Animal Services

• Longer-stay housing: 146 dog & cat kennels

• 126 larger dog kennels
• 6 medium dog kennels
• 6 smaller kennels
• 8 cat kennels
  • Note: This total does not include temporary drop-off receiving kennels for Animal Control.

• Short-term stay housing: 80 dog & cat kennels

Spay/neuter & microchipping your pet is the law in Waco.

• Residents of the City of Waco qualify for FREE spay/neuter for owned dogs/cats based on scheduling.
• Call (254) 750-7099 for information. (Please leave a detailed voicemail if needed. Se habla espanol.)
• Schedule an appointment.
• For more affordable options in McLennan County: Animal Birth Control Clinic.

Community Cats (outdoor/indoor) qualify for free Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR).

• TNR includes spay/neuter, rabies vaccination & a left “ear-tip” performed by a vet during surgery.
• Loaner TNR traps are available with a refundable deposit. For more details, visit animalbirthcontrol.org/commcat.
• If you come across kittens, please do not move them, the mother will return.

Shelter & Animal Control Operations:

• The Animal Shelter is a regional, open-admission shelter serving many cities and portions of McLennan County.
• All entities share in the cost of operations at the shelter, and most stray animals in the Central Texas area are surrendered or turned into the shelter for care.
• Shelter staff, Animal Control and the Humane Society of Central Texas are housed on the campus.
• Our overall operation strives for the ultimate goal of the elimination of the need to euthanize healthy or unwanted animals.

Shelter staff provide:

• vaccinations
• deworming
• flea/heartworm prevention
• veterinary care & spay/neuter surgeries
• food
• cleaning
• in-kennel enrichment

Humane Society of Central Texas provide:

• adoptions
• foster care
• rescue transfer
• volunteer coordination

Our shelter veterinarians oversee the health and wellness of all animals, both housed at the shelter and in foster care. They triage medical emergencies brought in from animal control, diagnose and treat disease, and provide spay/neuter surgeries and other specialty surgeries to shelter animals.

Dr. Michael Vallon (Dr. V)

Dr. Vallon graduated from Texas A&M University Veterinary School and has been with the shelter since May 2020.

Dr. Cary Bielamowicz (Dr. B)

Dr. Bielamowicz graduated from Texas A&M University Veterinary School and has been with the shelter since July 2024.

The Animal Shelter always needs beds! Kuranda Shelter Beds offers a program that allows residents to donate a bed directly to the Waco Animal Shelter, and it's tax deductible!

With over 175 kennels and additional animals in foster care, our kennel beds show a lot of wear and tear. These chew-proof Kuranda beds provide a stable, sanitary and comfortable place for our special guests to sleep off the ground. Consider donating! Donations are tax deductible.

Donate