City responds after advocates describe 'unacceptable' conditions at Weslaco animal shelter
Related Story
Animal advocates said they found “unacceptable” conditions at the Weslaco animal shelter.
Tracy Voss, a member of the organization Tracy’s Paws Rescue, said she visits the Weslaco Animal Care Services shelter every six weeks with a group. She described what she saw in an October 15 visit she said she attended with Weslaco Mayor David Suarez as “unacceptable.”
"[There were] animals with no food, no water, injured animals, a dead kitten" Voss said.
San Antonio veterinarian Lori Curd was also with the group when a group of 10 cats were discovered without food, water or pans.
“We saw no food, no water, no litter pans,” Curd said. “People just ran out of there. I don't know how else to explain it. Either they didn't have time to get where they needed to go, or they just figured most of those cats would be put to sleep."
Curd says shelter staff were at a training in Austin when they made that visit.
Voss says the conditions align with a decline she's seen over the past two years at the shelter.
“There is an overabundance of animals being dumped in this facility by neighboring cities," Voss said. “Upper level management needs to provide the people that work in this facility with the proper resources and tools to humanely care for the animals."
Channel 5 News reached out to the city of Weslaco, who responded by providing the last five years’ worth of passing reports from the state, and a statement that can be read in full below:
“The City of Weslaco intakes free-roaming animals from partnering municipalities throughout the Rio Grande Valley. These stray animals are brought to the Weslaco facility by the partnering municipalities in the conditions they were found in, which include having no previous owner or are free-roaming throughout cities. These cats and dogs are part of the stray animal overpopulation seen throughout South Texas. The City of Weslaco animal care services staff feeds these animals and provides them with water daily. Staff also works directly with more than 25 partnering rescue groups across the U.S. The partnerships have resulted in dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens finding forever homes across the state and country. The City of Weslaco also has a free adoption program. The community is welcome to adopt a pet from our facility at no cost. The city also provides a voucher to adopters for a free spay or neuter service, a procedure that stops their pet from reproducing. A primary factor in the overpopulation of animals is ownership of outdoor dogs who are not spayed or neutered thus allowed to reproduce with little to no chance of finding permanent homes for the offspring. The City of Weslaco encourages the community to spay and neuter their pets. Anyone interested in adopting a pet may call Weslaco Animal Care Services at (956) 973-4003 or email us animalcare@weslacotx.gov."
For now, the disagreement over how much care is adequate care will continue.
News
