KERRVILLE — In the chaotic days and weeks after deadly July floods tore through the Texas Hill Country, Kerr County’s animal shelter was so overwhelmed with displaced pets that officials say some people tried to pass off their own animals as flood victims.
As staff scrambled to reunite families with lost dogs and cats, residents from outside the flood zone began attempting to surrender pets under false claims, straining already limited space and threatening efforts to keep displaced animals alive long enough for owners to find them.
Nichole Golden, shelter manager for Kerr County Animal Services, said people taking advantage of the limited resources available negatively affected rehoming and reunification efforts during the first week of recovery.
“That hurt because we’re struggling so hard to keep enough space for these animals to be here long enough for their families to come looking for them, or even next of kin, and these people just didn’t care,” Golden said.
With the department only allowing strays to be held for up to 72 hours for owners to reclaim them, animal nonprofit Kerrville Pets Alive and Kerr County Animal Services began reaching out to other animal service organizations for help.
The shelter’s available space quickly dropped after it housed up to 100 animals in the first week, and intake numbers continued to grow. To preserve limited housing capacity, the false flood-related surrenders were turned down, allowing the shelter to continue its work.
“We were...
KERRVILLE — In the chaotic days and weeks after deadly July floods tore through the Texas Hill Country, Kerr County’s animal shelter was so overwhelmed with displaced pets that officials say some ...