County considers establishing regional animal shelter

By Marc Robertson - Editor | May 6, 2026

A request from Encinal…

Talks have begun at the La Salle County government on the prospect of establishing an animal shelter that will house strays and lost pets collected from communities across the region.

Encinal Mayor Debra Weikel approached county commissioners at their April meeting with a request that attention be given to the apparent overpopulation of stray dogs in her community, an issue which she believes is likely replicated in other towns.

“There has always been a problem with feral dogs running around in our streets,” Mayor Weikel said at the April 13 meeting. “They chase people, and that includes the public works crews.

“We have only had temporary band-aid solutions to this problem,” she added. “I guess people can’t afford to keep their dogs, or people from Laredo are dumping them here.”

The mayor described some living conditions for domestic pets in Encinal as inadequate, noting that a number of pet owners appear indifferent over keeping their animals on their own property.

“Some dogs get out,” Weikel said. “Not all of them have fenced yards.”

Attorney Jared Anable, who accompanied the mayor at the meeting, said the Encinal City Council passed a resolution in March with a pledge to take action on animal control and is seeking proposals for establishment of a shelter that will serve Encinal and other communities.

“This is a dire need that the city has,” Atty. Anable said. “The resolution is asking the county to fund the required facility.”

Anable described a shelter that includes 25 dog pens and “humane euthanasia and disposal capabilities.”

The attorney also suggested that the commissioners’ court and regional municipalities develop an operating contract for the facility.

Both Cotulla and Encinal currently have municipal animal control officers.

“The city undertook a study of projected animal population growth, and it shows that over five years a population of forty dogs can go to over three hundred,” Atty. Anable said. “At an intake rate of two to five percent of animals based on the current population of dogs, between 140 and 350 animals would be passing through a facility in one year.

“This gives us an idea of the capacity needs,” the attorney said. “Twenty-five kennels is a little bit more than an educated guess.”

Commissioners learned that construction of a regional animal control facility may run to an estimated $2 million.

“The city of Encinal is not in a position to fund this,” Atty. Anable said. “We are asking you to proceed with a funding study.”

At a projected cost of $25,000 and lasting between four and six months, the study will identify the financial scale and the operational requirements of the facility and would include interviews with potential stakeholders in the region, according to the Encinal city attorney, with the likelihood that expenses would be shared between several entities, thereby reducing individual financial burdens.

“Commissioner Jack Alba and I worked out housing eight dogs from Encinal,” County Judge Leodoro Martinez III said of action he has taken to help reduce the feral population. “The commissioner brought them here in a horse trailer.

“We need to sit down and determine how much we need to spend,” the county judge added. “I want to explore the options, including an agreement with Pearsall. There are bigger issues, so we will talk to the city.”

“That’s what we are looking at,” Atty. Anable said. “Something that’s regional, not specific to a city.”

“There are state guidelines you are supposed to follow,” Mayor Weikel said of various measures taken to remove unwanted animals. “You can’t put dogs together in a horse trailer.”

“And after so many days, you put them to sleep,” Comm. Noel Niaves said.

Commissioners concurred on returning the issue to the table for further discussion at an upcoming meeting.

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