SAN ANTONIO  — After years of pleading Vivianna and Deanna Villarreal are finally getting a dog and mom is just as excited as the teens.  


What You Need To Know


  • San Antonio Humane Society implemented curbside adoption

  • Created online application, interview process

  • One family shares excitement about adoption

“I am very excited. I love her," said Vivianna Villarreal.  

Instead of getting to know Sally ahead of time, the San Antonio Humane Society's new adoption process is now curbside.  

“It was a little scary at first, but then I think it’s just because she’s our first animal," said Melissa Paez-Villarreal, the teen's mother. 

READ MORE | Historic Number of Pets Removed from San Marcos Animal Shelter Last Month 

Rather than stroll through the kennels looking at all the dogs, and seeing if there's an instant connection with any of them, prospective adopters now apply for a specific pet online. Then they're interviewed over the phone. If they're approved, they meet their new pet on adoption day.  

“Just like going to the grocery store, we’re just shopping for a pet," Paez-Villarreal said.  ​

Along with all the excitement, they worried one-year-old Sally might not take to her new family.  

“We were like ‘Well what if she doesn’t like us’, but now that we’ve met her, she’s just a giant cuddle bug," Vivianna Villarreal said.  

“I was scared she wasn’t going to like us, like I was scared she was going to bark a lot," Deanna Villarreal said.  

READ MORE | Pet Rescue Offers “Rent-A-Pet” Program During Pandemic

Like any responsible pet owners, they prepared in advance, and did their absolute best to make sure Sally felt welcome. As for mom, she knew her daughters were ready when she saw how they treated their neighbor’s dog. 

"So it’s like okay, we need one of our own that, you know, that we can take inside, that we can love and call our own and not have to worry about giving her back," Paez-Villarreal said. 

 As for Sally, she’s settling into her new home perfectly.