El Paso Animal Services has temporarily paused its partnership with Paws of Promise while it investigates allegations that animals returned from the municipal shelter with wounds, infections, and other problems they did not have when they were brought in.
The allegations were made in a Facebook video from Paws of Promise, according to KTSM 9 News. A representative said she brought five puppies to Animal Services and later raised concerns with interim director Michael Wachsmann about three dogs that allegedly returned with injuries or infections. She also described a puppy that reportedly entered a sewer drain after surgery; the animal was initially said to have been found in a puddle after someone allegedly left its cage open. Paws of Promise and Animal Services have worked together for years, and the rescue group has been described as an active shelter partner.
Rescue Group Says It Won't Stay Quiet
The Paws of Promise representative said the shelter should be a safe haven for abandoned, neglected, and abused dogs and that the city's partnership would not prevent her from raising concerns. She said she might have acted sooner if she had known what was happening to animals in the shelter's care. Animal Services has characterized the allegations as serious. Wachsmann has said he plans to report the investigation's outcome to the El Paso City Council after the review is complete.
A Shelter Already Stretched Thin
A recent response to overcrowding
The city has also tried to expand shelter capacity. According to a City of El Paso Internal Audit Department report, the Westside Adoption Center was intended to help relieve overcrowding at other city shelters and included space for 100 kennels before opening to the public on September 27, 2025.
The dispute surfaces at a moment when El Paso Animal Services is managing a heavy caseload. As of mid-July, the shelter was caring for about 980 animals, including roughly 550 dogs, according to El Paso Matters. The shelter's main Fred Wilson campus can house about 370 dogs and 225 cats.
Intake pressure has been building for years. Animals brought in from outside El Paso city limits rose 37% between fiscal years 2023 and 2025 and were on pace to grow another 15.6% this year, per the same outlet's reporting. Animals coming from within city limits jumped 62% over that same two-year span, with growth projected to level off to about 1% this year. The shelter reported that roughly 14% of animals were euthanized in fiscal year 2024, and animals often stay in the shelter's care for 30 to 45 days before being adopted, transferred, or otherwise leaving the system.
El Paso Animal Services has not announced a timeline for wrapping up its review of the Paws of Promise allegations. Wachsmann's stated plan to brief the City Council once the investigation concludes remains the only public marker for when residents might learn more.
