free for furbabies

Houston animal charities offer free pet treatment for locals in need

Ken Hoffman new puppy Citizens for Animal Protection

Spay, neuter, or chip your fur baby for free.

Photo by Getty Images

With the pressure of bills and the looming holiday season, some Houstonians are forced to make hard decisions regarding their pets. For many, that means not vaccinating, spaying or neutering, or chipping their animals, which can be a costly affair for those on a tight budget.

To the rescue, however, comes Houston PetSet, which actively works to tackle Houston’s homeless animal crisis. The local nonprofit organization has partnered with BARC Animal Shelter and Adoptions to host a two-day, multi-location event to provide free spay/neuter surgeries, age appropriate vaccinations, and microchips for the pets of City of Houston residents impacted by COVID-19.

The event will be held on December 16 and 17 at multiple locations, according to a press release.

This initiative, funded by $200,000 of the City of Houston’s federal COVID-19 relief dollars, aims to alter at least 220 cats and dogs in 48 hours. Qualifying pet owners are asked to visit this link to register.

Houston PetSet and BARC have teamed up with local surgery providers including The Vet Life’s Dr. Blue of Cy-Fair Animal Hospital, Emancipet, The Empty Shelter Project, and Laurel’s House.

For those who need emergency vet services, the City of Houston is also funding three days of emergency veterinary care provided by Houston PetSet and Laurel’s House. Residents interested in making an appointment should visit laurelshouse.org.

Treatment will be offered at the following locations:

Cy-Fair Animal Hospital: Mobile unit will be stationed at BARC, 2700 Evella St.
Emancipet: 910 S. Wayside Dr. and 8533 Gulf Fwy. (Operating on Thursday, December 17 only)
The Empty Shelter Project: 1215 W. 19th St.
Laurel’s House: Mobile units will be stationed at BARC, 2700 Evella St. and Big Tex Feed Supply, 7116 Cullen Blvd.

“We know that COVID-19 has impacted many people and their companion animals,” said Tena Lundquist Faust, co-president of Houston PetSet, in a statement. “By partnering with the City of Houston and BARC, we are offering pet owners in the City of Houston the opportunity to receive hundreds of dollars in veterinary services for free. We hope that this initiative will help keep pets in their loving homes during these challenging times.”

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Unhappy holidays

Porch pirates swipe nearly $2B in packages from Texas homes this year

Porch Pirate Person in Glasses Steals Packages

Getty Images

The Grinch isn't the only one stealing Christmas these days.

’Tis the season for porch pirates. If past trends are an indicator, the Grinch will swipe close to $2 billion worth of packages delivered to Texas households this year, with many of those thefts happening ahead of the holiday season.

An analysis of FBI and survey data by ecommerce marketing company Omnisend shows porch pirates stole more than $1.8 billion worth of packages from Texans’ porches last year. Porch pirates hit nearly one-third of the state’s households in 2024, according to the analysis.

Omnisend’s analysis reveals these statistics about porch piracy in Texas:

30.1 million residential package thefts in 2024.
An average household loss of $169 per year.
An annual average of 2.9 package thefts per household.

“Most stolen items are cheap on their own, but add them up, and retailers and consumers are facing an enormous bill,” says Omnisend.

Another data analysis, this one from The Action Network sports betting platform, unwraps different figures regarding porch piracy in Texas.

The platform’s 2025 Porch Pirate Index ranks Texas as the state with the highest volume of residential thefts, based on 2023-24 FBI data.

Researchers at The Action Network uncovered 26,293 reports of personal property thefts at Texas residences during that period. The network’s survey data indicates 5 percent of Texas residents had a package stolen in the three months before the pre-holiday survey.

The Porch Pirate Index calculates a 25.8 percent risk of a Texas household being victimized by porch pirates, putting it in the No. 5 spot among states with the highest risk of porch piracy.

The Action Network included online-search volume for terms like “package stolen” and “porch pirates.” Sustained spikes in these searches suggest that “people are actively looking for guidance after something has happened. Search trends serve as an early warning system, revealing emerging-risk areas well before annual crime statistics are released,” the network says.

Tips to avoid being a victim
So, how do you prevent porch pirates from snatching packages that end up on your porch? Omnisend, The Action Network and Amazon offer these eight tips:

Closely monitor deliveries and quickly retrieve packages.
Schedule deliveries for times when you’ll be home.
Use delivery lockers or in-store pickup when possible.
Ask delivery services to hide packages in out-of-sight spots outside your home.
Install a visible doorbell camera or security camera.
Coordinate deliveries with neighbors or building managers if you’ll be away from your home when packages are supposed to arrive.
Request that delivery services hold your packages if you can’t be home when they’re scheduled to come.
Illuminate the path to your doorstep and keep porch lights on.

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