After months of controversy and criticism, an East Texas animal shelter has very quietly made some remarkable gains in caring for and adopting out stray and abandoned animals. There was a time when Longview's humane society of Northeast Texas had very few of its animals adopted out.
"It was 8-percent to 10 percent out the door alive then, that means on months that you had a thousand animals come in, 900 of them are dying," says shelter interim director Stuart Russell.
But new ideas to reach the public are paying off.
"Using facebook using all of the social media that we've got, everyone sharing photos , every month it has gradually increased," she says.
Over the past few months a dramatic increase in adoptions. 77-percent adoption in December, 54-percent in January, and this month 60-percent.
"Our rates are jumping sky-high. We will have 80 to 100 people come through our doors to look at pets today," Russell says.
"A friend of mine on facebook posts a lot of about available animals to adopt and we saw Greta come up on their and came by today to save a life," says shelter visitor Kim Robertson.
Care and feeding are a challenge , and that too is an appeal to the public.
"We have got generous people all over the country, we've got a donator from Germany. We need a new building, we hold 140 animals in this building," says Russell.
The word is getting out, and workers hope its in time to save many of the animals.
"They make it very easy and painless and it makes you feel very good to be able to do this," Robertson says.
"The new movement in the states is for no kill I wish that could happen here in Longview but it will not happen without adoption," says Russell.
The humane society of Northeast Texas is open Monday through Saturday for adoptions. Volunteers are welcome.
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