Animal Shelter Saves Record Number of Pets

SAN ANGELO, TX – The San Angelo Animal Services Division has evolved tremendously in the past fiscal year. Throughout the year the shelter has released more than 82 percent of its animals alive, also known as the live release rate, from October of 2019 to September of 2020.

Animals can leave the facility in a number of outcomes including:  adoption, being transferred to a rescue facility, returned to owner, released back into the wild, or euthanasia.

For comparison, in 2013 only about 20 percent of the shelter’s animals were released alive. The goal for the 2020 fiscal year was to release at least 72 percent of animals, which was greatly surpassed by the end of September.

Next year, the shelter will continue to increase this goal by aiming for roughly 90 percent. The shelter along with Concho Valley PAWS, which oversees the adoptions for the shelter, has noted that adoptions accounted for  approximately 23 percent of total outcomes (how the animal leaves the shelter) for both FY19 and FY20. 

Much of the shelter’s success stems from joining forces with the American Pets Alive!, an educational initiative, which assisted the Animal Services Division in providing more training and programming to help lower animal shelter kill rates.Together with Concho Valley PAWS, the shelter used this methodology to launch its own San Angelo Pets Alive! coalition.

Moving forward to next year, the San Angelo Animal Shelter needs your help whether you adopt, foster, volunteer or advocate, every bit of assistance makes a difference, to make sure that every animal in San Angelo is given the life they deserve!