Frequently Asked Questions
City of Lufkin Animal Services only answers calls for service inside the city limits of Lufkin. The Angelina County Sheriff's Office and other municipalities within the county have their own animal control services and bring animals from their jurisdiction to our shelter. Residents of Angelina County can bring a stray animal to the shelter at no charge.
We only spay and neuter those animals adopted from our shelter. The Winnie Berry Humane Society of Angelina County offers low cost spay and neuter to the public. You can contact them at 936-639-1880.
We don’t offer animal vaccines to the public. You will have to contact a veterinarian.
Unfortunately, we do have to euthanize animals at our shelter. Though we do everything we can to rehome animals entering our shelter. The volume that the public brings in is so great that we are unable to save all of them. When you bring an animal to our shelter there is no guarantee we will be able to find it another home. This is the reason why it is so important to spay and neuter your animal to prevent unwanted litters.
The length of time for holding animals varies. Lufkin city ordinance requires that dogs that are wearing a current rabies tag to be held for 5 days, dogs not wearing a collar and tags are to be held for 3 days. There is no mandatory holding time for cats. If an animal is injured and suffering or has a contagious disease, the animal can be euthanized upon arrival at the shelter.
Feral cats may be trapped and brought to the shelter. Citizens may also trap feral cats and Animal Services will come to your property and remove the cat from the trap and leave your trap in place.
Animal services will set traps for nuisance dogs
Animal services will not trap wildlife raccoons, opossums, armadillos, etc. unless it is living in a space occupied by humans. Prevention is the key to keeping unwanted wildlife off of your property:
Animal services will set traps for nuisance dogs
Animal services will not trap wildlife raccoons, opossums, armadillos, etc. unless it is living in a space occupied by humans. Prevention is the key to keeping unwanted wildlife off of your property:
- Feed pets indoors when possible. If pets must be fed outside, pick up all food and dishes at night, and any spilled food.
- Store garbage properly. Use solid trash containers with secure lids. Lids can be further secured by the use of bungee cords across the top. Place trash containers in an area where they cannot be easily knocked over or build a frame to hold the cans upright.
- Do not place food scraps in your garden. If you compost your food scraps make sure they are not accessible.
- Check your home regularly to make sure it is in good repair. Wildlife can gain access to your home through gaps in the structure such as chimneys, vents, attic exhaust fan openings,or through damaged roofs. If you have a chimney, make sure that it has a secure cap. Cover attic vents and other roof openings with a heavy-gauge rustproof wire mesh.
- Prevent access under decks by installing an L-shaped barrier of heavy-gauge wire mesh to prevent animals from digging underneath it.
- Cover foundation vents with heavy-gauge, rustproof wire mesh.
- Prevent access to abandoned or infrequently used buildings.
- If you have a pet door, be sure to close it at night and secure it.
Yes. We do adopt animals. Adoption fees are $70.00 but are sometimes reduced throughout the year for different events. Adoption fees include first shots (excluding rabies), first worming and spaying or neutering and a microchip.
The Kurth Memorial Animal Shelter is located at 1901 Hill St. Lufkin, next to Morris-Frank Park.
The shelter is open for both surrenders and adoptions from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday thru Friday. The shelter is closed for surrenders on Saturday and open for adoptions 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays. The shelter is closed on Sunday. The shelter is also closed during city recognized holidays and occasional for deep cleaning and sanitation.
No, your dog must be confined at all times. Failure to confine your dog can result in a fine or summons to municipal court. In addition, an underground electric or wireless fence is not considered confinement.
When calling Animal Services about a stray animal, please give a detailed description of the animal (Breed, Color, Size, Collar, Tags, etc.). If you know where the stray animal belongs, let us know the address so we can make contact with the owner. Please provide your name, phone number and/or address in case the Animal Control Officer needs to get more information from you about your complaint. Your information will be kept confidential.
Immediately go to the Animal Shelter to see if your pet has been brought in. We advise not just to call because of the high chance of breed misidentification over the phone. Check with your neighbors to see if they have seen your dog. You may also want to check the lost and found of local social media websites. You can also check PetHarbor.com. We also advise to keep checking the shelter daily if the animal is not there the first time.
It is illegal to leave any animal in any standing or parked vehicle in such a way as to endanger the animal's health or safety. Any animal control officer, police officer, or firefighter is authorized to use reasonable force, including the breaking of a window, to remove an animal from the vehicle whenever the officer reasonably believes that the animal's health or safety is, or soon will be, endangered, and said animal shall be impounded. An officer who removes an animal in accordance with this law is not liable for any resulting property damage.
Rabies is an acute viral disease that attacks the nervous system, resulting in paralysis and almost certain death once the symptoms appear. The rabies virus is present in the saliva of the rabid animal. The most common way the disease is spread is by a bite from an infected animal. Though rare, rabies also can be spread if the infected animal’s saliva comes in contact with fresh scratches, open wounds or mucous membranes such as the lining of the eyelid. If left untreated it is almost always fatal.
