City Council heard concerns from a number of citizens about Animal Shelter operations. The recent roach infestation caused a partial evacuation of the building. Conditions deteriorated during the crisis to what looked like a horrific pet hoarding situation.
Mayor Brenda Gunter had the flu according to Mayor Pro Tem Tom Thompson. Thompson assured citizens that Council is aware and that a group is "working hard behind the scenes to address the situation."
City Manager Daniel Valenzuela, Director of Neighborhood/Family Services Bob Salas, Shelter Chief Morgan Chegwidden, PAWS Director Jenie Wilson and Pets Alive got the shelter to where it is today. It will take more than this group to chart a better course.
Prior to the roach outbreak the shelter was occupied by large dogs with long stays, many multi-year.
Pets Alive strategies choked off intake to a fraction of its prior level. No longer would the shelter take a pet if its owner died or needed to go into a nursing home.
City Council heard in public comment about loose animals in the community that killed a cat sitting outside on the porch.
The San Angelo Police Department increasingly took up the issue of problem animals in the community.
Pregnant pets give birth in the City Shelter adding to the overpopulation problem. Councilman Harry Thomas cited irresponsible citizens for the shelter's plight. The city has had seven years to learn how irresponsible citizens are and design systems to do what they won't, spay/neuter pets in the shelter's care and prevent unwanted litters.
There is a need for change, for wider citizen input. There is an opportunity to leverage area rescues knowledge and energy. No-Kill remains a laudable goal. It's what nearly everybody wants. San Angelo wants to be like the communities receiving our shelter pets via PAWS transfers.
These communities are long standing no-kill communities where spay and neuter practices have successfully reduced the population of shelter pets.
Daniel, Bob, Morgan and Jenie brought the shelter to where it is today. More of the same insular strategies won't cut it. Spay/neuter needs to be made "bad citizen proof" and the shelter needs to never become a horrific hoarding situation again.
Update 9-9-22: ConchoValleyHomepage got on the story of horrific shelter conditions. The city did not respond as of the time the article was released at 6:43 pm.
Update 9-13-22: The City announced shelter changes. As usual, they've missed the opportunity for wider citizen input, the opportunity to leverage area rescues knowledge/energy and a deeper discussion on institutionalizing spay/neuter of shelter animals making it "bad citizen" proof.
Update 9-14-22: Animal Shelter adoption contractor PAWS put out a statement challenging the city's planned changes. Their response avoided PAWS role in releasing unaltered shelter pets into the community under Pets Alive. This lack of spay/neuter resulted in numerous litters being born in the shelter. That practice needs to end.
Update 9-15-22: Concho Valley PAWS has gone on the offense regarding spay/neuter, encouraging citizens to spay/neuter their pets so fewer animals will be killed in the shelter. PAWS had a direct role in releasing unaltered animals into the community from the shelter and in scores of litters being born inside the shelter. Puppies and kittens were a major cause of the recent overcrowding that resulted in a roach infestation and what appeared to be horrific hoarding conditions.
Update 7-10-23: PAWS did not provide low cost spay/neuter vouchers for the public in December 2022, January and July 2023.
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