Thanks to the recent purchase of a used airport shuttle, animals at the Humane Society of New Braunfels Area will soon ride in style to their adoptive homes.
Staff at the animal shelter will outfit a 17-passenger 2005 Ford E-450 with kennels and a table to create a “mobile adoption platform,” according to Billie Zercher, executive director of the Humane Society in New Braunfels.
“We’ve been needing it for several years now,” Zercher said.
Once a month, shelter staff and volunteers bring dogs and cats to the local PetSmart store for potential adoption. Until now, crews have used their own private vehicles, Zercher said.
With the new shuttle, shelter animals will ride in style, Zercher said. And shelter staff can set up a mobile adoption center anywhere they like.
Every month, staff at the shelter help find homes for up to 70 animals, Zercher said, and the new vehicle could mean more visits to PetSmart and other opportunities for shelter animals.
The vehicle could also double as an evacuation van for animals left homeless after catastrophes such as hurricanes in the Gulf, Zercher said.
“We’re trying to get more visibility,” said Craig Kneuper, a member of the Humane Society board, which recently approved the shuttle purchase on a unanimous vote.
The new shuttle will have the Humane Society logo on the side and will be a moving advertisement for shelter activities, Kneuper said.
Zercher hopes the new shuttle, which was delivered Monday, will be ready for use in March.
For more information about the Humane Society of New Braunfels Area, visit www.hsnba.com or call (830) 629-5287.
