FAQs • City of San Marcos, TX • CivicEngage

Is the shelter allowed to close intake, being a municipal shelter?: We've had to close intake a few times recently due to overcrowding (from an additional 176 animals from the seizure case); owners wishing to surrender their animals were referred to other resources or asked to delay bringing their pet to the shelter.

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Pawsitive Outcomes Implementation Plan

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1. Are there plans for a large scale spay/neuter program and where would they occur?: The City has some funds secured and working on a contract. A variety of resources would be utilized including private vets and mobile clinics.

2. Will any of the implementation plan changes affect how you do animal intake (at the shelter)?: The pros and cons of policies, procedures, and initiatives were assessed by the committee; also looking at creative solutions to managing intake.

3. Is the shelter allowed to close intake, being a municipal shelter?: We've had to close intake a few times recently due to overcrowding (from an additional 176 animals from the seizure case); owners wishing to surrender their animals were referred to other resources or asked to delay bringing their pet to the shelter.

4. Will there be a limit on the number of cats and dogs can have in the city of San Marcos?: The committee will look at this eventually, as a City of San Marcos Ordinance revision will occur upon completion of the implementation plan. City staff meets regularly with regional government partners to discuss the regional impact, contracts, and initiatives.

5. Has the increase in hours of availability at the shelter had an impact on adoptions? Will there be additional hours, days, or locations added in the future?: Extended hours only began in January, so it's too soon to show an impact. Plans are also in place to increase adoptions through off-site events. Budget requests are being considered to increase staff, which might allow for more days/hours open for adoptions. Events and locations outside of San Marcos require coordination with other government partners.

6. How will we know the progress of the government partners meetings in comparison to this process? Will that be available to the public so feedback can be provided on that as well?: The government partners receive updates from the implementation plan committee, but their meetings have mainly been to discuss operations and contracts. The request for the government partners meeting minutes has been noted.

7. Will the widespread spay and neuter efforts be done at the shelter?: The shelter does not have the space to provide services to non-shelter animals, but we are looking at a variety of alternatives including private veterinary offices and mobile services.

8. Is there currently a plan to increase the visibility of the shelter and its needs?: We have been doing more in regards to visibility and promotions and will continue to do so. Others in the audience confirmed the tremendous increase and impact.

9. What is the role of the community of vets, techs, pet groomers, and other industry professionals?: Committee members are already involved in the animal community and those perspectives should filter into the committee through them. Priorities identified so far by the committee include bolstering the involvement of those mentioned.

10. Can there be a Facebook page to help rescues pull animals to help them and help the shelter?: We are working on improving the rescue process and it is one of the new Program Coordinator's priorities. Budget requests are being considered to increase staff, which might allow for more staff time dedicated to the rescue program.

11. When does the survey close?: Some notice will be given prior to the survey closing, but it will be open through April.

12. For those who can't attend a meeting, how can they provide input?: Send email to pawsitiveoutcomes@sanmarcostx.gov

13. Can you talk about the forecasting for the cost of the plan and how money will be raised?: Some needs and costs are already known just form the basic shelter operations standpoint. The cost estimates for the implementation plan cannot be determined until the implementation plan is finalized in June and City Council provides direction.

14. What is the timeline for funding and implementing the different components; and who implements?: Because current-year budgets will start in October, San Marcos and the regional partners will need to work quickly to fund any year 1 components. The success of the plan depends on collaboration among all partners, but the duty to implement fall on the shelter staff.

15. Why is the timeline 5 years?: The City of San Marcos has many needs and considerations; it will take time to allocate funding and dedicate staff time. Although 5 years is allowed, we will work as quickly as we can.

16. When will the foster and volunteer programs be enacted?: Those programs are under review and should be rolled out soon.

17. Is there a plan or timeline to have free spay/neuter clinics for TNR community and feral cats?: We have some funding available and are trying to get some clinics going soon.

18. What are the numbers of cat intake compared to those adopted out?: The statistics are on our website; please keep in mind that other cities in Hays County have different ordinances and the shelter only handles cats in San Marcos or cats brought to the shelter from other areas of the county.

19. Will there be specific communications/education regarding TNR/RTF (community and feral cats)?: Yes, and we are looking at initiatives that are easy to achieve; these initiatives have come up repeatedly through the committee's work and we anticipate they'll be included in the plan.

20. What is it about the Target Zero data/presentation that stands out?: Cats and large dogs. There may be additional factors, such as the large renter population in San Marcos and the low-income levels, that the committee needs to review to determine how we can best improve the live outcome rate for both cats and dogs.

21. What is the progress on getting a Facebook page to facilitate animal rescues?: It is being discussed and improving the rescue process is a priority.

22. Is it a viable option to have play groups and behaviorist to work with dogs?: That has come up during the committee's work and the prioritization is still to be determined. We are definitely interested in solutions for large dogs as identified by the data.

23. Will the low income levels in the area affect our ability to obtain funding?: We will work with our government partners to cost-share as well as with organizations such as Best Friends and Maddie's Fund to secure funding.

24. How will Veterinarians county-wide be involved in the efforts and initiatives?: We are simplifying our process and contract; we will make individual contacts and request collaboration.

25. Are you interested in becoming a Best Friends network partner to be eligible for free fundraising?: We are now connected to Best Friends and plan to explore that partnership further.

26. Does the shelter participate in the Amazon Smile program?: Unfortunately, because the shelter falls under a municipality and not a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, we are not eligible for fundraising programs such as that one.

27. How actively have the government partners engaged their own communities and promoted this?: All communications/information departments have been working together. For example, they're sharing Facebook posts originated in San Marcos. We are also relying on the general public to spread awareness through their own networks.

28. People are still afraid to take their animals to the San Marcos shelter for fear they're going to die; how can I help promote and share the good information and work that's been done?: We have achieved a consistent increase in the live outcome rate and we would appreciate assistance in sharing the good news to combat any negative perceptions.

29. What are the other Ideas, comments and feedback received through email or at a public meeting?

TNR and RTF programs are needed and will greatly impact the live outcome rate; include education
Use a behaviorist/trainer for cats too
Analyze income levels and population growth for the possibility of financial support from the community; engage the higher income levels and retired residents
The shelter should have a code red/urgent Facebook page to help rescues pull high-risk animals (injured, sick, or behavioral/aggression issues)
There needs to be marketing/flyers/collateral for businesses/supporters to give out to their network and customers
The shelter needs to share info and photos on Nextdoor
The shelter needs satellite locations and portable buildings to increase capacity
There needs to be a joint meeting of the government partners and implementation plan committee
Send a survey/questionnaire to veterinarians in San Marcos and hays County
Hays County has a higher poverty rate than other successful shelters; please factor this into budgeting and planning
Financial benefits of no-kill; instead of euthanizing, would rather tax dollars go to reducing number of animals and filling government coffers
Regarding the Implementation Plan Survey: Stray questions were biased, negative, and not correct range of possible answers. Would like "other" option with space to describe.
Stray neutered cats with care (food, water, shelter) are great and reduce rodents
Pulling as a rescue has been difficult; please make it easier and not restrict the dogs a rescue can take.

30. When will the implementation plan be proposed to City Council?: Staff will give a presentation to San Marcos City Council on June 18 including the proposed plan, timelines, cost estimate, and benchmarks of success. At that time, we expect to receive feedback and direction on taking it to a regular City Council meeting.

31. Are animals spayed/neutered before being adopted from the shelter?: Yes; also, the implementation plan currently includes spay/neuter across the entire community.

32. Will there be an opportunity to speak at the June 18 work session or other city council meetings to provide input regarding the implementation plan?: Written comments can be submitted to the City Council at any time and people can sign up to speak at the regular City Council meetings. We are capturing all comments received at the public input meetings as well as through the email address pawsitiveoutcomes@sanmarcostx.gov and will make all available to the City Council.

33. Where are the sterilizations performed on shelter animals prior to leaving the shelter?: Shelter animals are spayed/neutered on-site at the shelter.

34. Is there a veterinarian on-site at the shelter?: A veterinarian is on-site for surgeries and is available as needed for other medical issues or concerns.

35. When spay/neuter services are offered to the general public, where will that service be provided?: Community spay/neuter will not be performed at the shelter; instead, we contract with various vets and other services such as Emancipet.

36. We need to educate the people about sterilizing their animals.: Yes, and that is a recurring theme in the implementation plan.

37. Has there been discussion about having a heartworm treatment program/fund so that all adoptable animals are at least starting treatment prior to being adopted or rescued?: We are working on a system to track donations specific to treatments, and we’re also working on a foster program to help those animals find the proper environment for the duration of treatment.

38. How many kennels do we have for adoptions vs intake?: We are in the process of adjusting the space for each to maximize the amount of space to make adoptable animals more visible. Restricted areas will be marked with a notice that entry past a certain point is limited to staff only due to the risk of exposure to dangerous and contagious animals.

39. Will there be a proposed budget to review prior to the June 18 work session?: We will do our best to cost out each year of the implementation plan for the City Council. However, budget requests for Fiscal Year 2020 (beginning October 1, 2019) were submitted earlier this year based on the estimated funds needed to bolster core services. Once that is done, we can focus on funding the implementation plan over the next 5 years. There is some overlap, so some of the initiatives in the implementation plan may have been included in the existing budget requests.

40. Have the other government partners (Hays Co, Kyle, Buda) been planning for the implementation as well?: We have been holding regular meetings with them as well and keeping them up to date on the progress of the committee. We recognize that the implementation plan has a better chance of success if all entities’ policies and initiatives are closely aligned.

41. What is the definition of “No-Kill” and what is included in the calculation of the live outcome rate?: It is defined by some animal welfare organizations but it’s not as clearly defined or differentiated for a municipal animal shelter with open intake (meaning we take animals hit by a vehicle with no chance of survival, or owners who request we euthanize their animals so they don’t suffer). The directive we have from San Marcos City Council is to come up with an implementation plan to reach a 90% live outcome rate. We want to make sure we can meet that number but also not lose sight of being humane in all things we do.

42. When you foster an animal, how do you know that it will be adopted out?: We rely on fosters to help us promote the animal and showcase their behavior in a home environment (as animals often display different/less favorable behavior in the shelter). Between fosters, rescues, and our own advertising, we hope each animal will get the exposure they need to get adopted.

43. Is there anything that can be done to improve the environment for the animals, using sounds or scents?: We are currently working on installing some sound baffles. We also had someone offer to help us play soothing music. We are starting a Task Force internal to the City to help move some of these projects along.

44. How long has the longest stay animal been at the shelter?: Meri just got adopted, after 165 days at the shelter.

45. Is there a maximum length of stay we will allow an animal to stay in the shelter?: It depends on each animal and their tolerance level. Different programs and breaks from the shelter can enhance quality of life. All of the components being implemented will hopefully make this a non-issue.

46. Is there a plan to expand the shelter and/or incorporate some play yards?: We do have some play areas now. The land adjacent to the shelter is City land but there are already other plans for it. We are anticipating the need for expanded and/or new space.

47. Do you have any plans to work with the college?: We do get volunteers from the college. One of the ideas we have for college students is to leave their pets at home and when they come to San Marcos, they can adopt an animal from the shelter and bring it back at the end of the semester or when the need arises.