In the first half of 2025, Fort Worth Animal Care & Control (FWACC) has seen a noticeable decline in shelter intakes, suggesting that more pets are staying with their families or are being reunited when lost. According to a recent report by the City of Fort Worth, FWACC experienced a 21% decrease in animal intakes compared to the same period last year, marking progress in the effort to keep animals out of shelters and in loving homes.
The reduction in intake numbers – down to 8,057 from 10,202 animals the year before – allows the City to more intensely focus on the care of each animal that enters the shelter system. "That’s a 21% decrease in intake from last year, providing the opportunity to focus more resources on each pet that comes through shelter doors," the City of Fort Worth detailed in its report. Efforts to decrease shelter intake, alongside innovative partnerships and programs, have led to this positive development, which also includes a lives-saved rate improvement to 79.8% in 2025 from 74.9% in 2024.
Several initiatives have been credited for these improvements. Field officers for FWACC now use Field Kennel Cards, which provide information to quickly help reunite pets with their owners. The Pet Resource Center is a hub for the provision of crucial services like medical care and temporary foster placement for struggling pet owners, made possible through a partnership with the Spay & Neuter Network. Meanwhile, the Homeward Hounds program deploys volunteers to assist in matching lost pets to those found by the FWACC.
Digital tools such as Petco Love Lost & PawBoost have proven to be effective with their photo and mapping technology, which are made easily accessible via the FWACC website for families to locate their missing pets. Additionally, a unique pilot called Chip Spot at Winslow's Cafe, thanks to a donation by Operation Kindness, gives Fort Worth residents a place to quickly confirm ownership and keep animals out of shelters by scanning a lost pet's microchip linked to a QR code system.
