El Paso Animal Services warns some dogs may need to be euthanized

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- El Paso Animal Services is warning that it may need to euthanize some dogs. As the shelter struggles with capacity issues, officials say certain dogs are at risk of euthanasia "due to medical, behavior, or capacity reasons."

"Euthanasia is never our first decision and never our first option. We try to, you know, promote these pets as much as possible. But unfortunately, sometimes these decisions do have to be made," said Michele Anderson with El Paso Animal Services.

Adding to ongoing capacity issues at the center, construction is also limiting space.

"Right now all of our kennels are full and we're seeing anywhere from about 20 to 50 dogs entering our shelter daily," said Anderson.

Staff at the center meets regularly to identify animals with medical and behavioral issues to add to the "At-risk" list. While they've always battled these issues, a goal for transparency in 2024 led them to post the "At-risk" list publicly. 

"We want to save as many lives as possible. And that's the ultimate goal of this list, is to ask the community and, you know, to support us, to support these pets and help us get these pets out as quickly as possible, said Anderson.

"While some of the pets on this list will not be immediately euthanized, some may have a deadline for euthanasia due to medical or behavior factors," Animal Services wrote in an announcement on its website. "During times when the shelter’s capacity is at critical levels, some of the pets on the list will be euthanized if the shelter’s capacity is not sharply reduced."

Find a list of the at-risk pets here. Animal Services says the list is usually update hourly. Despite their status, these dogs are still actively up for adoption, fostering, and rescue.