Texas Pets Fly to a Second Chance From a Disaster and a Crisis
Today, nearly one hundred pets boarded a lifesaving flight from Texas to BISSELL Pet Foundation’s incredible shelter partners in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Delaware. These pets didn’t just take a ride—they were given a second chance, thanks to a powerful network of shelters, volunteers, and supporters who came together in a moment of urgent need.
The pets on this flight came from two heartbreaking, but very different situations.
In Williamson County—along with Lampasas and Georgetown—flooding devastated the region, forcing shelters into crisis. The Williamson Animal Shelter took in pets from the surrounding communities and quickly became overwhelmed. While some transfers had taken place to other organizations, Williamson was left with the large dogs and heartworm-positive dogs that are often the hardest to place. These were some of the pets BPF moved to today to our compassionate partners that were willing to receive them—pets who might otherwise have had no pathway forward. Operation Kindness also stepped in for medical cases and large dogs, and is providing boots-on-the-ground support in the shelter to give relief to the Williamson staff.
At the same time, San Antonio Animal Services faced their own crisis—not caused by a natural disaster, but by relentless intake pressure and an ongoing capacity challenge. They take in over 30,000 pets each year and are forced to make heartbreaking decisions daily just to stay within their capacity for care. But despite their own urgent situation, when the floods hit Central Texas, San Antonio didn’t hesitate. They raised their hand and said, “How can we help?”
San Antonio staff and volunteers sprang into action. They secured an additional building, called in extra help, and kept their day-to-day operations running while also preparing pets for transport. Yesterday, they saw the pets through health certifications so that today, those pets, both from flood impacted areas and their own shelter, could board the plane and head toward a brighter future.
This flight is the perfect picture of what’s possible when we work together—not just in the wake of natural disasters, which are becoming more frequent and more severe—but in response to the everyday crisis happening in shelters across our country. The heartbreak is real, but so is the hope. As we move through another disaster season, we must not lose sight of the crisis that is playing out in shelters across our nation every single day.
BPF is deeply grateful to all the shelter partners on both ends of this journey. And a special thank you to the City of San Antonio Animal Services for going above and beyond to support your fellow Texas shelters in their time of need. Your compassion and collaboration made this flight possible. Together, we are proving that every pet matters.
We’re also incredibly thankful for our friends at Tito’s Handmade Vodka for matching gifts up to $20,000 for this lifesaving transport. Their swift action helped turn urgency into impact.
While we are doing everything we can to help pets, our hearts are with everyone who has been impacted by this disaster.
Until every pet has a home,
