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Animal advocates take a win at Sinton City Hall

Residents say the city was charging rescue organizations fees to adopt animals making it harder for them to be saved.

SAN PATRICIO COUNTY, Texas — The City Council held an emergency meeting in Sinton regarding a policy at the city's animal shelter. 

Residents say the city was charging rescue organizations fees to adopt animals making it harder for them to be saved.

At Mondays meeting, city leaders made it that much easier to save animals that need a forever home.

Rescue volunteer Amy Howington said "I'm thrilled that the city was willing to listen to us and work with us with all of the rescues."

Rescues like Throw a Dog a Bone from Austin, TX, have been working with Sinton Animal Care Services for about a year.

Director of Throw a Dog a Bone, Sallie Smith said "We get them vetted, the veterinary care they need, and then we either send them to rescue partners out of state or we adopt them out ourselves." 

Last week they were informed by the city that rescues would be charged a ten dollar fee for each day a dog or cat was at the shelter.

"They are having to pay for the spay and neuter, they are having to pay for vaccinations and all their other costs that they will go out and fundraise for and ask for public donations." "You're talking about potentially thousands of dollars a month for us to continue pulling the amount of dogs we've pulled their before" Smith added.

City Council members say the ordinance to charge everyone for adoptions has been in place for decades.

Mayor of Sinton, Edward Adams said "Things were done differently back in the day and now with a new Council, we're taking more initiative to have those things taking care of and making sure that everyone's being charged the way they should."

A post about the enforcement of the policy quickly spread through social media to rescues in the area and even in Houston.

The city held an emergency meeting to hear them out. And after non-stop pleas for the animals of Sinton, the city agreed.

"Why are we charging these fees?" "Let's let them have the dogs." "I mean a lot of them were rescued, a lot them were sent to Washington to a no kill state, so it's a good thing for everybody" Edwards added.

Non-profit rescues registered with the city will not be charged any fees.

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