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Advocates call for transparency and outside review at BARC after high euthanasia counts
Summary
Animal‑welfare advocates urged the council to open an investigation or appoint a special task force to review operations at BARC, citing high euthanasia rates, limited notice to rescues, and restricted rescue networks.
At the April 15 Houston City Council meeting, animal‑welfare advocates asked the city to investigate operations at BARC (the city's animal shelter) and to publish daily euthanasia lists to allow rescues and the public to identify and save animals at risk.
Attorney and advocate Renee Kennedy called for a special task force or independent review, saying the shelter recently stopped publishing which animals would be euthanized and that notices are issued late in the evening when the public has little time to respond. "Make the list public," Kennedy said. She gave monthly figures she said showed euthanasia counts rising after policy changes; she said the numbers included adoptable and pedigreed animals and asked the city to expand rescue outreach and spay‑neuter funding.
Kennedy and other speakers criticized shelter procedures that they said prevent rescues from accessing animals; they urged BARC leadership to restore public notice practices, expand the geographic reach for fostering and partnering rescues, and increase spay/neuter and education funding. She urged the council to allocate oversight resources and to require broader outreach so rescues and volunteers can respond before animals are euthanized.
Councilmembers acknowledged the concerns and said they heard the message; no formal investigation was initiated during the meeting.
