deals for dogs

Houston Humane Society hosts 'name your price' adoption event

A mixed breed dog looks up at the camera at a Houston Humane Society facility.

Hello, my name is Stitch.

Photo courtesy of Houston Humane Society

Houstonians looking to bring home a new dog or cat this month have a chance to do so at a steep discount. The Houston Humane Society is hosting a "name your price" adoption event throughout June.

"Love has no price tag, and neither should the joy of having a pet," the Houston Humane Society said in a statement.

Adoptions usually cost between $50 and $195. For the entire month, all adoptions of dogs and cats one year or older will be purely pay what you can. Puppies and kittens will remain the same price. Adoptions come with spay/neuter surgeries, microchipping, vaccinations, nail trims, and hair cleanings.

Texas has long had a significant homeless pet problem. The state ranks number one in terms of most animals killed in shelters annually, 35 percent higher than California, a state with 8 million more people. According to the Houston Humane Society, they are caring for over 500 animals at this time, 150 of which are currently available for adoption. These include 100 dogs, 46 cats, and six rabbits. Thirty-one of the animals are in long-term shelter housing, and the "name your price" event aims to reduce that population in particular.

While the event can be a boon for struggling families who want to bring home a furry friend on a small budget, the Houston Humane Society still needs donations and fees to operate. In 2024, they distributed over 800,000 pet meals to animals in need, as well as conducting more than 11,000 spay-neuter surgeries and providing veterinary services for over 28,000 animals. Houston Humane Society ultimately homes 2,500 animals last year.

For 67 years, the Houston Humane Society has been one of the leading forces in reducing the homeless pet population in the city. Regularly, they pair adoptions and community engagement with events around the city, including fun runs, chili cook-offs, and the Yappy Easter Event. It is the only regional shelter with low-cost veterinary services available to the public. For more information on the animals available for adoption and and the process of offering a forever home, visit the Houston Humane Society website.

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eyes on the road

5 Houston highways rank among deadliest roads in America, per report

Photo courtesy of TXDOT

I-45 is in the hotseat again.

Heads up to Houstonians commuting on the city's freeways: Five busy Harris County highways were just deemed among the deadliest roads in the country, with I-45 in Houston ranking as the deadliest road in Texas. That's according to a new study based on the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data.

The study, commissioned by Santa Ana, California-based company Future Bail Bonds, compared fatal crash data across 96,000 U.S. roads from 2019-2023. The top 150 "deadliest" roads were ranked by the total number of fatal crashes that occurred during the five-year period.

The No. 1 deadliest road in America is I-15 in San Bernardino County, California, the study found. The interstate, which runs from Southern California to Las Vegas, experienced the highest rate of deadly car crashes from 2019-2023 with 196 crashes.

For comparison, I-45 in Houston had 88 fatal vehicle wrecks during the same time period to rank as the 16th deadliest U.S. road and No. 1 deadliest in Texas. Considering that tens of thousands of people drive the road every day, a fatal crash is relatively unlikely, but the data underscores the need for drivers to remain aware of their surroundings at all times.

The crowded highway stretches from Dallas to Galveston, and the I-45 North Freeway earned its own spot on the list as the 124th deadliest U.S. road. I-45N experienced 44 deadly crashes between 2019 and 2023, the report said. I-45's controversial expansion project between downtown Houston and the north Sam Houston Tollway (and portions of connecting freeways) also earned it a new reputation as a "freeway without a future" by the activist group Congress for the New Urbanism.

Elsewhere in Harris County, I-10 ranked as the 22nd deadliest U.S. highway on the list with 76 fatal crashes during the five-year span. It was dubbed the third most fatal Texas highway, with I-35 in Austin splitting up the two Houston roads as the second deadliest statewide.

"From 2019 to 2023, motor vehicle crashes claimed 186,284 lives across 96,257 roads in the United States, underscoring the persistent danger on American roadways," the report said.

Two more Houston highways ranked much farther down the report, but still remained among the top 150 deadliest U.S. roads: FM 1960 ranked 114th on the list with 45 fatal crashes, and I-610 ranked No. 131 with 43 fatal crashes.

Nine other Texas roads that were deemed the deadliest in America with the highest rates of fatal vehicle crashes from 2019-2023 include:

No. 23 – I-30 in Dallas County (76 crashes)
No. 27 – I-410 in Bexar County (73 crashes)
No. 32 – I-10 in El Paso County (69 crashes)
No. 63 – I-20 in Tarrant County (56 crashes)
No. 66 – I-820 in Tarrant County (55 crashes)
No. 115 – SR-12 in Dallas County (45 crashes)
No. 130 – I-35 in Bexar County (43 crashes)
No. 132 – I-635 in Dallas County (43 crashes)
No. 141 – I-10 in Jefferson County (42 crashes)

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