Mid City Times

Published on September 24, 2024

On the morning of September 20, 27 dogs left Texas through the efforts of the Fort Worth Animal Care & Control (FWACC) Transport Program team. The Fort Worth Shelter works with rescue groups in regions like New England and the Pacific Northwest, where pet overpopulation is less severe. These partnerships help free up space at the shelter and save lives.

FWACC seeks transport fosters to support this program. Transport fosters bridge the gap between a pet leaving the shelter and starting their journey to a new life. Pets must be fostered for at least two weeks before they are eligible for transfer.

On that day, team members loaded the dogs onto the “Bark Bus” for their trip to New England. The group included various breeds, with six dogs from the Urgent Pet Placement list. All were pulled from the Fort Worth Shelter for transport to the Northeast.

With this transport, FWACC has saved a total of 1,053 dogs through its Transport Program in FY2024 — the highest number since 2020 and exceeding their initial goal.

“Our goal was 800 (almost a 50% increase), but I knew the team was going to surpass it,” said Transport Program Manager Nia Hernandez.

She credits shelter staff, volunteers, fosters, rescue partners, and transport partners for helping save record numbers of lives through this program.

“It’s an amazing feeling knowing that the team was up for the challenge and never gave up,” Hernandez said. “I also loved all of the support we gave one another — a very wholesome feeling for sure!”

For information on becoming a transport foster, email the foster team.

Photo: Fort Worth Animal Care & Control’s hard-working group at a transport earlier this year.

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