Why there may be more stray dogs throughout Hays County

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – The Hays County Sheriff’s Office received 981 calls related to stray dogs from September 2024 to September 2025, according to the Hays County Sheriff’s Office.

In a recent Facebook post, HCSO acknowledged that stray dogs were an issue in the county, and that it was looking for a path forward to achieve its goals of “protecting public safety, providing compassionate care for animals in our custody, and delivering quality service to our community,” the post read. 

“At this time, the Sheriff’s Office has resumed picking up strays in the most critical situations (i.e., public health and safety risks, injured animals, cruelty, bites, etc.),” the post continued. 

“We obviously can't go and pick up every stray dog in the county,” Hays County Sheriff Anthony Hipolito told KXAN. “We have to be respectful of our partners at the animal shelter to ensure that we’re not overpopulating them.”

Hippolito said currently, there are five Animal Control Officers serving the county. 

Cathleen Cranford, who coordinates lost and found efforts for the Wimberley Adoption Group, said she’s seen an increase in “irresponsible pet owners” since the COVID-19 pandemic. She has observed more residents surrendering pets they can’t care for or abandoning them entirely.

“It breaks my heart,” Cranford said. “A lot of people just aren't prepared to take animals,” she continued. “They end up at the shelter, and it's not very big. It's the only shelter in the entire county.”

In a statement, the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter has been regularly at capacity with dogs since 2022. It said it would continue to provide care and find homes for as many dogs as possible, despite the demand and the limited space. 

“The shelter, I've watched it explode. It's just so overwhelming for it,” Cranford said. 

While the San Marcos shelter is currently the only municipal shelter in Hays County, Kyle has been exploring opening another.