by Sarah Hammond
Executive Director of the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area
If you have visited the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area (HSNBA) lately, you’ve seen how full we are, not just right now, but consistently throughout 2026.
So far this year, we have seen a 13% increase in cat and dog intakes. At this rate, we are on pace to care for over 5,000 pets this year, which is far and away the highest intake our shelter has seen since I started as Executive Director in 2015.
We don’t think this increase is a random blip, and we don’t foresee it stopping in 2026.
While expansion and renovation plans are underway, we need our community’s help to get through this crisis. Until then, we need more couches while we build more cages.
It’s going to take time, as expansion and renovations require tremendous planning, effort, and high-level fundraising. It simply won’t happen overnight. But what we can do overnight is expand our foster program.
Many people reading this post have been touched by HSNBA in some way or another; perhaps you have adopted, donated, or are currently fostering or volunteering, and your support means the world to us. We wouldn’t be where we are without you.
Today, we’re asking something a little different of you, and it’s about awareness.
Yes, if you have the time and space to welcome a foster pet into your life, we welcome you in, but if you’re someone who can’t foster, or maybe someone who already has foster pets at home, you can help us spread the word about the need for more foster homes at HSNBA.
Fostering is rewarding, and it isn’t as hard as some may think.
When you foster, you temporarily welcome a shelter pet into your home, usually until they are big and healthy enough for adoption, and sometimes you give an abandoned or neglected pet a soft place to land as they start their journey to a second chance.
When you foster for HSNBA, our knowledgeable staff will match you with pets who fit your lifestyle and experience level. Plus, we’ll help you find a foster experience that matches the time and space you have available.
Some kittens and puppies only need a few weeks until they are big enough for adoption. Some cats just need a week or two to get over a kitty cold.
Obviously, some pets need a longer commitment, like dogs undergoing heartworm treatment or tiny bottle babies who need help eating, but we work hard to play matchmaker so everyone succeeds.
While in foster care, the shelter meets the medical needs of the pets in foster care, ensuring they are vaccinated, treated for parasites, spayed or neutered, and microchipped before adoption.
With that in mind, what we are asking of you today is to talk to coworkers, neighbors, friends, folks at school, church, or the gym about fostering for HSNBA and about the shelter’s current needs.
If we could double our foster base right now, we wouldn’t need more cages to save more lives, because we would have homes and couches ready, willing, and able to foster these homeless pets until we can deliver on our promise of giving every pet a Second Chance at a First Class Life.
This is something we can do together right now. This is something we need today.
HSNBA is located at 3353 Morningside Dr., New Braunfels. Visit hsnba.org/get-involved/foster for more information.