Gulf Coast Animal Welfare Alliance

The Gulf Coast Animal Welfare Alliance is a collaborative founded to address the animal welfare crisis in the 13-county Greater Houston region. Expected outcomes will improve public health and safety, reputation, and quality of life for pets and people. For decades, the area has experienced overcrowded shelters, pervasive abuse and neglect, and such significant roaming of owned and homeless dogs and cats that residents routinely name loose pets as the top neighborhood concern, above crime, traffic, and pollution. Despite numerous human injuries and deaths from maulings, the problem has persisted, impacting those in underserved communities the most. Too few resources are dedicated by the government or private sector to sufficiently address the problem, which many say is at an all-time high. The Alliance has a vision to create a region where every pet is safe and free from suffering. It aims to mobilize the community to improve the lives of people and pets through strategic collaboration, advocacy, education, and resource-building. Efforts through 2028 will include public service campaigns, deployment of community ambassadors, creation of a safety net of low-cost or free services for pet owners in need, increased engagement with community leaders, and design of additional shared resources within the animal welfare industry. None of this will be possible without the engagement of community leaders, business and industry, health and human service organizations, philanthropists, and citizens. The Alliance invites anyone interested to visit our website for more information and to get involved. A 16-member steering committee of leading animal welfare organizations guides the Alliance with Houston Pets Alive! serving as the effort's backbone organization.