The San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter (SMRAS) is asking the community for help as it reaches full capacity and faces severe overcrowding issues once again.
In 2024, according to the animal services 2024 annual report, the shelter took in 2,107 dogs, 1,755 cats and another 210 various wildlife intakes.
Since summer 2022, the shelter has seen an influx of animals, causing a continuous overcrowding problem.
Minnie Buckhaults, community engagement coordinator for the SMRAS, said with only 93 dog kennels available in the facility, the shelter has resorted to using pop-up crates as a temporary alternative housing option during this over-capacity period.
“Last week, when I checked the numbers, we had about 14 dogs in pop-up crates in our Sally Port Area, and that’s not counting the dogs that are housed in our office, that are housed in our front adoption lobby, that are housed in areas that they’re technically not supposed to be housed in,” Buckhaults said.
The shelter takes in more than 20-50 animals per week, ranging from dogs to other wildlife animals.
According to Buckhaults, as of Nov. 3, the shelter reported having about 130 dogs in the facility, with over 35-40 animals being housed in the alternative pop-up crates.
As an open intake facility, the shelter is required to accept any lost and owner-surrendered animals from all cities within Hays County. Buckhaults said the shelter’s first goal is to provide the appropriate resources to pet owners, especially those wanting to surrender their animals.
“Our first question is ‘Why? How can we help you keep that dog?’ We don’t want your dog. We want them to stay with you,” Buckhaults said. “I know it’s a common [misconception] where someone is like, ‘Well, I don’t have the time for it.’ I promise you, you are giving them more time than we are.”
With the overcapacity, animals housed in close proximity face the risk of developing mental and physical problems, along with the possibility of disease outbreaks.
Jarrod Sawyer, general studies sophomore, volunteered at the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter from February to September. He said because of the limited space, some dogs would have to be housed together to make space for other animals.
“I’ve been there [when] there’s some room left over, like a healthy amount of room, and sometimes I have to admit I’ve seen it where there’s multiple dogs, especially stranger dogs that don’t know each other [together], but the staff is pretty good at evaluating each dog,” Sawyer said.
These animals are unable to maintain their weight, going on behavioral medications and becoming agitated from being in kennels all day are only some of the deteriorating outcomes they experience due to the limited space and staff, according to Buckhaults.
“Many of these dogs are getting out just once a week because there are so many of them, and that’s not the quality of care that we want to provide these animals, but that is where the shelter is at right now,” Buckhaults said.
From foster programs to litter preventative medical assistance, alternative aid options are available to the community and pet owners to combat the ongoing overcrowding issue.
Prevent a Litter of Central Texas (PALS) is a low-cost veterinary clinic that collaborates with the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter to help low-income families spay and neuter their pets.
PALS provides wellness vaccines, Trap-Neuter-Return community cat programs, pet food pantries and temporary emergency animal boarding. Lauren Foye, president and director of PALS, said its main mission is to close the gaps that lead to pets being relinquished to the animal shelter.
“The shelter will ask [pet owners] questions, and if there’s anything that’s part of the barrier [cause for surrender] that we can cover those, they’ll send them to us so that we keep them out of the shelter,” Foye said.
Foye said PALS also provides temporary emergency animal boarding for pet owners in emergency situations needing temporary housing for their pets, such as domestic violence victims or homeless community members.
“If they need to get into treatment or they need to get into a shelter that doesn’t allow pets, they can bring their pet to us, so that they are not staying on the street because they can’t get in with their animal,” Foye said.
Buckhaults emphasized the importance of community involvement and the positive impact it can have on the lives of the animals.
“We only get better with the help of our community, and I believe there is about 20 or so of us that work here and we are trying to come up with solutions, we are trying to avoid a deadline list, but we need our community to speak up, talk to their councilmembers about their concerns. We need the voices of our community to help these animals,” Buckhaults said.
For more information on the San Marcos Animal Shelter’s adoption and foster programs, visit its website.
