AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It’s a constant challenge to clear Central Texas animal shelters, made even more difficult by outbreaks of diseases including canine distemper, according to the Hill Country Humane Society. However, with pups now healthy and ready to find their fur-ever homes, the humane society is making an adoption push, and is even taking its efforts on wheels.
Paighton Corley and four-month-old puppy Lady Bug spoke with KXAN’s Mike Rush and Jala Washington about efforts to keep animals healthy at the shelter and how you can take home a dog today.
Read an edited transcription of the conversation below or use the video player above.
Washington: Lady bug is specifically a distemper survivor. You were saying that she recently got over that after you guys had an outbreak, that you were able to make it past at the end of July?
Corley: She came in at about one month. Shortly after that, she contracted the virus, but she was a little fighter. Two months later, she's made it through, and now she is one of two left of the group of 10 [in her litter] that's ready for their forever home.
Rush: Could you get more relaxed than Lady Bug here? She's a little nervous and the way she's translating her nervousness is by shutting down a little bit. But she's got a great personality, and she's very, very sweet.
Corley: Due to the virus, she unfortunately spent way too long in the shelter. It’s been most of her life, so that's no place for a puppy.
Rush: Well, we've got to change that. Speaking of being in the shelter, I know that you guys had said that despite the fact that we're in the “Clear the Shelters” campaign right now, you're actually getting more in than you’re letting go, which is not what you want. Set the scene, how many [dogs] do you have? How many do you need to get rid of?
Corley: Right now we have 99 dogs, and we have 55 kennels, so that is not ideal, well over capacity. Although we have had 60 adoptions in the past month -- which for our location -- is pretty great, but intakes are just nonstop right now.
Washington: Is there anything that you guys are doing new this year, other than bringing all the puppies for us to love on, to help with clearing the shelters, to really get people to help out? Because it is something that, again, is a problem at shelters all across Central Texas.
Corley: We're in Buchanan Dam with about 1,100 people, but we service two counties and five cities. So because of that, we got a mobile unit that’s basically like a mobile RV for adoptions. We drive it around, and we take the pets to people so they can see how wonderful they are.
Rush: That's more challenging, I guess, when you're in a more rural area and surrounded by smaller towns, you just have to do what you can and accommodate and travel around with them. So how long have you had the mobile unit?
Corley: We've had it about six months now.
Rush: Has it been effective?
Corley: Oh yeah, it's really great, because we can bring them to Cedar Park or Leander. This Friday, we're going to be at the Petco in Austin.
Washington: Are there set hours every day? Or do you guys put that information on your Facebook page?
Corley: It’s on our Facebook page. Friday we’ll be there from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday we’ll be at the main street market days in Marble Falls.
Washington: How long have you guys been doing this mobile unit?
Corley: We got it about six months ago, and we learned to drive it about four months ago. Since then, it's been out pretty much every weekend. We had to slow down quite a bit, because we did have to shut our doors due to the distemper outbreak. But fortunately, we did save 105 out of 109 of our dogs, so we are very excited to get them homes after they fought through this virus.
Rush: What do people need to know if they want to adopt a dog?
Corley: Just show up at our shelter. Our walk-in hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and staff is there from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. So if you need a different time, let us know. We do adoption events every single weekend, so follow our Facebook, look at our website and we'll let you know where we're at.
Washington: For people who are wondering about Ladybug here, who has recovered from distemper, what sort of procedures are you guys putting in place to help get all of the dogs healthy before they can be adopted?
Corley: It was quite the process. It took the whole summer, and we worked with ASPCA and Best Friends. We did extensive testing, isolation and separation, but everybody in our care has tested negative, so we're good to go after that.
Rush: That's great. Someone out there has the perfect home for Lady Bug, four months old, just the sweetest dog you could ever have, very relaxed, very chill dog.
Washington: Is there one thing you could tell everybody about her -- if they're wondering about her personality, or what they should know if they’re wanting to take her home?
Corley: She's a cuddle bug, she’ll sleep with you all night.
