Harris County Animal Shelter three times over capacity

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - "We usually get about 60-to-80 animals a day," said Kerry McKeel, senior communications specialist for the Harris County Animal Shelter. But for some unknown reason, the county shelter took in 102 animals on Thursday alone.

More animals came in on Friday and in just a 24-hour period, the shelter was three times over capacity.

"It's definitely put a strain to care for all these animals," added McKeel.

The shelter had planned for a third party to transport a lot of these animals to other shelters and other states, but Hurricane Florence altered that plan.

"Now, we're looking at plan B," said McKeel. "How can we get people in here to help us in fostering and adopting these animals?"

There's no long-term commitment or out-of-pocket expenses for fosters.

"Even if people can open their home for a week and foster an animal, we will provide all the medical care," explained McKeel. "We will provide supplies if needed. We just need a place for them to go and give us a little bit of breathing room so that we can regroup and be able to find a positive outcome, whether it's through transport or an adoption placement program."