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Joshua Animal Services outlines trapping, disease control and inventory fixes
Summary
Animal Services Manager Tommy Miller told the advisory board the shelter restructured quarantine, began trapping in multiple neighborhoods, found one-quarter of tested trapped cats positive for FIV/FeLV, and asked the board to endorse budgeted operational and vaccination changes.
Tommy Miller, who introduced himself as an Animal Services staff member, told the Joshua Animal Control Advisory Board that on taking the post he found inconsistencies between the shelter’s recorded and physical inventory and multiple disease and sanitation problems that required immediate changes.
Miller said the shelter’s software showed 76 animals in the system while only 42 were physically at the facility; staff reorganized space to create a quarantine/sick room and an adoption-only room to keep adoptable animals separate. He said the shelter began active field patrols (10–25 hours per week) and targeted trapping in transient housing and near commercial corridors, which has increased the cat census and produced disease findings.
Miller told the board that roughly one in four trapped cats tested (when testing was possible) were positive for feline immunodeficiency virus or feline leukemia virus (FIV/FeLV), and he linked part of the feral-cat problem to community feeding and multi-pet households. He said the shelter’s policy treats animals based on five welfare “freedoms” (freedom from hunger/thirst; discomfort; pain/injury/disease; express normal behavior; freedom from fear/distress) and that euthanasia decisions follow daily evaluation rather than fixed time limits.
On outcomes, Miller said the shelter’s census at the time was about 68 animals (15 dogs and the rest mostly kittens), described transfers to rescue partners and out-of-state rescues, and noted euthanasia numbers rose alongside trapping. He described an expansion of enforcement tools — notices, warnings and an affidavit for neighbor complaints to support citations — and said the shelter will offer donated microchips (from PetWatch) and vaccination/sterilization vouchers to improve reclaim and adoption rates.
Miller asked the advisory board for endorsement to carry operational and budget proposals forward to the city’s budget process, including increased vaccine funding, continued trapping, expanded foster and volunteer programs, and additional enforcement support. Board members asked clarifying questions about timelines, rescue vetting, and how decisions are made; Miller said staff make euthanasia calls when clinically necessary and that he consults other staff on difficult outcomes.
The board did not take formal action on operational recommendations at the meeting; members expressed general support and requested updates at future meetings.
