find a furever friend

Adopt a furry forever friend with these 10 Houston animal organizations

Grab a pup or kitten during National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day.

Courtesy photo

As animal lovers know, spring is a time for renewal and regrowth — and furbabies. Sadly, that means thousands of new stray kittens and puppies on busy, dangerous, and desolate Houston streets.

That means animal shelters will be especially paced. Best Friends Animal Society estimates more than 40,000 animals enter shelters throughout the Greater Houston area each year— or, simply put, enough to fill Minute Maid Stadium. Worse, Texas is nationally ranked second to California for highest number of animals killed in shelters.

To help remedy the situation, Best Friends and several other rescues are partnering for a series of virtual and in-person animal adoption events in honor of National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day. Kicking things off is the The 2nd Annual Virtual Pet Adoption preview event, which will be held noon Friday, April 30 on Best Friends Houston’s Instagram account @bfas_houston.

Viewers will be able to see cute and cuddly adoptable friends from across the Houston area. Then, on Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2 in-person adoption events will be held across the city at participating animal shelter and rescue locations.

Here is a list of the partnering organizations and shelters:

*BARC (City of Houston Animal Shelter)
Adoption hours: 11am-5pm
3300 Carr St.; 713-229-7300

Best Friends Animal Society
Adoption hours: May 1-2, 10am-4pm
Pop-up adoption location: CityCentre (799 Town & Country Blvd suite 143; between Madewell and Paper Source)

City of Baytown Animal Services & Adoption Center
Adoption hours: Tuesday-Saturday 12pm-5pm
705 N Robert C Lanier Dr. in Baytown; 281-422-7600

Fort Bend County Animal Services
Adoption/kennel hours: 10 am-4 pm Tuesday; 5 pm-7 pm Wednesday; 11 am-3 pm Saturday and Sunday; closed Monday and Thursday
1210 Blume Rd. in Rosenberg; 281-342-1512

Galveston County Animal Resource Center
Adoption hours: Noon-6 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays; Noon-5 pm Wednesdays and Fridays; 10 am-5 pm Saturdays; closed Sunday and Monday
3412 25th Ave. N (Loop 197 N) in Texas City; 409-948-2485

Harris County Pets
Adoption hours: Weekdays 11am-4 pm and weekends 1pm-5:50 pm
612 Canino Rd.; 281-999-3191

Pasadena Animal Shelter
Adoption hours: 9:30 am-2:30 pm Sunday
5150 Burke Rd. in Pasadena; 713-920-7942

Rosenberg Animal Control & Adoption Center
Adoption hours: Weekdays 11 am-6 pm and Saturday 11 am-4 pm
1207 Blume Rd. in Rosenberg; 832-595-3490

SPCA of Brazoria County
Adoption hours: 8am-5pm daily
141 Canna Ln. in Lake Jackson; 979-285-2340

Special Pals
Adoption hours: Wednesday-Sunday Noon-4 pm
3830 Greenhouse Rd.; 281-579-7387

Interested potential parents should note that special adoption discounts may apply. Call or visit each shelters’ website to determine the process and requirements for adoption.

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that's baller

Houston hypes FIFA World Cup with new Guinness World Record

World Cup Guinness World Records soccer balls

Courtesy of Airbnb

DaMarcus Beasley, Bun B, and the Guinness World Records adjudicator.

Houstonians continue to show enthusiasm for the arrival of the FIFA World Cup this summer. On Saturday, April 11, local politicians, celebrities, and youth soccer players contributed to setting a new official Guinness World Record for the longest continuous line of soccer balls.

Held at Hermann Park, the effort lined up more than 1,000 soccer balls to set the new record. DaMarcus Beasley, the only American to play in four World Cups, and Houston hip-hop legend Bun B participated in the event. An official Guinness World Records judge was on hand to confirm the feat.

All of the more than 1,000 soccer balls used in the record-breaking event were donated to Grow the Game, a collaboration between the FIFA World Cup 2026 Houston Host Committee and the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority Foundation. The program aims to expand access to soccer for underserved youth across Houston through free and low-cost programming, including clinics, tournaments, and more.

“Today’s event is about more than breaking a world record, it’s about celebrating Houston and investing in its future,” Airbnb executive Laura Spanjian said in a statement. “As the world prepares to come to Houston for the FIFA World Cup 2026, we’re proud to support programs that ensure local communities, especially young people, can be part of that moment in a meaningful and lasting way.”

As Spanjian notes, Airbnb has committed more than $1 million to helping Houston get ready for the FIFA World Cup, which will feature seven matches between June 14 and July 4. These efforts include money for improvements along the Green Corridor, a 14-mile long path connecting multiple major landmarks in Houston through safe, walkable paths that include shade trees and other improvements.

Airbnb expects that Houston will welcome more than 31,000 visitors during the World Cup, generating an estimated $372 million economic impact, according to Deloitte.

Courtesy of Airbnb

DaMarcus Beasley, Bun B, and the Guinness World Records adjudicator.

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