TEMPLE, Texas — After 12 years in operation, the Humane Society of Central Texas is having its last day at the Waco Animal Shelter on Friday, Sept. 6 before the City of Waco takes over.
"The Humane Society of Central Texas has made the difficult decision to provide notice to terminate our contract with the City of Waco and leave the Waco Animal Shelter campus," HSCTX said in a July 25 statement. "This was not an easy decision, and it came after much deliberation and careful consideration of our mission and resources."
With the change in owners, the city said folks won't notice a difference in operations, except more animals being brought into the shelter daily.
"I love helping animals and people...," said Annie Hill, Human Animal Support Manager with HSCTX. "... It breaks my heart that we have to part ways."
HSCTX said despite the departure, the organization will remain committed to serving the community and their pets.
"We will continue our work as animal welfare partners in McLennan County under a new model of advocacy and support, staying true to our mission of providing compassionate services in this new chapter," HSCTX shared in the same statement. "We look forward to sharing future developments on how our mission will evolve to fill the gaps in our community’s animal welfare needs..."
Hours of operation will remain the same this weekend. However, the City of Waco announced that it will be closed on Monday, Sept. 9, and Tuesday, Sept. 10, for deep cleaning and maintenance. It will reopen the shelter at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 11.
The city also announced that it is looking for animal shelter volunteers to help with the transition.