The City of Ferris is embarking on a bold new chapter in animal welfare, teaming up with Flying B Animal Rescue to transform a cluster of former agricultural barns into a comprehensive hub for animal care. The project—spanning five acres at the intersection of I-45 and Loop 9—will feature a modern city animal shelter, a private veterinary clinic, and expanded rescue facilities.
A New Model for Animal Services
For years, Ferris has struggled with the growing problem of stray and abandoned dogs and cats in the area, echoing a wider crisis across Ellis County after the closure of the SPCA of Texas animal shelter in Waxahachie. Now by a creative public-private partnership, the city’s animal services are poised for a significant upgrade, and the Ennis-based non-profit Flying B Animal Rescue will be positioned to aid municipal shelters in Waxahachie, Red Oak and Midlothian.
Todd McGehee, Ferris’ Animal Services Manager since May 2025, says complex will feature an approximately 5,000 square foot facility designed to support both animal shelter operations and veterinary services. The building will include exam rooms, a surgery center, and a treatment center to support care for City of Ferris shelter intakes while expanding access to veterinary services for area residents through a privately operated clinic.
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Carolyn Taylor, founder of Flying B Animal Rescue and Sanctuary, emphasizes the partnership’s unique structure: “This is a very tight partnership with the city. The two distinct areas are going to be the shelter and then the rescue operations,” she explains. “The shelter will remain open intake for Ferris, and Flying B will continue to help the whole county as space allows.”
Facilities Designed for Growth
The new animal welfare complex is being built on land acquired from Ferris I.S.D. and will include the new city shelter facility as well as improved and repurposed space to support quarantine and recovery functions, rescue operations, and adoption preparation. Initial city shelter capacity is planned to include 20 indoor outdoor dog runs, with additional spaces configured to support medical separation and safe handling.
The contracted, privately-operated veterinary clinic on site will provide basic veterinary care for shelter animals and offer services to the public.
“It’s a huge upgrade from what we have now,” says Carolyn. “The private vet clinic on site [will provide] at-cost services for shelter animals and affordable care to the public. It’s about making spay-neuter and other vet care accessible, which is so needed in the county.”
Flying B will convert one of the barns into a climate-controlled facility, offering more space for emergency cases and larger dogs — a pressing need in the region — and for animals rescued from neighboring municipal shelters as needed. Plans also include “Homes of Hope” cottages designed for nursing mothers and puppies to offer a quiet, stress-free environment apart from the noise and bustle of the main rescue operation.
Funding and Community Support
This effort is supported by a combination of public investment and private support. The City of Ferris will invest more than $800,000 in site and facility improvements to make the campus operational, safe, and ready for service. That investment is paired with significant private donations and nonprofit fundraising by Flying B, along with grant support.
Carolyn says that volunteers will play a crucial role, especially for transport operations that relocate adoptable dogs out of state.
“Before any dog can get on the van, they have to go get a health certificate,” notes Carolyn. “We need volunteers for everything—from walking dogs to prepping them for adoption.”
Work will be accomplished in phases, beginning with the improvements necessary to support shelter operations, safe public access, and clinical readiness. Opening timelines will be based on construction, permitting, and operational preparedness.
At full capacity, Ferris and Flying B together will be able to care for 40–50 animals at a time, with the goal of high turnover with positive outcomes.
“We’re not into warehousing dogs,” Todd says, contrasting the effort with so-called no-kill shelters that often have long waitlists for intakes thus preventing them from being responsive to local needs. “It’s about placing them in forever homes, whether that’s in Ellis County, Texas, or out of state.”
A Different Kind of Animal Shelter
Carolyn says that the animal care complex will be unique and not simply a replacement for the shuttered SPCA of Texas facility. “We’re focused on networking, transport, and high live-release rates,” she says. “Ferris has reached no-kill status, and the goal is to maintain that—90% live outcomes—without just holding dogs for months on end.”
Todd brings extensive experience from previous positions at Dallas Animal Services, and from animal control operations in Lancaster and Mesquite. Drawing on that background, he projects the city’s facility once complete could help as many as 1,000 animals find homes or rescue placements every year.
With construction underway and a strong volunteer network in the works, Ferris and Flying B are hoping to set a new standard for rural animal welfare—one driven by collaboration, creativity, and a deep commitment to giving every animal a real chance at a new life.
About Flying B Animal Rescue and Sanctuary
Flying B Animal Rescue and Sanctuary is a 501(3)(c) non-profit animal welfare organization based in Ennis, Texas that was founded in 2023 by Carolyn Taylor. Through animal rescue, fostering programs, a senior animal sanctuary, and low- and no-cost spay and neuter programs, Flying B seeks to alleviate animal suffering in Ellis County.
About the Writer
Marshall Hinsley is a writer and local realtor who started Waxahachie 360 to spread the word about the people, places and events that make Waxahachie a nice place to call home.
In recent years, Marshall has become an unofficial Waxahachie ambassador, helping newcomers to Waxahachie find their place in the community, both literally and figuratively.
Contact Marshall with news tips, event notices and questions about Waxahachie.