Animal Shelter

Jennifer Durgeat

2023-09

She traveled around a very busy area in San Angelo on hot asphalt and in 107 heat. Many people had to have seen her.Where were her owners- why was she wandering ? We’ll never know.She landed at a restaurant in despair and Good Samaritans tried to help her but the heat was too much … no microchip and no tag… damn you owners… damnAnimal Control was called but she passed before they showed up. You know , these are the people who are instructed to tell the citizens to “just let them roam.” “The shelter is full”She passed.She was left to roam.She passed.The shelter is full.She passed.The restaurant was charged $25 by the ACO to take her to a dumpster.I’m angry. I’m so angry with the COSA

Kaela Nelson

2022-05

The condition of our city shelter is absolutely abhorrent. They're extremely understaffed and the people that DO work there completely disregard rules and regulations. I watched an employee vaccinate 2 stray cats with one needle. Upon walking in the smell was so bad it made me gag, and what's worse is the animals residing there are kept in small crates where they are stuck sitting in their own feces 24/7. Some of their crates get cleaned sometimes, but if whoever is doing it is scheduled to leave they don't finish. They shrug their shoulders and go home. My heart breaks for these poor unfortunate souls.

R B

2024-04

This place I would not trust. You turn in application for an animal and you call see when can adopt. You get different answers from each person that answers. Also if it is animal that can make them money they sneak around and send it to rescues instead of letting individuals adopt the pet.

Donna Sanchez

2023-05

I can't give the only shelter for dogs and cats a bad rating, but they do have lots to choose from. I would suggest being involved in their new program "pajama party" with the animal of your choosing. My daughter and i had a lot of fun with Lani, a pit bull that is 2 years old, and who is really lovable. She is not good around other pups or dogs seeing she came from an abusive home that had other pits use her as a chew toy or to train on. Other than that she is gets along well with children and other people that are strangers. So PLEASE, if your going to pick a pit bull DO NOT pick them for your personal illegal sports. Another thing I can tell about the animal shelter is that it does seem very over crowding with dogs and cats and the oder of the smell can be over whelming as soon as you walk in the door. Other than that, the animal shelter does not euthanize the animals and every so often they rotate up to 25 dogs to other shelters that do not euthanize dogs or cats. The animal shelter really need to find a home for these beautiful animals.

Mrs. Christian

2019-05

They really do try to save all these sweet animals. you can volunteer to just play with the animals so they can have interaction and not stuck in the cages alone. You can tell that they really needed it.

Wendy Schkade

2023-05

Great people, I get upset every time I go there. God Bless them and those they care for.adopted my dog there 3 years ago at the great age of 11. 3 weeks later she saved my life when someone broke through my front door.

Jacob

2023-08

Absolutely horrid. The smell when you walk in the lobby is disgusting but doesn't even come close to comparing to the smell where all the dogs are kept. They crawl around In their own poop and piss all day. There was even food and water bowls full of poop. The smell from the dog side of the building was ingraved in my nose the entire day. They also have broken drains in some of the kennels that are full of poop water. If I could put photos on this review yall would be petrified. They got shut down not long ago but they obviously have not learned their lesson. Every cabinet I opened had dead bugs in it and piles of bug poop. I absolutely hate euthanizing animals, but that sounds like a dream compared to the hell those dogs live in. The animals would be better off on the street. And your staff needs an attitude check. By far the worst animal shelter I've seen and the city needs to do something about it before they start spreading diseases.

Kaitlyn Arce

2023-07

Amazing. I have been a foster for a few weeks now. Love the staff. Always helpful and kind with the animals.

Shanna Woodson

2023-05

I love visiting animal shelters but this one was not quite what I was expecting. The overwhelming smell of ammonia with bowel and pee smell was too much. This shelter does have alot of medium and large dogs. A few small and a few cats. I really think the government or a big donation drive needs to help so they can get more space for these animals. There kennel space for each dog is hardly enough for a human to sit In must less a animal to lay down at night or day or even room to use the potty without stepping in it. The employees were very nice. They were cleaning each of the dogs kennels and halls they were on.

Gigi E

2023-09

They have lost their whole reason for existing!!! They refuse to pick up or accept any more animals, while keeping the same animals for months! The stray population is exploding as people are dumping (mostly unfixed animals) all over town. Some areas have dogs starting to roam around in packs, chasing cars, harassing people trying to walk or ride bikes, and killing cats. Something needs to change!!! The problem is getting worse with each month that passes.

Sherry Lynn

2023-07

Horrible. The volunteers are amazing but the whole system needs an overhaul. Some people have been there to long fighting with other shelter programs and they kill the dogs anyway. Attitude is everything and the one in charge has God complex. SHE DECIDES WHAT DOGS DIE... IF YOU SMELL breach, they just killed a bunch of animals that have had to live in that place for extended misery only to die

Kathy Mirick

2023-10

I took a dog out there that had attacked my other dog. They were horrible. They would not take the dog. I thank God now that they would not take her. The shelter is like living in Hell.

Katie C

2023-05

If you can please refrain from taking your dog to this shelter. Claiming they are always “over capacity” the 2 times i’ve tried to take a dog there. Instead of doing their job they tell you to put the dog back where you found it, meaning these busy street. just awful

Jeannie Moser

2021-05

The staff here is very very animal care oriented. They have a wonderful team that assures they lost or dumped furry friends are all taken good care. They have plenty of furry pals to choose from. Please..Please..if you are in need go visit..lots of beautiful pals to bring home and love. If you already have a pet or pets remember the Animal Shelter always needs bedding and food. If you CAN'T adopt for home you can GIFT.All contributions are welcomed and needed.

Pam Thompson

2021-05

While driving home yesterday, I noticed a dog laying on the side of the road by an abandoned house. I stopped, because she looked very thin and malnourished. Turned out she had a littler of puppies that were all deceased. I had her checked and she was not chipped. I decided to call PAWS and they explained that all of their animals come from the shelter. I then drove to the shelter. I went in and the lady at the front desk was very rude. She asked me for my ID and it was in my car. I went back to my car to get it. As I walked away, the dog got extremely upset. It started screaming and crying. It was all over my vehicle going crazy. She was hurting herself, because she was so scared. I ran my DL back in and I asked if I could het some help. She proceeded to tell me that I had to fill out the “form” first. I went bank out to my car to try and calm the dog. By the way, it was a large breed. I called from my car and asked if someone could come out and bring the form to my car to avoid the dog going crazy again. They proceeded to tell me that they didn’t have time. After begging them for 10 minutes for some help, they finally came out. The director came out as well. They were very unprofessional and rude. They told me to forget the form and took the dog from my car and slammed my door. The director then told me that she was going to report me. For what I have no idea. I assume for the inconvenience. I will continue to donate to PAWS, but I hope to never have to deal with the staff at the animal shelter again. I tried to do a good deed and wound up getting treated terribly.

Kurt Miller

2018-05

This place really tries to place pets with responsible owners and do it as fast as they can so the animals don't have to get put to sleep.Please help with your time and donations.A rescued pet knows you saved their live and will never forget. I have rescued a dog from this place and there is not a single moment we are together that she lets me forget and just how grateful she is.You will have a pet that will love and cherish you for the rest of their life and you will have a great feeling knowing that you have done something so great as saving the life of another living being.

Sarah Burton

2019-05

This shelter does not let you adopt if you have previously surrendered an animal to a shelter. You’d think giving an animal a loving home for any length of time should not be demonized but looked at as fostering. This facility is not pro- military as many have to surrender their animals as they are serving overseas or deployed. We should not be damned for doing what had to be done. It is hard enough surrendering a dog let alone having someone beat you over the head with it and never letting you forget it by not letting you adopt again. This facility would rather have dogs in cages than loving homes.

Samantha Romero

2021-05

I am incredibly in shock at the terrible service, if you can call it that, that they provided us today.My family & I had to come to a very tough and sad decision that we just had to find our dogs new loving homes. We’ve had quite a bit of hell trying to keep them in a fence, and keep them out of other peoples yards, and sometimes they would bark at other people in their own yard, and we’ve spent almost 1000.00 on them to get them vaccinated, quills taken out of their nose, fix the fence in our yard just to keep them with us and with our kids....Of course making such a big decision like this and having to sit our kids down and tell them that we have to find them another home, somewhere where they can roam free and find someone better equipped for them was heartbreaking, our kids loved our dogs...Today we walked in to Concho valley paws and told them what’s been happening with our dogs and why we need to relinquish them, and the receptionist there was super nice and told us it was actually the other mans area where he could help us with the dogs, well i assumed he had heard the entire story because before i could even get a word out of my mouth or before he could even greet me and my 9 year old son, he opens his mouth and tells me that he ‘can’t take the dogs and that if they are barking at people in their own yard then I need to have them put down.’For one, me and my family having to come to such a hard decision where we are fully trusting someone to find our dogs a better home and this heavier set man just slaps us in the face with it, and for two, telling us to kill our dogs in front of MY 9 YEAR OLD SON had my jaw on the floor. I could not believe the audacity of that man to say that to us while I’m crying, and my 9 year old son next to me....im absolutely disgusted with him. I would hope the animal shelter is better than this because I’ll tell you one thing....that man y’all have working for y’all has left me and my family with such a bad encounter, I’ll never trust y’all with any animal after that. I’ll keep my dogs before I let someone tell me to just ‘euthanize them’.For anyone looking to go there to find your dogs a loving home, I wouldn’t. Especially if that heavier set white man is working, he couldn’t care less about your animal or finding them a forever home.I am truly, truly so upset at the way that man conducted himself. We’ll never be back to feel that way again.

Jason Woodcock

2024-01

Found a dog and called them and the guy told me to dump him back where I found him.

Staci Robbins

2022-05

Smells horrific! It never smelt like that before. They are insistent that if u live outside city limits but still in TG county they will not accept an animal. I know because i saved a K9 running around on Chadbourne from being hit by a car or burning his pads off his paws from the asphalt. I finally had to tell them that I was going to complain to the city regarding the address issue. What really made me mad is they did not even verify address with my DL as they NEVER even asked to see it but demanded it be present when i called them.

Jet Set Go

2017-05

My wife and i just picked up an adorable dog from here. The staff were very friendly and helpful. There was a bit of a smell but that is to be expected of a place that houses so many animals. We were happy to find that they have an in house vet that fully checks out each dog and they keep them up to date on shots. Also when we adopted Ace (our new terrier border mix) they informed us that he will be spayed or neutered before release. This place seemed to get a really bad rep from the other reviews but our experience was quite nice.

Eileen G

2018-05

I volunteer here once a month. While this place is not the Ritz, at least it gives the animals a chance. The reason they do not let people go waltzing through the kennels is so people don't track their dirty shoes through the animal's living space. They have some cute dogs here like a lab mix with one blue eye and one green, and a golden retriever mix with a fuzzy head full of fur we nicknamed Simba. These animals need a loving home and a chance to be with a family.

Lisa Fischer

2020-05

Dropped off an stray that got into my daughter's fenced in back yard. The dog looked in decent health but he was hungry and thirsty. It is a shame that people dump animals for others to deal with. Or they don't leave them enough food or water while they are away from home. Or they ask people to take care of them and they don't. The animal gets loose looking for food and water and/or a new home

Keith Lee

2018-05

Pretty dirty place but I expect that. Unfortunately had to take my dog in due to me going back to Virginia for the military. Saddest thing I've ever done because he was my buddy. But the people there made me seem like a criminal. Someone else got him and I found out they were already planning to put him down he was only there a day! Called to see if I could adopt again when I got back but said I had to wait a year. They want dogs adopted but I have to wait a year due to me turning a dog in? I could've saved another dogs life from them. I believe they should do a case by case basis on adoptions and I shouldn't have to wait a year.

Rita Stone

2018-05

Please adopt a pet if you can. I have never been there yet if conditions are not so great please adopt animals and get them out of there. OK A lady Penny Adams rescued over 25 of her life 1 million pets from animal shelters in San Diego County just before to be euthanized. Mostly dogs. She passed on Oct. 2012 and her friends went and got her 25 pets on her property remaining and rescued them. Her house and property and money still continued to use to rescue animals before being killed at shelters. She held save my older dog Ginger Pup. I offered to give money every month to San Diego Humane society on Gaines Street yet they would not guarantee that the money would be used to save animals not put them down so I didn't send any money gave dog food instead. Here are some of my ideas Pennies for Pets Coins for Cats Dollars for Dogs Or Dollars for Animals sell lemonade and cookies in neighborhoods schools churches schools bake sales raise money to save animals build foster shelter donate vehicles land houses cottage trailer to rescue animals give collars leashes tags pay for chipping shots, medical care. People who can't donate a lot can spare a few coins pennies dollars. Volunteer hours to visit animals feed play with them. Kiwanis Elks Veterans Senior Community Centers donate or do some type of fund raiser or part if the money from another fund raiser 10% 20% etc. Hospitals donate to save animals and bring them to visit patients. Yard Sales Banks,malls grocery Stores, fast food places Bikers, Car Dealers, Gas Stations. Ask people to donate time or what ever they can. Ask people in your community to help you with the conditions in your Shelter. Put it in a newsletter paper magazine Libraries

Shon R

2017-05

While this review may be slightly outdated I think that it still has valid information and urge you to read the whole thing if you aren't thinking of adopting from here due to the other reviews.... I waited for 6 years before I finally got a dog. This was to be sure that I had the paycheck and living situation that meant I could KEEP IT for the next 15+ years (it's entire life) and this timing coincidentally, and thanks to the military, placed me in San Angelo. I visited this place at least a dozen times and even met with a few dogs from Concho Valley Paws, before finally deciding on #47. This is where my review really starts. At the time the animals here were only listed by stall numbers due to high turnover, and what I mean by high turnover is that about once a month a sizeable portion of the dogs (the front desk worker at the time said about 90 per month) of their (something like 120-140 stalls?) get put down. I'm not sure if this was a scare tactic but I will say that (as mentioned earlier) I visited this place multiple times, and on the day I chose #47, I actually had asked for #120(?, if my memory serves me correctly), but she, a beautiful black lab pup I had visited with the day prior, was put down earlier that morning. So I quickly asked her to check on #47, and thankfully he was still around. This was about 5 years ago. #47 has since become my best friend, Sputnik (pict attached, because I can). He has been through multiple moves with me, waits at the door for me to come home every day, and is truly of the best things to have happened to me. He is NOT the reason I give this place 5 stars though. I give this place 5 stars because THIS PLACE is truly most of these animals' last chance at life. THIS PLACE however is the product of San Angelo and the city's inability to effectively deal with the gross amount of backyard breeding that goes on there. Chances are if you're reading this, it doesn't apply to you but if you're wondering if this shelter is a Ritz-Carlton, it's not. Nor will it ever be. It's not a place for a nice "stroll" through. The workers there see hundreds of dogs get put down there every year because other people dont want to take care of their animals and so they let them go in farms as if they're not somehow signing their death sentence. Now this may not seem like a 5 star review so let me emphasize this, THIS shelter is THE place where the dogs need YOU the most. The facility is a product of the community and I believe the workers there genuinely care about the animals and would rather them all be adopted than put down. This place isn't for profit (at least, I don't think it is) and without it, the city would have to start killing the animals without a chance for adoption. If you want nicer facilities, donate and support them. Don't try to get people to NOT come here. That just gets more dogs killed because people don't adopt them. I'm leaving this review because I came to this site thinking I may want another dog, (which is why it's so much later) and that I may want to rescue another dog. The reviews I saw on here seem to focus on some of the most insignificant things when it comes to adopting a pet. So in summary: They adopt animals here. That's it. The facilities are as luxurious as the community will allow them to be. And I don't know the director so I can't say good or bad on that, just that I genuinely hope he/she cares. Oh and FYI, $80 or even triple that amount is extremely minor in terms of adoption. Be sure you can afford a pet if this is going to break your budget. If you end up surrendering a pet here I believe they only have 48 hours after which they can be put down. I don't like the idea of kill shelters but until san angelo fixes the backyard breeding or allows roaming packs of stray animals, these will be a necessity.

Jimbo Goode

2017-05

My two dogs escaped from the yard. Wouldn't you know it, animal control picked them up. $240. and they are now home. Both have serious kennel cough from the unsanitary conditions they were kept in. My pit/boxer has it really bad. He is down to skin and bones. The people were friendly but the conditions are deplorable. Poor, poor animals that end up there.

Wayne Sparks

2023-08

Went there to pickup my dog and had a better than expected experience. Everyone was caring and friendly

Carrie Geller

2019-05

I am thrilled we have a no kill shelter, but they no longer allow people to visit the shelter and view what’s there. Say you have to be pre approved, even tho you may not have a dog in mind. You have to choose from online pics, then make appt to meet the animal. Pictures cannot give any idea of what an animal is like. NOT seeing visitors must be a little more like a sad place for the animals. Just makes me cry for those unseen homeless pets there. I just don’t understand.If they didn’t have enough room before, what about now? 😿🐶😢🧐

Deanna Alvarado

2014-05

Oh my. I have entered several shelters n the past few days. I can tell you a person csn definitely get sick touring looking at the animals. We couldnt even enjoy our walk through the odor was horrific! We left immediately. Poor animals dont have a chance for adoption with that strong odor. Definitely will not go back! That same evening u got a upper respiratory infection