Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Houston Humane Society to handle Stafford animal shelter services under new partnership
Summary
Stafford has an arrangement with the Houston Humane Society to process and care for city animals after a five-day hold; HHS described medical intake, behavior programs, an $80 turnkey TNR service for feral cats, and a high live-release rate.
Stafford has arranged for the Houston Humane Society to provide animal-shelter services for animals taken into city custody, the humane society said in an interview recorded for Stafford Weekly News.
Aaron Grady, director of operations at the Houston Humane Society, described a process in which animals the city holds for five days are transferred into HHS’s system for medical evaluation, behavioral assessment and placement. "We have vets on staff...we have a medical director as well as two other shelter staff members," Grady said, and he later summarized the society’s year-to-date live-release rate as about 95 percent.
Under the arrangement, Stafford maintains custody of an animal during the city’s required hold period; after the five-day hold, the animal is transferred into the Houston Humane Society system. Grady said HHS conducts vaccinations, medical workups and behavioral assessments on arrival and will route animals into shelter programs, foster placements, rescue transfers or adoption pathways depending on needs.
On trap-neuter-return (TNR) services for feral cats, Grady said HHS charges $80 per service. "You bring in a feral cat, it's $80. They get a spay/neuter surgery, they get the ear tip, and any other complications that may arise, they'll take care of that," he said.
Grady and other HHS staff described programs meant to improve animals’ chances for placement, including behavioral modification plans, playgroups and enrichment activities. A behavior specialist interviewed for the segment said staff give newly arrived animals time to decompress, then create individualized behavior plans that can include playgroups, extra outside time, confidence-building and one-on-one work.
The humane society said some intake services operate by appointment and that intake appointments can be backed up in peak seasons. The intake coordinator quoted in the segment said scheduling can take three to five weeks at busy times; public intake is available but by appointment.
Grady summarized the shelter's outcomes: "As far as 2024, we had a live release rate of 94 percent. Year to date as in May, we have a 95 percent live...release rate," he said. He also explained why a small share of animals do not achieve a live outcome, citing medical cases where humane euthanasia is judged necessary for quality-of-life reasons and rare cases of overt aggression that cannot be safely placed.
The humane society also described its foster program and volunteer pathways. Staff said the program supplies foster homes with medical care and supplies, and that fostering expands the shelter’s life-saving capacity by freeing kennel space. Staff provided the organization’s adoption and foster contact points: the organization’s website (houstonhumane.org) and foster@houstonhumane.org for foster inquiries.
The recorded segment did not include formal City of Stafford council action to adopt the arrangement on camera. Grady said the partnership began in May, and staff described the arrangement as intended to give Stafford animals access to HHS medical and behavioral assessment and a pathway to adoption, rescue transfer or other live outcomes.
The humane society encouraged Stafford residents to search the shelter’s adoptable dogs and cats pages while staff work to create a dedicated link identifying animals that came into their care from Stafford. The organization also said it provides public programs such as Pets for Life to help owners keep pets in their homes, and it offers intake by appointment for those who cannot keep their animals.
