WALLER COUNTY – — WALLER COUNTY – Animal lovers up in Waller are having to get a little creative when it comes to saving their strays.
The animals picked up by the city are only given three days until they’re euthanized. But now, volunteers are giving back life to these animals and to one of Waller’s oldest piece of history.
It’s everything you’d expect to find in an old abandoned jail – a run-down brick building, chain locks and even the wanted posters.
But the inmates in here are different – a little furrier and a lot friendlier.
“We wanted to do something. These pets deserve a loving home just like anyone else does," LaFonda Shaffer with City of Waller Animal Shelter and Rescue said.
They’re from the streets – some were dumped by their owners, and others escaped.
“It’s so hard when you see a dog running down the street not to pick that dog up," Shaffer said.
Most of the dogs are picked up by the city pound, but then, they're given a death sentence.
“We found out that after 72 hours that the owners weren’t picking up their pets, that the dogs would get euthanized," Shaffer said.
But now, they’ve all been pardoned.
“Is there a building, is there something? What can we do to save these dogs?” Shaffer said.
The city gave them the prison. They brought the passion.
“It would be amazing to get every dog off the street," Shaffer said.
Shaffer says so far the shelter has saved more than 200 animals, and almost all have been adopted out.
But the ones still in the cells get their visitation every other day, when students stop by to read to the pups.
It’s a cage of a different kind.
“It is sad to see the dogs behind bars, you know. But then again, they’re safe," Shaffer said.
But this life on the inside means a chance on the outside they didn’t have before.
“I've gotten to see those dogs that have gotten adopted out, and to see how great they’re doing, it’s a really good feeling," Shaffer said.
If you would like to adopt from the City of Waller Animal Shelter and Rescue, visit their Facebook Page to learn more.
