Marble Falls city shelter spotlights ‘overlooked animals’

The Marble Falls Police Department has a new Animal Control officer who has moved her office into the shelter at 100 Avenue L and is focused on socializing and promoting what she calls “overlooked animals.” 

“Overlooked animals are the ones that don’t adopt out quickly,” Officer Bri Freegard said. “We have a lot of black dogs, pit bulls, shepherds, and heelers—dogs that are hard to adopt because people attribute them with bad character traits.” 

Nothing could be further from the truth, she continued, pointing out three beautiful “pitties” who have been in the shelter for more than three months. 

“They have the best personalities,” she said. “They are very shy and are never mean.”

Shepherds and heelers are herding dogs, which need active families and yards to run around in. 

“They don’t do well in crates,” she said. “Keep them active, and they are the best dogs. They need a job to do.” 

The look of one German shepherd who had a big scar on his face scared some people. He was in the shelter for seven months before he was adopted. 

“We had no idea of his back story, and some people were afraid he was abused and would be mean,” Freegard said. “He was intimidating looking but the sweetest dog. He loved to play fetch with balls and sticks. He loved to play outside with other dogs.” 

The Marble Falls Animal Shelter only has room for 12 dogs. Currently, seven of its cages are full. Volunteers take the dogs outside, socialize them, and feed them. The shelter is also expanding. New outside cages were recently set up and will be connected to the outdoor play area to give animals more room to run and interact with each other.

Adoption costs only $10 and all of the dogs have been vaccinated and spayed/neutered. 

Freegard actively recruits adoptive families by posting descriptions and photos of the animals on social media. 

“The descriptions come from the heart,” she said. “To me, they all have personalities, they have hearts, and amazing souls. It’s hard when they are here for so long and you get people coming by who want small, cute, little curly haired dogs.”

Having a loving, active animal greet you when you come home is a great stress reliever, she said. 

“If I’m having a bad day or have been on a bad call, I come in here, and they are all happy to see me,” she said. “It’s great. Some people stop by to take a dog outside or sit with them.” 

Anyone wanting to volunteer or adopt an animal can message Freegard on the Marble Falls Animal Shelter Facebook page or visit the shelter at 100 Avenue L.

suzanne@thepicayune.com