In a news release dated January 14, 2025, the S.P.C.A. of Texas announced that it will no longer provide services to Ellis County for the intake and care of abandoned animals collected in the area as of April 15, 2025.
Since the summer of 2020, the Dallas-based non-profit S.P.C.A. of Texas has operated an animal shelter at 2570 FM Rd 878 in Waxahachie as part of an Animal Shelter Services and Maintenance Contract with Ellis County and several area municipalities. The organization had acquired the shelter from the now disbanded Ellis County S.P.C.A., which was a wholly independent organization that had initially built the shelter in the early 2000s. The S.P.C.A. of Texas also had refurbished the facility’s floors, drywall, HVAC and electric, and installed a new kennel system to bring the shelter up to current shelter standards.

As a service provider to the county, the organization accepted and cared for all abandoned dogs collected by the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department in fulfillment of the State of Texas’ animal control requirements that are in place to protect human health and livestock.
The news release gives no reason explicitly for not renewing its contract at the end of its mid-April conclusion, but does state: “This decision follows extensive evaluation and discussion with Ellis County leadership to better align with the organization’s mission and to advance animal welfare across North Texas.”
It’s evident that the demand for services outweighs the resources and funds paid for the services.
The S.P.C.A. of Texas practices a so-called no-kill policy in which euthanasia is used only for animals that are deemed too injured or too ill for recovery. However, state and local laws only require that an animal be kept for a 3-day waiting period. After the mandatory hold time, the state law presumes that an animal will be killed if not claimed by an owner. All costs for animals kept alive after the hold period are therefore transferred to the non-profit.
The shelter was equipped to care for as many as 50 animals at a time, with any overflow being directed to the organization’s Dallas shelter.
In a 2022 interview with Waxahachie 360, S.P.C.A. of Texas Vice President of Marketing and Communications Maura Davies said that the shelter takes in about 200 animals each month. Maura also said that the goal of the organization’s work was to find every animal a home, either through reuniting dogs and cats with their companion humans or by finding suitable adopters.
“Our goal is to reunite as many pets as we possibly can. So, that’s one big part of what we do. Another big part is for animals who are truly homeless, no one claims them. Our goal is to get them into — to adopt them out, into loving new homes. We have a lot of wonderful plans in the future; that is the core of what we do right now,” she said.
It appears that those goals have been thwarted by the immense animal overpopulation in the county and the lack of sufficient resources to take on the problem, coupled with laws and local codes that do not address the problem with backyard breeders or the pressing need to offer low-cost spay and neuter services to county residents.
The S.P.C.A. of Texas is an organization with nearly 100 years of experience and a well organized fundraising arm that helps to offset the costs of its veterinary services, shelter maintenance and adoption outreach. The absence of the organization leaves the task of addressing the local pet overpopulation problem in the hands of small, volunteer rescue organizations and caring individuals.
For all the excellent work that they do accomplish, though, these volunteers cannot address the scale of the problem. County and municipal leaders must set animal control efforts as a priority and direct resources to build modern animal welfare solutions that protect human health while caring for abandoned animals as sentient beings that deserve more than three meals followed by death.
After the contract ends, the S.P.C.A. of Texas will offer the FM 878 facility for lease and pledges to remain in the county as a volunteer organization that conducts adoption events and holds low-cost basic veterinary service sessions such as vaccination pop-ups.
CORRECTION – January 18, 2025: This post initially stated that the S.P.C.A. of Texas takes in about 200 animals per year. The organization actually takes in about 200 animals per month, which is more than 2,000 per year.