Longtime Houston Humane Society volunteer helps more than 100 dogs find homes

At Houston Humane Society’s Houston campus, longtime volunteer David Perez has helped more than 100 dogs find homes while staff still rely on volunteers for dog walking, pet pantry distribution and storm response across Harris County.

Perez has become a familiar presence by doing whatever the shelter needs. He has walked dogs in the early morning, stepped into the mascot costume, helped families at the pet pantry and pitched in during hurricane relief efforts. He has also helped families through the adoption process, work that makes him part of the shelter’s daily rhythm rather than a face seen only at special events.

That kind of steady service matters because Houston Humane Society is not just an adoption site. The nonprofit says its mission is to end cruelty, abuse and the overpopulation of animals while providing the highest quality of life to animals in its care. It offers pet rescue, adoption and affordable veterinary care in Houston, and its service area stretches across the greater Houston region, including Harris, Brazoria, Galveston and Fort Bend counties. Its volunteer program currently lists needs in dog walking, pet pantry work, mobile events, outreach, enrichment and special events.

The shelter says volunteers help provide comfort, enrichment and support to pets on campus and in the community, and the work often becomes urgent when disasters hit. During Hurricane Beryl in July 2024, Houston Humane Society said more than 300 animals sheltered on campus were safe. The organization also asked for help restoring the shelter and supporting emergency pet resource distribution. It has said volunteers and staff were also essential in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, when the shelter relied on partner groups for transports and transfers to save more lives.

The pet pantry shows how broad that need can be. Houston Humane Society says its Pet Resources program includes public Pet Pantry events across Greater Houston, a monthly assistance program, New Home New Start, Fix Felix and Friends for Free, and help for people experiencing homelessness. Pantry distribution is first-come, first-served, with pet food handed out by staff or volunteers at designated locations. In 2021, the shelter said its Pet Pantry distributed 1,428,917 meals to 34,209 pets, while the organization served 62,007 animals of all sizes. In a region where storms, pet costs and shelter overcrowding all collide, one dependable volunteer can become part of the system that keeps animals fed, safe and adopted.