Fort Worth Animal Care reports distemper outbreak, outlines mobile clinic and 2026 shelter plans

City Animal Care and Control Director Brian Dougherty told council that a recent canine distemper outbreak forced a temporary closure of the department’s shelters to new intake and prompted targeted testing and isolation measures.

What staff reported: Dougherty said the department conducted more than 1,500 tests and identified 74 positive cases spread across the North campus and Silcox. He described distemper as a viral disease with high mortality in puppies (about 80%) and substantial adult mortality (about 50%) and said the department closed intake “out of an abundance of caution” while veterinarians treated and isolated affected animals.

Live‑release and operations: Dougherty said the facility’s live‑release rate has trended up and was “about 90.5%” in the most recent week, though outbreaks can lower release numbers while cases are isolated. He credited staff and volunteers for sustained operational work during the event and said Silcox reopened on a soft‑open basis after initial containment steps.

Mobile clinic and community outreach: The department described plans to upfit a trailer as a mobile clinic to offer spay, neuter and vaccinations in neighborhoods with high intake and resource needs. Dougherty said the city is recruiting participating private veterinarians to volunteer time and will target hotspots identified from field call data.

Enforcement and prevention: Staff reiterated that vaccination and alteration are the best public‑health tools and said outreach should reduce future disease spread. Dougherty also said the city will continue to issue citations where owners do not comply with vaccination or alteration requirements after outreach and offered a reminder that free or low‑cost services will be offered in targeted neighborhoods.

Shelter replacement proposal: Dougherty previewed a new shelter proposal in the 2026 bond (a project budgeted at about $58 million in the staff presentation). The concept is for a roughly 45,000‑square‑foot facility on a 5–6 acre site with industry‑standard kennels, additional natural light, and modular expansion capacity so the city can scale operations without building an entirely new campus later.

Advisory committee changes: Animal Services will expand its advisory committee from seven to nine members — adding a veterinarian and a nonprofit representative — and increase meeting frequency to four times per year, staff said. Dougherty asked council to publicize the upcoming appointment window to recruit applicants from neighborhoods and stakeholder groups.

Ending: Staff asked council to support expanded outreach, to promote volunteer recruitment and to consider the shelter project in the bond packaging process. Dougherty closed by thanking staff and partners for their work during the outbreak.