CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Animal Care Services officials reported major progress Tuesday night on more than half of 170 recommendations issued by consultants who once labeled the shelter "in crisis."
No animals have been euthanized for space since July 2025, officials told city council members. The shelter is now working toward the 90% live release rate required to be classified as a "no-kill" community.
Council members had pointed questions about euthanizations during the meeting.
"How many dogs and cats are we killing for space?" District 3 Councilman Eric Cantu asked.
"We have not euthanized for space since July of 2025," Cynthia Martinez, assistant director of operations at Corpus Christi Animal Care Services, said.
The shelter is also showing improvement in its live release rate.
"Our live release rate has been in the low 80s for this last quarter, with the average being 83%. The first quarter our live release rate was 80%, so we've seen an improvement there even with the increase in intakes," Martinez said.
Council members pressed officials about the 131 animals that were euthanized for medical reasons.
"My concern is you guys list medical for minor stuff. And I do wanna make sure that's not happening because if it's minor stuff I mean we gotta give these animals some hope just because they have medical issues that possibly we could fix with medication or go for a vet visit," Cantu said.
Officials said 95 of those animals were too sick or injured for treatment.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
