San Angelo animal shelter reports 2025 totals: 70.2% live-release rate, 877 euthanasias

Animal Services Manager Amanda Bridal presented the shelter’s December 2025 and year-end operational totals on Jan. 15, saying the department closed December with 263 animals in custody and a 75% release rate for the month. “For the month of December, we actually had 214 new arrivals,” she said.

In her year-end summary, Amanda reported 2,528 stray impounds in 2025, 366 owner surrenders, 1,533 transfers out to rescues, 452 animals returned to owners and 166 wildlife releases. The department recorded 136 animals that died in custody and 877 euthanasias for the year, producing a live-release rate of 70.23 percent.

Amanda attributed part of December’s adoption increase to holiday demand and growing word-of-mouth about successful placements. She also clarified accounting for returns: when an adopted animal is returned it is recorded as a new intake. “As far as an adoption return, it's a new intake,” she said.

Committee members asked for detail about transfers; Amanda said the shelter works with multiple rescues, including organizations that pull animals from San Angelo and groups in Abilene. She noted that transfer volume may decline after the city’s agreement with one named partner concludes, but said transfers plus adoptions have kept overall outcomes steady.

The department flagged that most in-custody deaths involved very young or injured animals and said staff will continue tracking trends to identify high-risk periods and opportunities to reduce euthanasia for capacity reasons. Amanda said year-to-year comparisons and a more detailed enforcement breakdown will be provided in coming reports.

The committee approved the meeting minutes by voice vote earlier in the session; no formal board action on operational policy occurred during this presentation.