The Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area is in full-on triage mode after taking in more than 60 surrendered dogs in a matter of days, a surge that blew past what its small facility can reasonably handle. Staff say 68 animals arrived recently, including a single owner who surrendered 56 chihuahuas at once, forcing the nonprofit to convert offices and even surgery space into temporary kennels. The crush of animals has triggered emergency adoption events and urgent calls for fosters and volunteers as staff scramble to avoid euthanizing pets simply because they have nowhere left to put them.
"We really got slammed last week. We were already at capacity. We did not have any empty kennels," Executive Director Sarah Hammond said, explaining that 56 chihuahuas were surrendered after their owner was incarcerated, while about a dozen more dogs came in when another owner was hospitalized. Hammond said she had to squeeze all 68 newcomers into a shelter built to house just over 50 dogs, sending some of the chihuahuas to rescue partners and stashing others in buildings normally reserved for surgeries. The crisis was detailed by KSAT.
Shelter funding and staffing pressures
In 2023, New Braunfels and Comal County boosted their per-animal payments to the shelter in an effort to steady operations, as reported by the San Antonio Express-News. Even with that bump, organizers say day-to-day costs, veterinary needs and the staffing required to care for so many animals continue to stretch the shelter close to its breaking point.
How to help and what's next
To avoid putting down healthy animals purely for lack of space, Hammond said the shelter is hosting adoption clinics with waived fees on Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The full adoption schedule is posted by KSAT, and the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area outlines how residents can foster, volunteer or donate to help get the shelter through the crunch.
