Rene Vasquez, Fort Bend County Animal Services director (left) and Community Involvement Coordinator Barbara Vass are seen with Bodie.[/caption]

The cities of Katy, Sugar Land, and Rosenberg have their own animal shelters, but for the nearly 775 square miles of unincorporated Fort Bend County, animals are sent to a separate facility. Fort Bend County Animal Services, located at 1210 Blume Road, Rosenberg, has seen its animal intake and euthanasia rates drop as adoption and rescue rates have increased the past three fiscal years, according to shelter data.

The facility’s biggest need is space, but Director Rene Vasquez said greater outreach and social media efforts have helped get more animals adopted.

“That’s what we’ve been doing for the past few years, and I mean it has really been working well; it’s just the dogs—the animals don’t stop coming in,” he said.

Strays are the most common arrivals at the shelter, Vasquez said. The shelter primarily takes cats and dogs plus some exotic animals, such as snakes and iguanas, Community Involvement Coordinator Barbara Vass said.

The shelter’s euthanasia rate dropped by about 63 percent between fiscal year 2013-14 and FY 2015-16, and the adoption rate more than doubled in that time. Rescue numbers also grew by about 32 percent from FY 2013-14 to FY 2015-16, but the rate of redemptions—lost animals who are reclaimed by their original owners—fell by nearly 27 percent.

“People don’t think of us to come and look for their dog,” Vass said.

Vasquez said the shelter started holding animals longer to reduce the euthanasia rate.

“We continue keeping [them] here, but we promote. And we do [adoption] specials,” he said. “You name the special, it’s on.”

Emergency situations, such as the three confirmed distemper cases that were discovered at the shelter in April, require any help available. On April 26, the shelter put out a plea on social media to relocate 80 dogs while the facility could be sanitized. As a result, 10 people volunteered to foster animals, Vass said.

The county also plans to expand the facility with a new 5,976-square-foot building with 35 new kennels.

The county estimates it would cost about $900,000 to construct the new building, which will be located on the south side of the existing shelter’s parking lot. Vasquez said he expects it would be complete in spring or summer 2018.

“It’s in the works,” Vasquez said. “It’s going to happen. It just takes time.”