CONVERSE, Texas — A Converse woman says she tried to do the right thing when a sick dog showed up on her porch, but instead ran into confusion over which agency was responsible for helping.
Monika Hall said she could tell the dog was hurting and immediately began calling shelters and animal control agencies for help.
“I can’t see an animal suffering, you know?” Hall said.
Jurisdiction confusion: Woman says agencies turned her away as sick dog suffered
But after days of trying the City of Converse, humane societies, and animal control agencies, Hall said she kept getting turned away.
“Everyone told me we’re not responsible for your area. We can’t come. You’re not in our district,” she said.
With no immediate help, Hall took the dog to a veterinarian herself, paying $245 out of pocket. She said the vet later told her the dog’s condition was terminal.
She shared photos of the dog with News 4 and Fox SA, showing masses growing on the dog’s back end.
“The vet says that was all cancer,” Hall said. “He was riddled with cancer.”
The dog had to be put down.
“They call themselves the Humane Society. Well, there’s nothing humane about the four or five days I had this dog. I’m the Humane Society,” Hall said.
Hall said the situation was confusing because her address is in Converse, but she later learned the property falls under Bexar County’s jurisdiction. She lives in one of the many new developments popping up in unincorporated Bexar County.
Jurisdiction confusion: Woman says agencies turned her away as sick dog suffered
Leaders at the Bexar County Animal Facility said they often hear stories like this one, where people want to help animals but don’t know the proper resource to call.
Brandon Hollenbeck is the Live Outcomes Manager for Bexar County Animal Control.
We asked him what people should do if they find an injured or sick animal, especially if they don’t know their jurisdiction.
“It’s a problem in South Texas, obviously,” Brandon Hollenbeck said. “You want to do the right thing as a person, have compassion, and things like that. Unfortunately, we do have to turn people away because they don’t fall in our jurisdiction. Our spaces and our resources are limited.”
“They can type in their address and see exactly where they lie, what jurisdiction,” he said. The system works for addresses even outside Bexar County.
Hollenbeck says Bexar County examines calls on a case-by-case basis to determine whether they can take the animal into their shelter, so it’s not clear if the dog would have been accepted even if Hall was able to make contact with the county.
Hall hopes that people can learn from what she went through and be able to identify their jurisdiction in advance.
She’s also calling for more funding and resources for Bexar County’s shelter and for humane societies across the area.
“We pay taxes for that service,” Hall said. “The animals, they need to be taken care of, especially when they’re sick.”