Bell County, TX (FOX 44) — Animal shelters are having to put in extra precautions to keep pets safe in the extreme heat.

On top of the additional workload, shelters are consistently reaching capacity levels caring for pets.

The Temple animal shelter has added extra measures to keep the dogs and cats well fed, hydrated, and protected from the heat.

“Any time there’s any major weather change, it’s always it’s always a trial. We do our best to try to accommodate the either the heat or the cold as best we can for the animals, said City of Temple animal control officer Richard Morales.

Morales says the shelters biggest challenge is keeping the animals from overheating.

Staff and volunteers at the shelter have a constant workload.

“We’re under construction at the shelter right now, so we have a couple of industrial sized fans to keep the dog runs and the cat runs nice and cool. We check on the cats and dogs every hour and make sure they have food, water and that they’re in good health as well,” said Morales.

The City of Killeen’s animal shelter is also staying on top of its operations to keep pets safe.

“Making sure they have food, make sure they have plenty of water. That water keeps your body hydrated, whether you’re an animal or you’re a human, it keeps your body cooler,” said Killeen executive director of communications Janell Ford.

Both shelters need community support.

“If you can’t volunteer, if you can’t come to the shelter to be with an animal to adopt or foster, we also take donations. These animals love to have treats, love to have toys, love to have food and any type of enrichment,” said Ford.

“We’re doing half price adoptions [this August] for both dogs and cats, so that’s going to be $10 for dogs and $5 for cats and again, as always, spay and neuter is always the best. Adopt don’t shop,” said Morales.

Morales says renovations at the shelter should be done by mid-September.