This past August, as students were buckling down for the beginning of the new semester, Aggieland Humane Society hosted its annual Clear the Shelter adoption special, a two-day event for people to find their new four-legged friend with a waived adoption fee. This year was considered a successful turnout with 63 pets being adopted during the 48 hours.

Ashley Quick, Aggieland Humane communication coordinator said the event was extremely successful.  

“It was crazy. I mean … we had cars parked on both sides, all the way down to the gate,” Quick said. “We were really happy with it.”

Quick began working at the shelter after leaving the hospitality industry during the pandemic, and noticed an opening in the fundraising department.

“So, I decided, why not apply for it? … I’m thankful I got it,” Quick said.

Quick said her day-to-day job is creating new ways to market their pets, with the intention of finding their forever home, as well as gathering funds, which are a must when it comes to shelter pet care. 

“And I get to hang out with pets pretty much all day,” Quick said.

Executive Director Jennifer Young explained this past year has been like a dream job for her, after originally working for another nonprofit homeless and housing program. 

“I went from working with homeless people to homeless pets … and the transition has been so much fun,” Young said.

Located on 5359 Leonard Rd, Aggieland Humane is home to a wide area of land that can allow for multiple volunteers to walk all the dogs at a comfortable pace, which is beneficial during the shelter’s busiest months.

“I would say … March to November are probably pretty busy. Our intakes are pretty high … [but] they do slow down during the cooler months,” Quick said. 

According to their website, the shelter’s annual intake is around 3,000 animals, and their services do not only cater towards dogs and cats but also goats, chickens, pigs and even a snake this year.

“That includes the full gamut of what we serve … I want to say [last year] we had 21 different species,” Young said.

Aggieland Humane said its ultimate goal, as a shelter is to reunite. From pets that go missing and are reunited with their family to pets that are finally finding their home and are thriving, that is their ideal happy ending. 

“We’ve got goals within that too by educating the community about the importance of things like microchipping, spaying and neutering their pets,” Young said.

Young said that when bringing awareness to the shelter with events like Clear The Shelter, it is important to remind people of the misconceptions that can come with shelter pets. 

“Maybe they’re damaged goods … but I think if people would come out and visit, they would find these pets are incredible,” Young said.

One intake that is currently looking for her forever home is Pickles, a two-year-old dog who has come a long way in the month and half she has been at the shelter. When she first arrived, her skin was so irritated and dry that she was pink and losing tufts of fur. Now, she is known to have the cutest little prance and is ready to go home.

“I think if you’re having a bad day, just come watch Pickles run around in our play yard. It will bring a smile to your face,” Quick said.

For more information, hopeful pet parents can visit aggielandhumane.org to look for their new furry, or scaly, friend.