayed dog and her offspring, can reproduce over 65,000 dogs in just six years. That is a shocking number. Most of those animals will eventually wind up in our local shelter. Some will wind up on the adoption floor but more will be euthanized because there is not enough room at the shelter and not enough people adopting from the shelter. When you adopt from the shelter you are truly saving a life. You are rescuing a dog, or cat. The animals that have already made it into our local rescues are safe--there is no fear of them being euthanized. So look at the shelter first, then check with the local rescues: Arklatex Cocker Rescue, BoxAR Rescue, Muttley Crew Rescue, Passion for Pooches, Jeff Tarpley Rescue and Texarkana Animal League.

Fact: You do not have to wait until your pet is 6 months old to get them fixed. Pediatric spay and neuter is available in Texarkana. Please spay and neuter ALL of your pets!