SAN ANTONIO – Animal Care Services will finish the fiscal year with a placement rate of more than 90 percent, which means thousands of dogs and cats are getting adopted.
Officials said a new addition at the facility is helping prepare shelter pets for adoption.
The new fenced-in enrichment area known as the "Big Yard" was built through a grant from the San Antonio Area Foundation.
The area has a mobile shade canopy, pop-up umbrellas and doggie pools and is available for viewing live online in hopes of getting the community engaged and encouraged to adopt.
Sydney is a stray dog that arrived at Animal Care Services a few days ago.
ACS dog trainer Lauren Hickle said Sydney is a type of dog that might be overlooked for adoption.
"The barking, the jumping. For (a) lot of people, that's going to say, 'I don't think so' or 'I'm not so sure,'" Hickle said. "All it is is energy. She's got a ton of energy. She's rambunctious and all she wants to do is play."
In the Big Yard, Sydney can run around and be herself, Hickle said.
"It's a really good way for her to get that energy out," Hickle said. "And for us to learn more information about her. So, in her (biography), we can write that she is very friendly, dog-friendly, good with every dog we've had."
After time in the Big Yard, Hickle said Sydney will be more relaxed when she gets back in the kennel, which will give her better odds of getting adopted.