Pflugerville shelter reports 96.57% live‑release rate and 527 adoptions in FY25

Rhonda, the city shelter presenter, told the council the shelter recorded 840 intakes and 803 outcomes in fiscal year 2025, with 527 animals adopted and 189 returned to their owners.

"We had 840 intakes that's pretty stable from last year. 803 outcomes, that's less than last year unfortunately," Rhonda said. "We had 527 adoptions, a 189 return to owner. ... We had a 96.57 percent live release rate. We try and stay above 95 percent." She said the shelter has maintained a live‑release rate above 95 percent for roughly 12 of the last 13 years.

Rhonda provided details on euthanasia and decision-making: the shelter recorded 27 euthanasias during the year, with about half for medical reasons (severe injury, terminal illness) and the remainder largely for behavioral concerns or as required by court orders in dangerous-dog cases. "Some of them were animals that were loaded with tumors or weak and couldn't stand when they came in," she said. "Less than half of that number were behavior euthanasia. Some of them were court ordered for dangerous dog... when they don't comply with the dangerous-dog order, those animals are euthanized." When asked where those orders originate, Rhonda said they come from the municipal court.

On field operations, Rhonda reported 2,642 field activities, including 335 impounds and about 294 cases where officers located an owner and returned the animal without bringing it to the shelter — roughly a 47 percent in-field return rate. She described the shelter's new cargo van as a transport vehicle and a mobile pet-pantry platform used to deliver donated supplies to seniors and other residents in need.

Rhonda outlined microchipping efforts and registration challenges. The shelter purchases more than 500 microchips a year and runs targeted low-cost clinics; she estimated standard veterinary implantation costs $50–$75, Emancipet charges about $20 but sometimes does not register the chip, and some community clinics charge $15–$20. She said registration and updated owner information are critical to getting animals home quickly and credited microchipping programs with the shelter's above-average return-to-owner rate (39.22 percent for stray dogs compared with regional benchmarks).

Volunteers remain a major asset: Rhonda said volunteers contributed roughly 3,800 hours during the year — about the equivalent of two full-time staff — and the Friends of the Pflugerville Animal Shelter raised about $45,000 and underwrote roughly $24,000 in medical expenses this year.

Council members praised staff and volunteers. No formal action was taken on the presentation.