With social distancing guidelines in place and a smaller volunteer and staff workforce, the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter is seeking student support to stay in operation.
Many animal shelters are drastically reducing staff and volunteers to adhere to social distancing guidelines. As of now, the San Marcos shelter is not taking any new volunteers, but coordinator Jeanne Saadi says students can help the shelter with its foster program.
“We really had a fantastic overflow of people wanting to foster when the pandemic first started, and we kind of had to wind it down a little bit just recently,” Saadi said. “If [students] could just foster for us so they have a pet, they’re caring for something; they get that companionship, and then maybe it gets adopted, and they get another foster pet and another foster pet, all through their four years of college or however long they’re here.”
Saadi does not want to discourage students from adopting, but students do not always know where they will end up after graduation. She believes fostering is better for those who might not be able to take a pet with them when they begin their careers. While fostering, the shelter will pay for any medical issues the animal might have, and for behavioral problems, the shelter has volunteers who can help.
Saadi encourages students to reach out if they have skills the shelter can utilize, such as photography, video editing and writing skills, that can help pets find homes.
Connie Gil, a foster coordinator for the shelter, started at the shelter as a kennel technician. She believes the most rewarding part of her job is finding homes for animals in need.
Now, she says donations to the cat program are especially needed.
“We need a lot of stuff [for] neonatal kittens, or litter boxes. We use little trays, cardboard ones that you would get drinks in; stuff like that is useful,” Gil said.
Kathy Avila, a Texas State alumna, volunteers with the shelter. She says her experience working at the shelter is vastly different from before the pandemic, increasing the need for foster help with the animals.
“Last summer, I would take dogs on outings and take them and play with them in the play yard a whole lot, but this summer it looks different,” Avila said. “There aren’t as many volunteers, so simple things like taking dogs on walks are more difficult; that’s why fostering is so important.”
Avila says volunteering at the shelter helped her navigate difficulties in her life caused by the pandemic and improved her mental health. She believes the same can be true for those who decide to help.
“When I go in and volunteer, that’s time that I don’t think about the craziness that’s going on with the pandemic,” Avila said. “I can just focus on the animals and helping them get out of the shelter.”
For more information on Clear the Shelter or to schedule an appointment to adopt a pet, foster an animal in need or donate to the shelter, you can visit the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter’s website.