More than 1,500 dogs, cats, puppies and kittens will be looking for new homes next weekend when Petco Love sets up its annual Jump into Joy Pet Adoption Event at Reliant Arena. The two-day event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 7 and 8, bringing together animals from dozens of shelters and rescues across the Houston area and the rest of Texas.
According to CW39 Houston, the event will involve 23 animal welfare organizations from Houston and across the state. That figure sits between two other counts circulating ahead of the weekend: petcolove.org describes the lineup as drawing from more than 20 partner organizations, while a report on Woodlands Online put the number at 24. The organization has not reconciled the discrepancy publicly.
Whatever the exact count, the scale of the event is notable for a city still grappling with shelter capacity. Petco Love says it has helped find homes for more than 7.2 million pets nationwide through its network of Petco and more than 4,000 animal welfare partners, per the Woodlands Online report. The Houston installment is part of a broader national push the organization is calling a weekend for pet lovers everywhere to find joy and adopt.
Fast Passes, Fees and Family Activities
Adopters eager to beat the crowds on opening day can buy a $100 fast pass that lets them into Reliant Arena an hour early, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday, according to the Woodlands Online account of the event. Beyond early entry, the event promises special giveaways, photo opportunities and family-friendly activities throughout the weekend, plus event swag for visitors while supplies last.
Fee structures appear to favor Sunday adopters. Woodlands Online reports that adoption fees will be low on Saturday and waived entirely on Sunday, giving families an extra incentive to wait a day. The event's playful branding ties into Petco Love's partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures Animation on a national adoption campaign inspired by the new animated film The Cat in the Hat, a tie-in petage.com confirmed is part of the broader campaign timed to the movie's release. Similar adoption pushes tied to the campaign have popped up elsewhere, including one in Maryland where February Star Sanctuary planned to offer dozens of adoptable pets, including up to five horses and dozens of cats, the same outlet reported.
Why Houston's Shelters Need the Help
The timing lands amid sobering numbers for Texas shelters. The Houston Humane Society's review of 2025 national shelter data pointed to the first sizable overall decrease in dogs and cats killed in shelters since the pandemic began, and the organization itself reported a 93% total save rate for the year. But the broader state picture remains grim: the Houston Humane Society said Texas still ranks number one in the nation for euthanasia, and that Houston is a major factor in that ranking.
That concern is echoed by Best Friends Animal Society, which found that out of 390 Texas shelters, more animals were killed at the city's BARC Animal Shelter in 2025 than at any other shelter in the state. Best Friends also reported that BARC's save rate has declined from 79% to 72% since 2023, a trend the organization called a move in the wrong direction. National data from Shelter Animals Count, which tracks intake, outcome and population trends across the country, offers additional context for the scale of the challenge shelters nationwide continue to face.
Against that backdrop, events like Jump into Joy are designed to chip away at the backlog of animals awaiting adoption, even if a single weekend can't resolve the deeper capacity issues straining Houston's shelter system. For families considering a new pet, Reliant Arena's doors open at 10 a.m. both days, with more than 1,500 animals waiting to meet them.
