The City of Arlington will recognize National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, November 6-12 with open house events, tours and informational materials.

From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, November 8 and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, November 10, the City of Arlington will host Open House events at the Animal Services Center located at 5920 W. Pioneer Parkway. An Open House is also planned for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, November 12 at the center.

Cheryl Wilson, Acting Animal Services Manager, said Animal Services Staff will provide public tours of the center and the Mobile Pet Adoption Unit. Staff will also lead tours of Animal Services vehicles to learn how animals are captured and transported to the center for shelter. The center will also offer micro-chipping services for $20. The micro chip is a bar code insert that helps animal service officers connect owners with lost or misplaced pets. The Arlington Police Department and the Arlington Fire Department are also participating.

National Animal Shelter Week is an opportunity to highlight the contributions of employees and shelters and the important work they do for animals. The Animal Services Center in Arlington rescues injured animals, returns lost pets to their owners, finds homes for animals awaiting adoption and works to control the stray animal population in neighborhoods.

This year’s national event is a special tribute to the animal care and control professionals who poured into areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Florida to rescue and shelter thousands of displaced animals.

On September 27-29, two Animal Services employees from Arlington traveled to east Texas to provide medical treatment and transportation assistance for an estimated 200-250 dogs and cats rescued from the Gulf Coast area after Hurricane Katrina. The employees were Art Tawater and Lujan Sipriano.

"Arlington Animal Services is always proud to serve," Wilson said. "We invite Arlington to take a closer look at the valuable role their animal shelter plays in the community."