Houston SPCA seeing massive spike in abandonment cases since COVID-19 pandemic began

HOUSTON - Locally, the Covid-19 case numbers are going in the wrong direction, and the same goes for cases with animal cruelty. 

The Houston SPCA says they have seen a massive spike in abandonment cases since the pandemic and it is something that can be prevented.

"We have seen cases from animals being abandoned here, in our parking lot, animals tied to poles in the area. We have seen animals being abandoned in their apartments," said Dr. Roberta Dev, Chief Medical Director at the Houston SPCA. "One day you come to work and you think you have seen it all and you think how much worse can it get, and then it does. It is devastating to see, not only the normal amount of cruelty and abuse we would see, but particularly during a pandemic."

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Adam Reynolds is the chief of animal cruelty at the Houston SPCA and says there has been a 20% increase in abandonment cases since the pandemic, which equates to hundreds of animals.

"We believe that due to Covid, there are some unfortunate circumstances that have happened to citizens causing them to leave the city. They don’t have a plan formulated when they do that and they just end up leaving their pets behind," said Reynolds.

"You know that people are desperate, you know that they feel like they don’t have an option. What we want to explain to people is that there are options and they can leave their animals in a safe position so they have a good chance of making it," said Dev.

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If you suspect animal cruelty or have an animal that you can no longer care for, you are asked to call the Houston SPCA at 713-869-SPCA.

Your information will remain private. It’s a simple step that could save an innocent life.