Weatherford animal shelter cites new hires, $50,000 Petco grant and updated county contract as renovations continue

Levi Liao, the animal services manager, told the Weatherford Animal Shelter Advisory Committee on March 12 that the shelter has added staff, secured a $50,000 Petco grant and implemented new programs intended to reduce returns and improve care.

The committee approved minutes from the Sept. 4, 2025 meeting at the start of the session. Liao then introduced newly hired staff, including Monica Salmeron as the animal services coordinator and several animal care technicians. The chair said the shelter’s staff total rose from 15 to 17 after the recent hires.

Liao said the Petco grant will fund PetCademy — an online adopter-support resource that provides a free month of trainer and behaviorist follow-up — PetHub QR tags distributed with every adoption and new martingale collars and leashes. “We did get a grant, through Petco, for $50,000,” Liao said, adding that PetCademy texts and coach-checks new owners to catch problems early.

Staff described PetHub tags as a QR-code tool that lets a finder scan a lost animal and contact its owner; staff encourage adopters to register the tag immediately and said microchipping remains standard practice. A committee member asked whether registration happens at the shelter; Liao said adopters can register themselves but staff encourage doing it at pick-up to increase follow-through.

Liao also detailed a recent high-volume intake: roughly 23 cats from a single small RV in one day. He credited rapid coordination with partner groups — named in the meeting as Garland Bridal Services and Friends of Rescue Animal — for placing all animals the following day.

On policy and funding, Liao summarized an updated contract with the Parker County Sheriff’s Office, the first update in about 25 years. He said the contract more clearly assigns responsibilities while animals are at the shelter, tightens language around owner surrenders and ties cost-sharing to intake levels (he cited an example that if Parker County brings 70% of annual animals, it would pay 70% of the shelter budget). The contract also includes adjusted fees for owner surrenders; staff said these changes allow more strategic intake decisions and better resource planning.

Liao presented intake statistics showing owner surrenders fell in one example month from 283 in October 2025 to 74 this year; staff attributed the reduction to strategic screening and new contract provisions that enable follow-up steps such as ensuring spay/neuter for litters before accepting surrenders. He noted the shelter averages about 18 animals a day on intake.

The committee saw before-and-after photos of completed phase 1 renovations — new flooring, insulation, kennels, hand-wash sinks, an automated sanitation washer and a dog bathing station — and was told the city is funding the work. Liao said phase 2, a larger set of improvements, will be presented to city council in April.

Liao closed the operations report with a roundup of recent community events (fall festival, National Night Out, an angel tree program and an Animal Shelter Bash) and several success stories, including a seized dog that recovered and was adopted and a severely injured cat that received emergency surgery and was placed with a foster.

The committee set its next meeting for Thursday, June 4 (the start time may change) and adjourned at 1:30 p.m.