Protecting pets From the cover
The approach
What’s happening
Animal cruelty calls From 2015-25, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office received almost 1,040 calls regarding animal cruelty for ZIP codes 77357 and 77365, which cover New Caney and Porter. Animal cruelty calls
“People just don’t have the nances,” Larson said. “When you have to cut costs in your budget, … animals usually su er because of it.” Low-cost or free spay/neuter operations are a vital resource for New Caney and Porter, said Laura McConnell, president of Lone Star Animal Welfare League. Nonpro t o cials said the surgeries are a tool to reduce the number of stray animals being sent to animal shelters. Montgomery County leaders are working to protect local pets, but oftentimes stray animal populations can worsen due to neighboring counties, Precinct 4 Commissioner Matt Gray said in a December interview with Community Impact . “We do butt up to several other counties right here in Precinct 4, and they are hotspots for … dumping animals,” Gray said.
The demand for low-cost pet services, such as vaccines and spay/neuter operations, is growing in the New Caney and Porter areas—and local nonpro t leaders said they are working hard to meet the community’s needs. “A lot of our services are being moved over [to New Caney and Porter] because the need is, to me, just as great [in Cleveland, Texas], but they have a lot of help,” said Lidia Martinez, co-founder of Cleveland-based nonpro t Alaska’s Hope Animal Rescue. “This area has a little less help, so we want to be able to bridge that gap.” The rising need for low-cost pet services is likely due to economic factors, said Kerri Larson, an independent contractor who works with multiple local animal organizations, including Alaska’s Hope and the AABY Foundation.
160 140 120 100
87
80 60 40 20 0
2015 2017 2019 2021 2023 2025
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
On Aug. 26, Montgomery County commissioners voted to adopt an ordinance regulating roadside vendors in unincorporated areas of the county, as previously reported by Community Impact . Gray led the push for a ban, which he said also prevents peo- ple from selling animals along roadways, as these animals are often kept in “inhumane conditions.” The ordinance went into effect Sept. 1 following the passage of House Bill 2012 in the Texas Leg- islature, as previously reported. The bill allows counties to enforce roadside vendor regulations. Montgomery County’s ordinance bans the solicitation of money as well as the sale or distribu- tion of food and merchandise on public highways and roads, as previously reported. It also prohibits vendors from placing structures in those areas. “[The roadside vendors ban] also provides some safety and some coverage to our animals,” Gray said. “It keeps … [animal selling] out of the parking lots and the side of the roads,” Gray said. Since the ban began, 17 warnings or citations have been given countywide, according to data from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Puppy mills often worsen stray animal popu- lations, Larson said. Puppy mills are commercial breeders keeping animals in cruel conditions, according to the American Society for the Preven- tion of Cruelty to Animals’ website. “When [puppies] don’t sell, and they become 4-6 months old, people dump them,” Larson said. “Because there’s no use for them anymore.” Over the last decade, from 2015-25, the sheriff’s office received almost 1,040 animal cruelty calls for ZIP codes 77357 and 77365, which cover New Caney and Porter, respectively. During the same time period, 141 animal cruelty charges were filed in the whole county, according to data from the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
A growing problem Unneutered/unspayed dogs and cats can create multiple litters per year, which means stray animal populations can multiply rapidly.
Time
Dogs
Cats
67,000 dogs and almost 66,100 cats can be born within six years from small starting populations of unneutered/unspayed animals.
1 year
16 dogs
12 cats
2 years
128 dogs
67 cats
4 years
2,048 dogs
2,107 cats
6 years
67,000 dogs
66,088 cats
NOTE: NUMBERS VARY DEPENDING ON STRAY ANIMAL MORTALITY RATES.
3.3 million stray or lost dogs and cats entered U.S. shelters in 2025. Meanwhile, 9.1% of dogs and 7.9% of cats were euthanized in the same year.
Montgomery County Animal Shelter population
Montgomery County Animal Shelter outcomes
Start of year (as of Jan. 1) End of year (as of Dec. 31)
Save rate Live release rate
94% 90%
200
100%
480 522
600
Live release rate
Live outcomes - All outcomes Exclusions*
80%
=
400
*ANIMALS THAT GO MISSING OR DIE WHILE IN CUSTODY, AND UNTREATABLE/UNHEALTHY PETS EUTHANIZED AT OWNER’S REQUEST
60%
Save rate =
Live intakes Live intake Other outcomes** -
200
**DANGEROUS ANIMALS SEIZED BY THE POLICE OR SHELTER, AND CATS RETURNED TO THE COMMUNITY 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
0%
0
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
4,101 animals were adopted from Montgomery County Animal Shelter in 2025, and 3,959 animals were adopted in 2024.
SOURCES: MONTGOMERY COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS, BISSELL PET FOUNDATION, NORTH SHORE ANIMAL LEAGUE AMERICA COMMUNITY IMPACT
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