This browser does not support the Video element.
Dog of the Day: Shira
A fun 1-year-old dog who is good with kids and other dogs is looking for a new home. Shira is today's SPCA of Texas Dog of the Day.
DALLAS - The Dallas Animal Shelter is offering $50 gift cards to those who adopt dogs this weekend in an effort to clear out a shelter that is way over capacity.
DAS said its dog shelter is currently 139% full, with large-breed dogs making up most of the population.
MORE: Pets and Aminal News
To encourage adoptions, the Friends of the Dallas Animal Shelter will give $50 Petco gift cards to the first 75 people who adopt a dog between Friday and Sunday.
That gift card can be used to purchase food and supplies for the new pets.
"We have a robust foster program with more than 1,000 pets in foster homes, and our adoptions have been steady, but that simply hasn’t been enough to keep up with the sheer volume of intake," said Sarah Sheek, DAS’s assistant general manager.
Sheek said last weekend alone, DAS took in 161 dogs from Friday to Sunday.
DAS’s goal is to find homes for at least 90% of the animals it takes into the shelter. But last month, that live release rate was closer to 85%.
"We are trying every strategy we can to find positive outcomes, and we’re asking the community to come out this weekend to help us save lives," Sheek said.
The shelter located at 1818 Westmoreland Road is open from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
To see a list of all adoptable pets in the shelter, visit BeDallas90.org.