[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6529860,"mediaKeyId","3789157-d671fa5595643683e637b890926f0f7e","parentId",3789157,"title","Committee votes to keep wildlife-trapping service; staff cites falling call volume and public-education gains","audioSeconds",717,"startMs",2193000,"endMs",2910000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3789157-d671fa5595643683e637b890926f0f7e&start=2193&end=2910","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3789157-d671fa5595643683e637b890926f0f7e/thumbnail_2193000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6529860/Garland/Dallas-County/Texas/Committee-votes-to-keep-wildlife-trapping-service-staff-cites-falling-call-volume-and-public-education-gains","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6529860-f531577020980fb8679b3e4d4e538d64/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161017&Signature=bXWDGQhStvMW3XIiayFzDJasr2DOa2eTXn7T0EebvxXi-3dVNSljFNk~IHy4q-U6YsS2MdDbtMKgJQPqBpe2WTOi3Mf9PAkdWsowjw0xMkA8I46BNJdbu4CAKGaJiESfoARQ9QF5TgxuCOoIOCJ548EW4rdQvA--t5eYECj9LaiZijcAMc2DY7oQhZ0kXj75zaarmvds2Q3Y9e~RFMDt4FqcYrwdQKt9VwsKLqCobsapJXQgHHvxpdUaR8kMTMOTx8TnQnj2TShrG26nvzOxw3nf8IxpyikLtqPUrRHTk27R6ot1g5PZXQahOJgSzkZibrdenqnmDnJ9RAbVb-Xffw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Garland","date","2025-05-30T00:00:00Z","article","Animal Services staff presented historical data on wildlife-trapping responses and recommended the department continue offering a trapping response for Garland residents.

Staff told the committee they reviewed five-and-a-half years of calls for trapped wildlife and noted a downward trend: average calls per day fell from about 3.25 in 2020 to approximately 2.31 in 2024, with about 30 percent of calls involving high-risk rabies-vector species such as skunks, raccoons and foxes. Staff said the per-officer workload equated to roughly 0.58 trapped-wildlife calls per ACO per day, and that declines coincided with a public-education push emphasizing coexistence and deterrence.

Justin Craft explained the department’s current practice for high-risk species: officers respond to calls, impound the animal in the truck and, when warranted, conduct or arrange rabies-specimen testing according to applicable state and local regulations. For non-injured, non-threatening animals staff said they generally relocate animals within the animal’s home range (for example, near creeks, greenbelts or wooded areas adjacent to where the animal was picked up) rather than transporting them far away.

Staff argued that removing the service would shift costs to residents (for example, forcing a fixed-income resident to hire a private trapper) and could reduce opportunities for public education. The department said it will expand wildlife-focused public education on the city’s social-media channels and adjust staffing patterns (moving toward a dedicated Monday–Friday position) to provide consistent weekday coverage.

Committee member Robert Ka (a resident who spoke earlier during public comment) had urged that trapped animals not be released in Garland parks or preserves; staff responded that relocations are generally done within the animal’s home range and not “12 miles away.”

A committee member moved to approve staff’s recommendation “to keep doing what we’re doing.” The motion passed by voice vote with all in favor.

Staff will continue to track wildlife calls and reassess if call volumes rise or patterns change.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Garland - Animal Services Advisory Committee - May 30, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","After reviewing 5.5 years of data showing declining trapped-wildlife calls and a roughly 30% share of high-risk rabies-vector species, staff recommended continuing the city's wildlife-trapping service; the committee approved the recommendation by voice vote.","taxTitle","Garland, Dallas County, Texas","taxId",2783,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6529866,"Garland staff recommends no immediate citywide pet limit; will continue tracking and amend enforcement language",1397,803000,2200000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3789157-d671fa5595643683e637b890926f0f7e&start=803&end=2200","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3789157-d671fa5595643683e637b890926f0f7e/thumbnail_803000.jpg","/articles/6529866/Garland/Dallas-County/Texas/Garland-staff-recommends-no-immediate-citywide-pet-limit-will-continue-tracking-and-amend-enforcement-language","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6529866-aaef98adfc05255fbe73e7428e376987/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161017&Signature=MY7nH0e8hYZwWQmEx6wfM1FmfWwGZyjIGokl38Ql2OEb9PJnRl2vpE5Okx-Ji4GudbnplZCx1jZ-uS5TZJJ7p5-5dUeyxYgZiYmd8Tic5700s6kevdoK3v-hVmS4RbxTdoEsoqJ4czzTi2x4exS-lSbqEHp3bmt5R7RehRtCvW6LItIqW2cuVX0wIkSa~OfGBDVTbin~9WwmzjBUdE8vSC2ZQji9EBVXiB3yU9bONOSv9IinTrNXhQbz7Sei64phV1Pi5y10A9I-iVEUh-r~c-8F-NQqYAH38qHX~5GOXnBYvADlSlfrm4xPoJtdYlhZupj-t1Ai~2Gfv8dMrb2L0A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Animal Services staff briefed the committee on a months-long review of pet-limit enforcement and proposed code changes to Section 22.21 of the Garland city code.

Justin Craft, animal services manager, and other staff explained that current Section 22.21 allows the animal services supervisor to reduce the number of animals at an address only if violations occur at least three times within a 12-month period. Staff said they are working with the city attorney to amend that section so the supervisor may act on a single warranted offense without waiting for three incidents.

To support any policy change, staff collected April–May data and asked field staff to flag calls involving ‘excessive animals’ (defined operationally as more than six animals for tracking). Staff reported roughly 3,300 calls for service and 122 ESS service orders in the two-month window (about 3,500 calls total); only five calls were complaints specifically about too many animals and only one investigation produced a code violation. That household surrendered nine cats. Department-wide enforcement totals for the period included about 1,300 impounds, 52 inspection reports and 69 citations.

Based on the limited two-month sample and the department’s existing enforcement tools, staff recommended no immediate citywide pet limit. Craft told the committee, in part, that “this is only two months’ worth of data” and that a citywide limit would affect responsible owners. Staff said they will continue tracking excessive-animal calls, build a heat map to identify geographic clusters, reallocate outreach resources where needed, and return with further data. The department indicated it can come back to the committee with six to 12 months of data for additional review.

Committee members asked for clear trend reporting and for staff to present year-over-year charts and historical context; multiple members suggested waiting a year for robust data before taking ordinance-level action. Staff said the pending amendment to Section 22.21 is intended to target irresponsible owners rather than impose an across-the-board cap on responsible pet owners.

No formal ordinance vote or city council action occurred at the meeting; the committee directed staff to continue data collection and to return with a longer time series for further consideration.","Staff reported limited data showing few excessive-animal complaints, proposed an amendment to Section 22.21 to let a supervisor act without three prior incidents, and recommended no citywide pet limit for now while continuing data collection and hotspot mapping.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6529871,"Garland animal shelter reports high live-release rate, highlights outreach; longtime staff member leaves",436,204000,640000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3789157-d671fa5595643683e637b890926f0f7e&start=204&end=640","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3789157-d671fa5595643683e637b890926f0f7e/thumbnail_204000.jpg","/articles/6529871/Garland/Dallas-County/Texas/Garland-animal-shelter-reports-high-live-release-rate-highlights-outreach-longtime-staff-member-leaves","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6529871-249491786784394c3564b5db71b27399/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161017&Signature=ccC6ayg4Y4gTPx4ZfbwIXLhgg0CzuB0FwMFP3VcYcovr-bmHycRyfeWl0nr7kji7vGpCmwbQ5q4tNedVa1xtqNLrcR5lBUXRYzpJ915dGkFgQPrfU6PZsKpJdOKcuzvjNpr6Dd-kxupjQOM97BGjmvgRXF8oRgDaxRrfUTo75tsX5NMZDZRq2dMUrANbPtfclQGYtL1KETsasXrvRoHhAybGm58wTzJq-kG82gI5n3Z69CTqICgzudmzmdTa3Hi-tVr~F9aiCy0aYYoxcnMIS~sNSItbD9ZlVOj7HOr8yWi7ybCaAOUUWKoEunSYwoW~lXRZngM7eFZbkk4nxC5swQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Justin Craft, the City of Garland animal services manager, gave the committee a summary of shelter operations and community outreach for March and April and highlighted volunteer and partner activity as the department prepares a broader Chapter 22 revision this summer.

Craft said the shelter had 1,318 visitors in the two-month period. Calls for service totaled 3,328, with about 1,500 calls for stray animals. The live-release rate for March and April was 98.47 percent, he said. Owners reclaimed 160 animals and the shelter recorded 247 adoptions and 363 animals transferred to rescue partners. The department reported 32 cruelty calls in that period, one animal seizure, one dog designated dangerous, and sterilization totals of 87 (TNR-related) and 111 in-house community-cat sterilizations.

The shelter’s community-outreach work included participation in a regional “mega adoption” event in Dallas that resulted in 13 adoptions; a downtown adoption event (“puppy party”) that produced seven adoptions and raised $473 from a lemonade stand; a kitten-care academy with about 30 attendees; recurring community cat free spay/neuter days in partnership with Operation Kindness; spring “Gram-a Bonanza” outreach celebrating the shelter’s opening (about 300 attendees, a vaccine clinic that saw 77 pets, and a pet-food pantry that served 194 people and 303 pets); and photography and fundraising partnerships. Volunteers and a realtor partner, Purple Tea Properties, were cited for sponsoring adoption fees and transport assistance. Craft also described a microchip reunion coordinated with a volunteer transport network that returned a trapped cat to its owner.

Committee members publicly thanked “Christie” for her work; the committee chair described it as Christie’s last meeting and noted her role in several outreach accomplishments. Committee members praised the expansion of outreach and volunteer programs, and several asked staff to continue providing trend data and historical comparisons in future reports.

The department will include these performance measures and historical trends in future presentations to the committee and said it can deliver month-by-month trend tables on adoptions, rescues, reclaims and other performance measures on request.

For transparency, Craft and outreach staff emphasized that some event tallies and fundraising totals were distinct: the puppy-party lemonade stand raised $473; at the Gram-a Bonanza another lemonade stand raised $665.

Looking ahead, staff said an internal, summer-long revision of Chapter 22 of the city code will align ordinance language with current operations and fee schedules.

Members directed staff to continue regular reporting of these measures; no formal binding direction beyond continued reporting was recorded.","Animal Services staff reported March–April intake and outcome data, described community outreach and fundraising events, and noted that a long-serving staff member, Christie, is leaving the shelter.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee votes to keep wildlife-trapping service; staff cites falling call volume and public-education gains

Garland staff recommends no immediate citywide pet limit; will continue tracking and amend enforcement language

Garland animal shelter reports high live-release rate, highlights outreach; longtime staff member leaves