The Baylor University revised “Animals on Campus Policy” inhibits the feeding of any cats on campus property. Baylor originally issued the “Animals on Campus Policy” in December of 2009, and it was last revised in June of 2023, with the content reportedly being pushed and publicized to students, faculty, and staff in May of 2025. The purpose of this policy is to address the health and safety concerns that animals pose to the campus community, with things such as allergies, disruptions, injuries, disease transmission, and damage to property. Makes sense.
Most of the policy addresses things like service animals in campus classrooms, pets in dormitories, and information about the possible wild animals on campus. However, on page six of the Baylor policy, it states, “For safety, feral cats or loose dogs without owners should be treated with the same caution as a wild animal.” This policy fails to mention pre-existing community cat colonies on campus by not assigning them definitions nor establishing their protections for their current daily habits. If these habits and protections are still in place, Baylor has simply failed to mention it.
I read through the City of Waco’s Municipal Codes, specifically Chapter 5 on ANIMALS, and they define a community cat as any free-roaming cat, regardless of socialization or sociability, cared for by one or more known or unknown residents of the immediate area. Baylor cannot morally, ethically, or legally ask people to stop caring for community cats, when they are recognized as legal entities within city municipalities.
From Chapter 5, Section 129, the City of Waco defines negligent care as failing, refusing, or neglecting to provide any animal in a person’s charge or custody, as owner or otherwise, with proper food, drink, shade, shelter, or veterinary care as may be necessary.
Animal Birth Control of Waco has submitted a proposal to Baylor administration that would allow them to officially manage the campus cat colonies while addressing the university’s concerns about other wildlife. The controversy comes at a particularly sensitive time for the Waco community.
In May, two cats were found shot and hanged from utility lines near the Baylor campus, sparking widespread outrage. Not to mention, Chase the Blue Heeler puppy was just saved from an abusive owner in Lacy Lakeview and is now living with Officer Nathan Rodriguez, who says he “seems very happy in his new home.”
On Friday, a volunteer with Animal Birth Control of Waco arrived to feed cats at one of several colonies she regularly visits on campus. The volunteer was met with a pest control worker, who allegedly told her Baylor University had hired his company to trap and relocate all the feral cats on campus. Carrie Spivey, executive director of Animal Birth Control of Waco, says the cats in question aren’t just strays — they’re part of a managed colony program. Spivey says that relocating these cats would be both illegal and inhumane under Texas law. The cats have become an integral part of campus life, with students regularly interacting with them, taking photos, and giving them names.
While the cats are still alive and well, how long will Baylor be keeping them around? Feeding stray animals is not a crime. College aged students should know to not interact with dangerous, wild animals. Finally, I’d rather care for helpless, innocent creatures than worry about infrastructure with a budget for cleaning.
Elizabeth Riley hails from Tennessee and is a graduate of English Literature and Professional Writing & Rhetoric from Baylor University. With passions in archival preservation, communal connection, and women in sports, she writes because it matters, with hopes of bridging villages and fostering revelry amongst them.
FAMILY ABUSE CENTER TO BUILD PET SHELTER
FOR SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Family Abuse Center is aiming to raise $20,000 by August 1 to build a pet shelter on their property so no domestic violence survivor who seeks their services has to leave a furry friend behind.
As many as 48% of domestic violence survivors delay leaving an abuser out of concern for their pets, but when emergency shelters like theirs can welcome animals, that barrier to safety is eliminated. At this time, though, only 17% of domestic violence shelters accept pets.1 They’re ready to be one of them.
The Human-Animal Bond
There’s no denying that the human-animal bond is special, but most importantly for their clients, animals can play a critical role in healing. According to Johns Hopkins, “Research has shown that simply petting a dog lowers the stress hormone cortisol, while the social interaction between people and their dogs actually increases levels of the feel-good hormone oxytocin.”2
When the Urban Resource Institute asked survivors about the role pets played in their healing, “91% indicated that their pets’ emotional support and physical protection are significant in their ability to survive and heal.”3 Having an animal nearby helps clients talk through tough conversations, teaches trust and empathy, encourages a sense of responsibility and provides a feeling of security.
Keeping Pets Safe
Finally, welcoming pets to the shelter protects them from the unsafe person. What is often referred to as the Link tells us that there is a significant connection between human and animal violence. Especially in a domestic violence situation, abusers might target pets to maintain terror and fright, eliminate a source of support, force the family to return home or gain more power and control. Simply put, ensuring pets have a refuge keeps survivors and animals alive.
The Family Abuse Center Mission
For these reasons, building a pet shelter is an important step in their mission to eliminate domestic violence in Central Texas by sheltering victims of domestic violence and by preventing abuse from occurring through intervention and education. If you’d like to be a part of giving survivors and their pets a safe place to heal together, donations can be made by visiting FamilyAbuseCenter.org/Donate.
If you or someone you know is at risk, please call Family Abuse Center’s 24-hour hotline at 1-800-283-8401.
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By Paula Rivadeneira
Mike Gray, canine behavior and enrichment specialist with the Humane Society of Central Texas, has a big job on his hands making sure every shelter dog gets the exercise and enrichment they need each day. He depends on volunteers who come to the shelter to help run dogs to their daily playgroup activities every morning.
While dogs love playgroup and have shown huge improvements in their behavior and adaptability with regular participation, one-on-one interaction with humans in normal everyday activities is also critical in managing kennel-related stress and anxiety. Studies have shown that when a dog goes on a day trip from a shelter, their stress levels decrease and they sleep better. That’s why HSCTX promotes Doggy Daycations in which volunteers can pick up a shelter dog, take them out on the town, enjoy some snacks, have a walk in the park, or even cuddle at home on the couch. At the end of the day, the dog comes back to the shelter more relaxed.
With so many dogs needing high levels of exercise and enjoying Doggy Daycations, Mike came up with the idea of Alpha Dog Academy. The goal is for people who walk, run, or hike to pick up a shelter dog on their way to their activity, and HSCTX will track their miles for a friendly competition between gyms.
There are four local gyms as well as a local running company, with members now signed up to participate — JR Crossfit, Train Waco, Anytime Fitness, 15:10 Crossfit, and Waco Running Co. Each month the miles will be totaled, and the winning gym will get to hold onto a huge trophy that was generously donated by Warren’s Engraving. Each month, the winning gym’s name will be engraved on the trophy.
Participants will undergo a short training about expectations and dog handling before their first session, and a Pet Matchmaker will pair them with the dog that matches their energy level and goals. Dogs can be picked up 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and they will be returned to the shelter by 5 p.m. This gives dogs an excellent opportunity to get out their energy, socialize, and be exposed to potential adopters while serving as an exercise buddy and motivator to the volunteers.
Plus, there are added benefits to exercising with a dog, including the increased safety it provides and the good feelings that come from working out for a cause.
Sign up for Alpha Dog Academy here. If you are not affiliated with a gym, don’t worry! Individual participants are welcome to join, too.
The Humane Society of Central Texas, 2032 Circle Road, is open 1-6 p.m. Monday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. The last meet-and-greet is 45 minutes before closing. Staff must accompany guests through the kennels, and COVID precautions are observed. Bring your own dogs and everyone who lives in your household to the meet and greet so your family can be matched with the perfect pet.
The Humane Society of Central Texas advocates for the animals at the City of Waco Animal Shelter; provides adoption, rescue and foster opportunities; and offers community education regarding responsible pet ownership. The partnership between HSCTX and the City of Waco Animal Services, along with the support of the community, has resulted in a current average live-exit rate above 90%, giving the Waco Animal Shelter No-Kill status.
Paula Rivadeneira, Ph.D., is executive director of the Humane Society of Central Texas.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email Ferrell Foster at [email protected].
By Paula Rivadeneira
Since May 2020, every healthy or treatable animal that left Waco Animal Shelter is living their best life in a forever home, with their original owner or with a trusted nonprofit rescue partner. The Humane Society of Central Texas can offer these positive outcomes because of a program that aims to keep healthy stray animals out of the shelter so staff can focus their efforts on the animals who need the most help.
Through the Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender (PASS) program, Good Samaritans who find stray animals are discouraged from bringing the animals to the shelter, but instead are provided with resources and a series of steps to try to get that animal safely back home. By following the steps, the animal never enters the shelter, which means the finder does not pay a surrender fee, the owner does not pay a reclaim fee, and the animal is not subjected to shelter life, which can cause fear, anxiety, stress, and frustration, often having lasting effects.
Plus, if the shelter is full and more stray animals are coming in, the shelter may have to euthanize animals to make space. They have not done this in well over a year, and they have no plans on ever having to do that again, as long as the community embraces PASS and is willing to play their part and hold onto healthy stray animals until the owner is found.
The steps to locating an owner are easy:
- Snap a photo of the animal, note the nearest cross streets, and post it on the “Central Texas Lost and Found Pets” Facebook page where over 53,000 people will help you locate the owners.
- Knock on doors in the neighborhood and ask delivery drivers if they recognize the animal.
- If you can’t find the owner in the neighborhood, bring the animal to a veterinarian’s office, animal shelter, animal rescue, or Waco fire house where they can scan for a microchip.
- If there is a microchip, look it up on petmicrochiplookup.org and contact the owner. If there is no microchip or the owner cannot be located, file a Found Pet Report by calling the Humane Society at 254-754-145.4 (the report will soon be available online, too.)
- Finally, call Waco Animal Shelter’s Intake Department at 254-750-7090 and tell them you found a pet and you would like to surrender it if you cannot locate the owner. They will give you an appointment in three business days to surrender the animal to the shelter. The Humane Society can provide you with food, bed, blankets, and other supplies to help you hold onto the animal for those three days. If there’s absolutely no way for you or someone you know to hold onto the animal, the shelter will take in the animal for a $50 surrender fee. But, if you can hold the animal for at least three days and you can show that you followed all the steps to find the owner, the surrender fee will be waived.
In bigger cities, like El Paso, this program has resulted in over 30% of stray animals going home in less than 48 hours. Here in Waco, our return-to-home rate should be even higher.
We have all spent our lives thinking that the best thing to do when you find a stray animal is to bring it to the animal shelter, but that was when animals were euthanized every day for space, including here in Waco.
Do the math: The shelter can hold 115 medium and large dogs, and they intake 5-25 new dogs every day. That means that even if the shelter were empty right now, it could fill up in one week.
The answer to shelter crowding should not be euthanizing animals. The answer is decreasing intake numbers by engaging the community to help stray animals get home and avoid the shelter altogether.
Waco loves animals, so the Humane Society is confident the community will support it in making the PASS program a success. The shelter is not a catch-all for stray and unwanted animals; it is a last resort for animals that need to be there. Healthy stray animals need to stay in the community where their owners are more likely to find them, finders and owners can avoid shelter fees, and the animals will be returned home quicker than if they went to the shelter.
If you would like to help with the PASS program by doing community outreach, securing fosters; being a foster to help with stray animals; assisting with microchipping clinics; or developing marketing materials, the Humane Society would love your help, so please contact them at 254-754-1454.
The Humane Society is at 2032 Circle Road and is open Mon 1-6pm, Tues-Fri 11am-6pm, and Sat 10am-5pm. The last meet and greet is 45 minutes before closing. Staff must accompany guests through the kennels, and COVID precautions are observed. Bring your own dogs and everyone who lives in your household to the meet and greet so your family can be matched with the perfect pet!
The Humane Society of Central Texas is an advocate for the animals at the City of Waco Animal Shelter. The Humane Society provides adoption, rescue, and foster opportunities, as well as community education regarding responsible pet ownership. The partnership between HSCTX and the City of Waco Animal Services, along with the support of the community, has resulted in a current average live-exit rate above 90%, giving the Waco Animal Shelter No-Kill status! Our goal is to save each and every healthy and treatable animal that comes into the shelter because we believe Every Waco Animal Deserves A Chance!
By Paula Rivadeneira is executive director of the Humane Society of Central Texas. She may be reached at 254-754-1454 or [email protected].
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email Ferrell Foster at [email protected].
By Paula Rivadeneira
Five Waco businesses are sponsoring every dog adoption at the Waco Animal Shelter until 1 p.m. Sunday, which means adoptions will be free until that deadline. Greg May Honda, Greg May Hyundai, Pretty In Pink Flamingo Boutique, Z’s at the Curry, and Z’s Brew at the Curry are sponsoring the effort.
The Humane Society of Central Texas is trying to find homes for 60 dogs by 1 p.m. Sunday to free up space at the Waco Animal Shelter where 115 new animals have come in since May 1.
The shelter is full of big dogs, small dogs, old dogs, puppies … you name it! Most of the dogs participate in daily play groups so staff know they are dog friendly, and even those that may be particular about other animals are still family friendly. The large kennels are nearly full so the staff is trying especially to place dogs over 25 pounds in new homes.
The adoption process is simple. Bring in everyone from your household, including your kids and dogs, for a meet and greet, and a Pet Matchmaker will walk you through the kennels and match you and your family with a shelter dog who is just right for you.
If you are not ready to adopt, consider fostering. When you foster an animal, you provide the home and the love while HSCTX continues to provide veterinary care. While the dog is in your home, you learn everything you can about the pet, and help staff to find the dog a forever home. Even if you can only foster for a week or two, that’s enough time to help an animal decompress from shelter life, which gives them a better chance at finding a forever home when they come back to the shelter. And if you are worried about falling in love and adopting your foster pet, don’t worry, staff call that a Foster Win.
HSCTX is open Mon 1-6pm, Tues-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm. This Sunday only, HSCTX will be open 10am-1pm. Meet and greets end 45 minutes before close, but staff are committed to getting homes for all the animals so if they are busy, they will stay open!!!
The Humane Society of Central Texas is at 2032 Circle Road, Waco. Staff must accompany guests through the kennels, and COVID precautions are observed. Bring your own dogs and everyone who lives in your household to the meet and greet so your family can be matched with the perfect pet.
The Humane Society of Central Texas is an advocate for the animals at the City of Waco Animal Shelter. The Humane Society provides adoption, rescue, and foster opportunities, as well as community education regarding responsible pet ownership. The partnership between HSCTX and the City of Waco Animal Services, along with the support of the community, has resulted in a current average live-exit rate above 90%, giving the Waco Animal Shelter No-Kill status! Our goal is to save each and every healthy and treatable animal that comes into the shelter because we believe Every Waco Animal Deserves A Chance!
By Paula Rivadeneira is executive director of the Humane Society of Central Texas. She may be reached at 254-754-1454 or [email protected].
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email Ferrell Foster at [email protected].