In its first public communication since November 2nd the City of San Angelo stated:
As of Wednesday, Dec. 14, the San Angelo Animal Shelter is over capacity due to a hoarding case which resulted in 14 dogs impounded at the shelter.
The last message from City leadership said:
As of Wednesday, Nov. 2, the shelter has 181 dogs. Due to this, intake is closed today and any additional days the population remains in excess of 170 dogs until the end of November.
November ended and the city did not issue an update. City Council met Tuesday and only one person raised the issue of the shelter's hard stop on dog intake. A concerned citizen did so during public comment. Neither Council nor staff said a word in response.
Pets Alive numerical targets came from communities with responsible citizens and professionally managed city shelters. San Angelo has a transitional population and for years shelter leadership has rued the city's numerous irresponsible pet owners.
Pets Alive intake-choking strategies remain firmly in place. Council bandied about an unrealistic Pets Alive target in their November meeting. It's a bad sign that fantasy number was even brought up.
City leaders need to deal with the reality that San Angelo has too many loose, unaltered pets roaming our streets. Long term strategies and investment are needed. Otherwise, a descent into third world pet status may be our future. San Angelo is well on the way.
Update 12-21-22: The City provided an update on the Animal Shelter, saying the dog population is down to 172. It thanked those who helped reduce the number of dogs but did not say anything about a citizen's ability to pass a stray dog to the city shelter. That has been restricted since early November.
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