SAN ANTONIO \u2013 As food, gas and everyday expenses remain high, some San Antonio pet owners are struggling to care for their animals.<\/p>\n
However, Animal Care Services said surrendering a pet is not a quick option because its kennels are over capacity and its surrender waitlist stretches for months.<\/p>\n
ACS leaders describe the situation as a \u201cperfect storm.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s summer. That\u2019s typically our high season,\u201d said Lisa Norwood, public relations manager for ACS. \u201dPlus we\u2019ve had, unfortunately, a number of criminal cases that we\u2019ve had to investigate and bring animals in from.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some animals in the shelter\u2019s care were surrendered by their owners, Norwood said. In many cases, money is the reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor some people, it\u2019s the economy,\u201d she said. \u201cThey just can\u2019t afford to take care of their pet anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
But pet owners cannot simply show up at ACS to surrender an animal. Norwood said the shelter currently has a months-long waitlist that extends through the end of the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t just take in a pet when we have 500+ in our kennels,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
ACS also stressed that dumping or abandoning a pet is not an option.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just a \u2018not so nice\u2019 thing to do,\u201d Norwood said. \u201cIt\u2019s also illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, ACS is encouraging pet owners to ask for help before deciding to give up an animal.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you need help, just ask for it,\u201d Norwood said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to figure it out on your own. You\u2019re not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
One option is the ACS pet pantry, which provides supplies to San Antonio pet owners who need support.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes it\u2019s just as simple as, \u2018Hey, I need some dog food,\u2019\u201d Norwood said. \u201cHere\u2019s some dog food. This is going to keep you for a few weeks until you can get back on your feet. We also have cat food.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pantry also includes some specialty items, such as dental treats, which can help prevent more costly veterinary care.<\/p>\n
ACS can also provide new collars, leashes, and harnesses.<\/p>\n
There is also a large area in the main building at ACS for community donations, where people can drop off pet food, toys, shampoo, grooming items, and other pet care supplies.<\/p>\n
People who want to help but do not have pet supplies can also donate items pet owners might need, including bleach, cleaning supplies, towels, sheets and newspaper.<\/p>\n
The agency also offers services that can reduce the cost of pet ownership, including free vaccination clinics every weekend and free or low-cost spay and neuter services.<\/p>\n
For residents outside San Antonio, ACS said it works with partner organizations across the region that may offer similar support.<\/p>\n
Norwood also encouraged anyone considering adopting a pet to research the costs first.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to do your homework,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Experts estimate the average cost of caring for a dog is about $2,400 a year, or about $200 a month, depending on the dog\u2019s size and needs. The average cost for a cat is about $1,200 a year, or about $100 a month.<\/p>\n
ACS said using available resources can help lower those costs and keep more pets with the families who love them.<\/p>\n
How to get help<\/p>\n
Call ACS to ask for support at 210-207-4738. The agency offers help with vaccination and microchipping<\/a> as well as spaying and neutering<\/a>. Owners can also ask ACS for its resource list for sick pets.<\/p>\n As for help with food and pet items outside of ACS, the shelter offers pet owners the following list:<\/p>\n San Antonio shelters<\/p>\n Nearby city shelters<\/p>\n Low-cost sterilization and vaccination clinics<\/p>\n SNAP<\/a>: 6758 Ingram Road, 210-673-7722SNIPSA<\/a>: 4216 McCullough Ave, Olmos Park, Texas 78212, 210-237-9400<\/p>\n Cats<\/p>\n Community Cat Program: 4710 TX Hwy 151, 210-207-6696, Email: Acsccp@sanantonio.gov<\/p>\n Wildlife<\/p>\n Other resources<\/p>\n Read also: <\/p>\n Copyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN ANTONIO \u2013 As food, gas and everyday expenses remain high, some San Antonio pet owners are struggling…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":389826,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[31199,244,918,245,82,84,83],"class_list":["post-389825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-acs","tag-animals","tag-economy","tag-pets","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=389825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389825\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/389826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=389825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=389825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=389825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}