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Animal Welfare & Rescue
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Wildlife Feeding Prohibition
Information on the ordinance approved by City Council prohibiting the feeding of wildlife within the city limits.
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Animal Special Event Application
If you are hosting an event and would like to have animals such as circus, petting zoo, or other types of animal exhibits please complete this application.
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Online Complaint Form
For non-emergency complaints regarding Animal Welfare & Rescue, including barking dogs, unrestrained animals, and injured/deceased wildlife.
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Animal Welfare & Rescue
Phone: : (830) 608-2183Fax: : (830) 515-4462
Animal Welfare & Rescue Officers
Animal Welfare & Rescue Officers perform a variety of duties for the citizens of New Braunfels, including:
- Investigate welfare cases and dog bites
- Inspect local animal shops and grooming parlors
- Providing sanitary shelter for lost and stray animals
- Implementing and enforcing the pet registration program
- Providing Veterinary Medical care as needed
- Promoting the rabies vaccination within the city
- Promoting responsible pet stewardship
Resources
Pet Registration
What is the benefit of registering my pet?
- A found pet can be reunited more quickly with its owners.
- Your registration shows your pet has been vaccinated for rabies.
- Your lost pet gets longer care time if they are taken to the Animal Shelter.
Who needs to register?
- If you reside in the city limits of New Braunfels.
- If your dog or cat is older than 4 months and has received their rabies vaccine.
How do I register my pet?
- CLICK HERE and complete the online registration form and submit the form from your phone, tablet, or other electronic devices.
- Attach a current rabies certificate and picture for each pet you are registering.
- There is no fee for registration at this time, but registration is required per City Ordinance.
Hot Cars
When the outside temperature is 85 degrees Fahrenheit or more for any period of time no animal should be left in the car. Report such violations to New Braunfels Animal Control: (830) 608-2183
Barking Dogs
If you are having trouble with barking dogs follow the below steps:
- Document the occurrences.
- Review the linked form, Information Sheet
- Call us at (830) 608-2183 to discuss.
Feral Cats
Feral cat colonies are permitted and feral cat colony caretakers may maintain and care for feral cats by providing food, water, shelter and other forms of sustenance, provided that the feral cat colonies are registered with a city approved partnered sponsor, as described below, and that the feral cat colony caretaker takes all appropriate and available steps to meet the terms and conditions required.
An approved sponsor is any animal welfare group that agrees to comply with the requirements. Any animal welfare group intending to undertake the responsibilities of sponsor shall so advise the city in writing and provide its address and telephone number, and electronic mail address if applicable.
Sponsor requirements, it shall be the duty of the sponsor to:
- Review and, in its discretion, approve of feral cat colony caretakers.
- Help to resolve any complaints over the conduct of a feral cat colony caretaker or of cats within a colony.
- Maintain records provided by feral cat colony caretakers on the size and location of the colonies as well as the vaccination, and spay and neuter records of cats in the sponsor's colonies.
- Provide, at a minimum, written educational training for all caretakers addressing uniform standards and procedures for colony maintenance.
- Report annually to the city on the following:
- Number and location of colonies for which it acts as a sponsor in the city;
- Total number of cats in each of it colonies;
- Number of cats from its colonies vaccinated, and spayed and neutered pursuant to the TNR program and number of cats and kittens from its colonies placed in permanent homes.
- Provide any forms or other documentation necessary to allow feral cat colony caretakers to receive any public or private subsidies, medical care or other forms of assistance for their feral cat colonies which may be available to them;
- Provide to the city the location, by address, of feral cat colonies where feral cat colony caretakers have regularly failed to comply with this section or where the sponsor has been unable to resolve a nuisance behavior situation.
Links:
- New Braunfels Community Cat Coalition - https://www.nbcats.org
Chicken Ordinance
The City of New Braunfels has ordinance that allows a person who wishes to keep or house chickens on his or her property, where that property encompasses an area of less than 40,000 square feet, can as long as they follow specific requirements and register this activity with our office.
Ordinance:
The ordinance can be found at the following link.
Requirements:
The main requirements of the ordinance are:
- Keep no more than four chicken hens per lot.
- No person shall keep any rooster.
- The chicken hens shall be provided with and housed inside of a covered structured enclosure at all times, which is located within the rear yard inside of a fenced perimeter enclosure.
- No covered enclosure shall be located closer than ten feet to any property line of an adjacent property.
- The covered enclosure shall not be located closer than 30 feet to any residential structure on an adjacent property.
- Covered enclosure and surrounding area must be kept clean at all times.
Process:
To register your chickens or rabbits please use the following registration form to provide the information. After you submit the information using the registration form you will be registered.
Partners
New Braunfels Humane Society
While they are not funded by the city, the county, or any national humane organizations, the Humane Society of New Braunfels, a 501c3 non-profit, contracts with the City of New Braunfels and Comal County to house stray animals brought in by their Animal Control Divisions.
- Website - https://www.hsnba.org
- Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hsnbapets
- Twitter - https://twitter.com/hsnbapets
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hsnbapets
Animal Services Advisory Board
The Animal Services Advisory Board was established to, among other things, advise and make recommendations to the city council pertaining to animals and animal control ordinance. The board shall further advise the city council, through the city manager, on any aspect of animal care services which in the board's opinion merits the attention of the city.
- The board shall act in an advisory capacity to the city staff and the city council in any matter pertaining to compliance with V.T.C.A., Health and Safety Code § 823.001 et seq.
- The board shall operate under bylaws approved by the city council. The set of bylaws shall govern rules of procedure, board operations, conduct and other such activities in compliance with Robert's Rules of Order, newly revised edition.
- The board shall elect such officers as the members deem necessary to conduct their business affairs.
- The board shall not have the power to obligate the city for funds and / or expenditures or incur any debt on behalf of the city.
- All powers and duties prescribed and delegated herein are delegated to the board, as a unit, and all action hereunder shall be of the board acting as a whole. No action of an individual board member is authorized, except through the approval of the board or city council. The board shall have any other power and / or duty as prescribed and authorized by the city council.
- The board's authority shall not extend to the direction, supervision, employment or termination of the city employees. No supervisory power of the board is created.