The Pflugerville Animal Shelter is in need of more volunteers to give dogs and cats the care they need.

The shelter has a total of about 24 active volunteers, most of whom have full-time day jobs. About eight of those volunteers spend time taking dogs out for walks and cleaning kennels in the afternoons and evenings. The rest s devote their time to adoption events and cat care.

On any given day, the shelter has about seven large dogs and six small dogs for a total of 13 or 14 dogs, all of which should ideally be taken out for walks multiple times a day, volunteer Nicole Jones said.

During the morning and early afternoon hours, dogs are usually taken out for a walk once during the day when caretakers from Pflugerville Animal Control come in to check on the animals. But staff usually leave by 1 p.m. and do not return until the following day at 8 a.m.

Dogs then have to wait until a volunteer is able to take them out for another walk later in the day.

"The more we can get the dogs socialized, the more adoptable they become. We just don't have enough volunteers to walk the dogs. Plus, the volunteers that walk the dogs have to clean the kennels too," Volunteer Coordinator Kim Waters said.

She said the ideal situation would be to have volunteers assigned to one sole task: two volunteers to walk dogs, two to clean kennels and two to "just love them."

Animals at the shelter are subject to euthanasia after a period of time due to limited space at the shelter.

"Any adoptable, healthy animal should not be euthanized," Waters said.

When the shelter was built in 1985, it had six dog kennels and two cat cages. In 1992, the facility expanded to 15 larger dog kennels and 12 cat cages. Additional cat cages have since been added, bringing the number up to 15 cat cages.

Volunteers said the increasing amount of pets at the shelter can be attributed to the growing number of lost pets which in turn, they said, is due to the growing Pflugerville population.

Volunteers started a new Facebook page, "Pflugerville's Lost Pets," where they post photos of pets the shelter finds and takes in so the owner will be able to identify and pick up their pet.

Waters said about five local businesses have expressed interest in hosting an adoption event at their facility but the shelter has not been able to participate due to low volunteer numbers.

Adoptable cats are regularly available at Petco in the Stone Hill Town Center in Pflugerville, Petco at Tech Ridge shopping center in Austin and Petsmart in the La Frontera shopping center in Round Rock.

Those interested in adopting or fostering a dog can stop by the shelter where volunteers will work to find the pet that best fits the needs of a potential owner.

"Adopt a dog and rescue another. When you foster, you save the life of the dog that you're fostering as well as opening space for another animal," volunteer Nancy McMackin said. "We work with people to see what fits with them at their home."

McMackin said living conditions at the shelter can cause high stress for some dogs which is why American Dog Owners for Proper Training (A.D.O.P.T.) is working with shelter dogs and volunteers to provide behavioral and obedience training to make pets more adoptable.

The next volunteer orientation is scheduled for Feb. 11 from 9 a.m.—1 p.m. at the Pflugerville Justice Center, 1611 Pfennig Lane.

Volunteers are also asking the community for donations which are what keep the shelter running efficiently.

Pflugerville Pfurry Pfriends was created to call attention to and improve shelter conditions. Members of the group said Pflugerville needs a new shelter because the current one is too small and is hard to find.

The group works to provide improved resources to the shelter, assists with adoption events, provides public exposure of the shelter's needs through media outlets and provides funding for equipment and other needs at the shelter.

To donate via Pflugerville's Pfurry Pfriends website, visit www.pflugervillepfurrypfriends.org/waystodonate.

Prospective volunteers can view an application online.

For more information, like the "Pflugerville Animal Shelter Volunteers" or "Pflugerville's Lost Pets" pages on Facebook.

Pflugerville Animal Shelter

990-7397

1600 Waterbrook Drive

Pflugerville, TX 78660

Open Mon.—Sun. 8 a.m.—4 p.m.