Lubbock Animal Services is opening its doors to people looking for a new animal companion.
Lubbock Animal Services will hold its annual Clear the Shelters adoption event on August 22 at the shelter.
Animal adoptions are free and new owners will receive extra goodies like donated gift certificates, coupons and other treats.
The Lubbock Animal Shelter reports that about 38 puppies are available for the event.
Any animal currently available at the shelter can find a new home, including snakes, hamsters and bearded dragons, giving people the chance to meet an animal they may not have expected to find.
Animals adopted during the event come vaccinated, dewormed, treated for fleas and ticks, microchipped, and spayed or neutered.
But the event is about more than bringing home a new friend. It is also about making room for the animals who may still be on the streets waiting for care.
Lubbock Animal Services’ lead shelter officer Samantha Jones said the shelter is highly impacted by the number of animals coming in each day.
“Because we take appointments in from over the counter, we have field officers picking up strays, so we are bringing in roughly anywhere from like 10 to 20 animals a day,” said Jones.
Jones said stray animals are one of the biggest reasons the shelter stays so full and that some dogs are even sharing kennels because of the limited space.
As of early August, Lubbock Animal Services reported that they had 373 animals in their facility hoping to lower the number closer to 300 with the event.
Jones stated that the shelter is a no-kill facility, meaning healthy and treatable animals are not euthanized because of space or time limits.
People do not have to come to the shelter knowing they want to adopt, said Jones.
“I just want people to come out here and see the animals that we have and see how many are actually in this facility,” said Jones.
Jones says helping create space for more animals is especially important.
Jones said, “There’s a big stray problem here and so helping us to make that space with this event is really useful.”
For someone looking for a new companion, August 22 could be the day they meet their next best friend. The event will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., at 3323 SE Loop 289.