As warmer spring weather settles over El Paso, Animal Services officers are staying busy. The department reports its field teams have answered more than 500 calls and issued nearly 300 citations this month as officers ramp up checks for pets left without shade or water. At Westside Community Park, field supervisors say crews have been responding to multiple "standards of care" complaints, including animals tied up or left outdoors without shelter, and that citations have climbed sharply over the past two weeks. Officials are urging residents to give outdoor animals constant access to fresh, clean water, shade or small kiddie pools and to avoid leaving pets unattended in parked cars.
What Animal Services Is Seeing
El Paso Animal Services reported the latest numbers and said officers handed out roughly 200 of those citations in just the past two weeks. Field Supervisor Ashley Herrera told KFOX that many calls coming in involve pets without proper shelter, water or food, and that stepped-up enforcement will likely continue as temperatures rise. Herrera also pointed to simple protective steps, such as providing one doghouse per dog and scheduling walks in the early morning or at sundown to cut down on heat exposure.
Shelter Workload and City Context
El Paso Animal Services serves as the city's open-admission shelter and has been dealing with heavy demand in recent years. Its 2024 impact report documents thousands of animal intakes and a sizable calls-for-service workload, which the agency says helps explain why officers are prioritizing backyard neglect investigations, according to El Paso Animal Services' 2024 impact report. The shelter operates a main campus along with field offices that handle both in-shelter care and neighborhood protection work, a setup that lets protection officers respond across the borderland as reports come in.
Heat Safety and Legal Risk
Veterinary and animal-welfare organizations warn that parked cars and exposed yards can become dangerous in a hurry. The ASPCA notes that the interior of a parked vehicle can reach life-threatening temperatures within minutes and advises never leaving a pet unattended. The American Veterinary Medical Association also stresses that pets need constant access to fresh water and shade as temperatures climb. Local animal-control officials told reporters that neglect complaints can trigger enforcement actions, including Class C misdemeanor citations in some cases, according to KFOX.
How to Report an Animal in Danger
If you find an animal in immediate distress, the guidance is to call 911. For non-emergencies, residents are asked to note the location and report suspected neglect to 311 so Animal Services can dispatch protection officers. The City's recent notices and the shelter's public materials list 311 as the proper route for field complaints and include shelter hours and contact details, according to the City of El Paso. Neighbors who repeatedly see problems can also reach out to the shelter's field office for outreach, inspections and education.
With summer on the way, Animal Services officials say they expect enforcement and outreach to track alongside rising temperatures. Residents can help by watching for signs of heat stress, keeping pets hydrated and reporting concerns quickly so officers have a chance to step in before a dangerous situation turns deadly.
