INGLESIDE, Texas — Ingleside Animal Control has been patiently waiting for the ribbon cutting ceremony their new facility, especially Animal Control Officer Kim Otwell.
“It's already here, we're moved in and using it,” Otwell said.
This is a story KRIS 6 News has been keeping up with since 2017, when the original shelter was lost during Hurricane Harvey.
Since then, animals have been housed in temporary shelters, none of which belong to the city.
"When I first started, we had an agreement with Aransas Pass and we were using their shelter and then it got to where we couldn't anymore because they didn't have the room and then we were in limbo,” Otwell said.
In 2023, Neighborhood News reporter Victoria Balderrama spoke with former Police Chief Tammy Burr. At the time, Animal Control was working out of a temporary shelter off HWY 361.
"We've been pushing for four and half years to try and get a new shelter and finally it's come to fruition,” Burr said.
Two years later and the Animal Control Facility has finally become a reality.
"We have a place to work out of and a place to house our strays,” Otwell said.
For the first time Animal Control will be able to take in cats with enough space for at least 12. But above all, Otwell said she's excited to have more adoptions.
"It's more inviting and people will want to come out here and give them a home,” Otwell said.
The Ingleside Animal Control Facility is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It costs $40 to adopt an animal.
