Bedford animal services reports 92.4% live‑release rate; board hears intake increases, donation and staffing questions

At a meeting of the City of Bedford Animal Services Advisory Board, staff presented fourth‑quarter and first‑quarter shelter statistics and answered board questions about donations, staffing and the status of a planned shelter renovation.

Shelter staff reported a 92.4% live‑release rate and described large swings in intake and rescue activity tied to a prior large‑scale seizure and to more proactive field patrols. "I want to give a huge shout out to the staff for doing what they've been doing, and doing something that is amazing for the city of Bedford. And that's getting at 92.4 live release rate in the shelter, which that is huge," Jose said.

The statistics presented compared July–September 2024 (fiscal Q4) with the same quarter in the prior year and also covered October–December 2024 (the first quarter of fiscal 2025). Highlights presented by staff included: - Dogs: total intake was reported to have fallen from 130 in 2023 to 101 in 2024 for the July–September quarter; return‑to‑owner counts and euthanasia counts were lower in 2024 in the periods reported. In the October–December quarter staff said dog adoptions rose from 25 to 31 and total dog intakes increased from 91 to 117 compared with the prior year quarter. - Cats: one quarter showed adoptions of 54 in 2024 versus 53 in 2023 and total intake fell sharply in a quarter that had included a previous large seizure (the seizure drove a 91→14 change in rescued counts between years for that period). In the October–December quarter staff said rescued cats rose from 13 to 68 and total intake rose from 68 to 110. - Wildlife and field service calls: staff reported field calls for service rising sharply (499 to 915 in one quarter and 516 to 910 in another), and euthanasia and rescue counts for wildlife remained relatively low. - Aggregate quarterly totals: one quarter's total intakes were reported as 388 in 2023 and 234 in 2024; another quarter rose from 206 to 298.

Board members and staff discussed donations and budget lines for basic supplies such as litter, cleaning chemicals and food. One board member urged caution when directing citizens to donate to outside nonprofits and said, "if we are gonna do something that whoever decides to donate, check out the nonprofit because there's a lot of nonprofits that take advantage of situations" (unnamed board member). Staff said the shelter's budget includes line items for bulk purchases and that donated supplies are accepted because community offers to help are frequent. "We have the budget... but whenever people ask, hey, what can we help you with? That's something that we're gonna tell them," Jose said.

Staff also raised two operational items that drew board attention: a vacant animal control officer position (referred to as "ACO officer number 6") and the status of a shelter renovation/expansion. On staffing, a board member asked whether the city planned to refill the vacant ACO position; staff replied that there was "not right now" a plan to restore that position. On renovation, staff said planning remains underway but progress is slow: "We're still stuck on in the mud right now... we put together all of our notes and are sending all of our notes to counsel and gonna seek the guidance and give them all the advice that we have and work from there," a staff member said.

Board members discussed community support for animals in out‑of‑area emergencies but emphasized local priorities. Staff pointed board members to partner organizations they work with, including the Humane Society of North Texas, as channels for assistance. The board scheduled a proclamation for "Animal Control Week" (April 13–19) and asked staff to bring a shelter animal to an upcoming council meeting for the proclamation; staff said they would arrange lunch for shelter staff during that week.

The meeting opened with approval of the minutes and concluded with a motion to adjourn that passed by voice vote.

Less critical details: staff announced that two employees completed cruelty investigation training (levels 1 and 2) and introduced Leslie Hightower as a new ACL who joined earlier in the fall. Staff repeatedly praised front‑door appointment systems for reducing voluntary surrenders and noted that higher rescue transfers reflected active networking with partner shelters and rescues.