There were seven reported dog attacks on Del Mar College’s Heritage Campus last year. The founder of the Faith and Hope Foundation, Karen Cowan, hopes to take some of the city’s strays off of the streets and place them into good homes.

“We take dogs off the euthanasia list as well as strays,” Cowan said. “As long as they have a foster, we vet them and socialize them and adopt them out to the Pacific Northwest and the East Coast.”

When asked why those areas specifically, Cowan emphasized the recidivism rate amongst pet owners in Nueces County.

“It’s like buying a dress,” Cowan said. “They adopt a dog and three weeks later they go ‘Oh I gotta move’ and bring it back. People will adopt a dog from animal control and they’ll bring it to my rescue.”

To combat this issue, Cowan ensures her foundation has a stringent vetting process, which includes following up with references, the adoptee’s previous track record with dog handling, as well as the home and backyard conditions.

“We have a good vetting process when we adopt them out and we’ve had very few returns,” Cowan said. “It’s different in other states. They have a lack of dogs because of stricter spay and neuter laws.”

Cowan hopes that more people in Nueces County will get involved to help combat the stray problem and encourages college students especially to volunteer.

“College kids are the best ones for foster. They take them out, they socialize them, they run on the beach. It’s just needed,” Cowan said.

She also emphasized that there is no cost to foster.

“We pay for everything, we give them vetting, kennel, toys, and food,” Cowan said. “They don’t have to take one penny out of their pocket.”

Even if you don’t own your home, fostering is still a possibility.

“A lot of times, yes, we have a lot of people who are renters,” Cowan said. “If it’s not long-term, landlords don’t care as much.”

For those interested in volunteering, Cowan advises the interested to visit the website and Facebook page.