Operation Pets Alive continually seeking permanent homes for shelter animals

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Operation Pets Alive hosts adoption events as often as possible to help get animals off the streets, out of the shelters and into loving homes.

The non-profit organization screens all animals for diseases, gives them shots, and spay and neuter the animals prior to sending them to these adoption events all while being taken care of through a foster program.

OPA has a couple of vets that they take the animals to, and the vets offer the organization rescue rates. The group is trying to incorporate their program with people who have a vetting background so they can help the fosters be more attuned to any possible problems going on with the animals.

“These animals are very much loved and very much cared for,” one of the volunteers said. “We have vetting sessions that we take the animals to to make sure that they have their shots and they’re not sick. If they get sick during the week, we take them to our vets.”

Stephanie Fletcher, a cat coordinator with OPA said she got started with the organization when a female feral cat came to her house with four five-week-old kittens. Fletcher and her daughter took them in and started feeding them and taming them. One of her family members who is involved with OPA told her about the program and got the mother and kittens fixed and returned.

“I just love coming out and helping them find homes, and you can tell when these babies find their homes,” Fletcher said. “They bond; they melt in their arms. When they hold them, you can tell that the cat picks them, just like with the dogs.”

Gina Rhame, volunteer coordinator of Operation Pets Alive, said they are always in need of fosters and volunteers to set up the adoption events and help do laundry and assessments at the shelter. Those interested can sign up at the link provided below or can sign up at one of their offsite events.

“We have adoption events all over the place, so we need lots of volunteers and fosters,” Rhame said. “The more volunteers we have the more adoption events we can have and the more pets we can find homes for.”