Frisco Proposes A Temporary Holding Animal Facility
Frisco Residents & Pets Deserve Better
The City of Frisco has proposed building a “temporary animal holding facility.” Councilwoman Laura Rummel recently shared a video on Facebook outlining its supposed benefits:
1. Reducing the population at Collin County Animal Services (CCAS)
2. Creating convenience for residents
3. Improving animal welfare
4. Public education
But when you peel back the talking points, the proposal raises more questions than answers.
Peeling Back The Facts:
Claim #1: Help Reduce The Population at Collin County Animal Services
In the video Councilwoman Laura Rummel claims the best way to reduce the population is to make sure we "AVOID ANIMALS EVER GOING THERE AT ALL."
Rummel continues, "The Frisco Animal Facility would be a temporary holding area for owners to be able to reclaim their lost pets.
Rummel continues, "If we can help improve animal reunification numbers as well as host adoption events here to help animals find a home, we can help reduce the strain on the Collin County Animal Shelter."
RESIDENTS NEED TO ASK:
1. What data does the city have to show a temporary holding facility will reduce the population or stress on CCAS?
2. What happens to the animals AFTER the HOLD PERIOD?
3. Will the animals be TRANSFERED TO CCAS?
If yes, does it reset the "hold period" at CCAS? Will CCAS count the hold period from Frisco's facility making the animal eligible for immediate euthanasia or adoption?
4. What other city in the U.S. did they model this concept / idea from?
5. What data was the city able to provide for this proof of concept?
6. Did the council visit another city to see this concept first hand like they have done for so many other projects before them?
REALITY CHECK: What will reduce the population at CCAS?
Studies have proven there is Front End Prevention to keep pets out of the shelter. That prevention includes:
1. Spay/Neuter Access: Low Cost Clinics
2. Pet Retention Programs: Food pantries, low cost medical and microchip clinics, and temporary boarding for crisis situations.
3. Lost & Found Made Easy - Microchipping: Community Ordinance requiring all pets be registered and microchipped.
Inside The Shelter Prevention:
1. Managed Intake: Appointments for surrenders
2. Foster Network Expansion: Grow your in-home foster network.
3. Adoption Events & Specials: Partner with local businesses to host adoption events
4. Grow The Rescue & Transports Programs: Work with rescue groups and transport groups to help shift animals to shelters with a higher adoption demand.
Claim #2: Convenience For Residents
In the video, Councilwoman Laura Rummel claims that the city has a “highly successful track record with reuniting animals with their owners.” Yet:
Councilwoman Laura Rummel states this would offer a more efficient option for Animal Services, Residents and would be less stressful on the pets.
RESIDENTS NEED TO ASK:
Track Records:
1. What data can the city provide to support their claim when it comes to reunification numbers?
2. What is the city's definition of "highly successful" when it comes to a track record?
More Efficient Option:
3. What data can the city provide to show this would be less stressful on the pets?
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Animals will endure two stressful transfers: First to Frisco’s holding kennels for an undetermined time. If not reclaimed then the animal would be transferred AGAIN to CCAS.
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On a pet that is scared and timid how does transferring them twice help and what data does the city have to show this is more efficient or humane?
4. What data does the city have that this is more efficient?
5. What model or program is that data based off?
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Is there any other city in the U.S. that currently operates a "Temporary Holding Facility?"
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What data supports that this method would be successful, safe, convenient and healthy for the pets.
REALITY CHECK:
More Convenient?
Would this be more convenient for residents? Yes, but only for Residents who lost a pet.
What if a resident needed to surrender their pet, would this facility help and be more convenient for them? No! The facility will not take surrenders (only lost pets) so they they will have to go to CCAS to surrender. Having a holding facility will create chaos and confusion for residents.
Is this more convenient for pets? No!
This holding facility would only be for lost pets. Lost pets not reclaimed would have to be transferred again to CCAS, creating stress in a pet that is already confused and scared.
What would be convenient and efficient for Residents?
Having a full service animal services center that would provide housing, food, medical care, for lost, abandoned, or surrendered animals with a goal to find them new homes. It could be in the same location the city is proposing a temporary holding facility which is local and within city limits. One location, one resource, makes it easier on residents and would benefit the whole community!
Claim #3: Animal Welfare
In the video Councilwoman Laura Rummel states:
A facility in Frisco could have a veterinary component to it, provided by the third-party partner. Allowing Frisco Animal Services staff to have quick access to veterinary services for the animal found in the field.
The facility could also host spay & neuter events.
RESIDENTS NEED TO ASK:
Private Partners:
1. Who is the private partner in discussion with the city?
2. Will residents be able to give feedback on the potential partner?
3. Why has the city not disclosed the potential partners like the have for other city projects such as the recent Performing Arts Center?
4. Has the entire City Council been informed of who the "Third-Party Partner" is and had time to interview them and sit down with them?
5. Will you allow the community to provide input on the "Third-Party Partner" through open forums related to the specific project?
6. Does the "Third-Party Partner" have a Veterinary Degree? Are they familiar with Distemper? Upper Respiratory Infections like Kennel Cough? Parasites such as fleas, intestinal worms? Skin conditions like ringworm?
7. Is the partner familiar with standards for housing and care listed in Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Rabies Control and Eradication (Sec 169.26)?
8. Does the partner have an education and understanding of Zoonotic Diseases?
9. Will the facility allow a volunteer program? If yes, will volunteers be allowed to handle and provide treatment of stray animals during the mandatory hold?
10. Why do you need a veterinary component when you could partner with groups that offer low-cost clinics already like TCAP and The Spay Neuter Network?
REALITY CHECK:
Could have, should have, might have?
The City of Frisco claims that a temporary animal holding facility supports “animal welfare” because it may include limited veterinary services and spay/neuter events. On the surface, that sounds like progress. In reality, it’s not. Here’s why:
1. Veterinary Services Won’t Serve Residents
Notice it says "could have" meaning they have nothing concrete laid out. The proposed veterinary component would exist only for animals picked up by Animal Services—not for Frisco residents and their pets. Animal welfare means helping all animals in the community, not just a select few in custody. Residents struggling with basic vet care, vaccines, or emergencies will see no benefit from this facility.
2. Spay/Neuter Events Don’t Require a Facility
Frisco could be hosting affordable spay/neuter, vaccine, and microchip clinics today without constructing any new building. Organizations like Texans For Them and Spay Neuter Network already provide mobile and pop-up services. The city simply hasn’t prioritized partnering with them.
3. Animal Welfare Requires Shelter, Not Storage: A “holding facility” is warehousing, not welfare.
Animal welfare isn’t just about briefly holding strays before shipping them to another overcrowded county facility. It’s about providing lost, abandoned, and surrendered pets with a temporary, safe place where they can receive care, be reunited with their families, or find new homes through adoption or rescue.
4. Missed Opportunities Right Now
If Frisco leaders were serious about animal welfare, we’d already see quarterly low-cost clinics, microchip drives, and public-facing pet resources. Yes, they have held a few events here and there but they do not have a quarterly published scheduled for these programs that can be implemented today!
Claim #4: Public Education
In the video Councilwoman Laura Rummel states:
The city will use it to increase public education. Rummel continues, "This could be anything from educational programming for both pet owners or perspective pet owners to the importance of microchipping and vaccinations or to training resources or to interacting with wildlife."
RESIDENTS NEED TO ASK:
1. Does the city consider public education more important that an animal being euthanized for space today at CCAS because it is overcrowded?
FYI some of that overcrowding is due to Frisco's intake?
2. Why do we need a temporary holding facility to host educational programs that we could host today (right now) at the mega million dollar library we built with all those community rooms?
The library is the center of town and more convenient for educational programs.
REALITY CHECK:
Key Distinction
Education programming is structured, recurring, accessible to all residents, and paired with resources or services.
What resources or services will the holding facility offer to accompany that educational programming?
👉 Bottom line: Public education programming is an ongoing investment in prevention.
For years, Residents have asked the city to partner with TCAP and/or The Spay Neuter Network to host quarterly low cost clinics. The perfect place would have been in the park in front of city hall.
Five years later the city still does not have a reoccurring quarterly schedule with any solid partner. They throw one off events here and there and say we are doing what we can.
If a city isn’t hosting clinics, running annual education campaigns, partnering with schools, HOA's, and community groups to talk about the benefits of pet ownership and microchipping, it’s not doing animal welfare education—it’s just doing PR.
BIG QUESTIONS
NO ANSWERS
Another Project - So Many Unknowns & Secrets
1. Has a Temporary Holding Facility ever been done before - anywhere in the U.S.? If yes, where? Did the City of Frisco leaders visit that facility? Was it successful and what data were they able to provide?
2. How much will it cost to build and operate this facility? How does that compare to building and operating a full-service animal services center?
3. How many kennels will the new facility have?
4. Who is the Public-Private Partner? What qualifications do they have to run this type of facility? Will the public-private partner be operating their own business out of the same facility? Does the public-private partner have any political connections with the city?
5. What is the reason that it did not work with Mazie's Mission (the previous public-private partner they were in talks with)?
6. Can residents drop off stray's at this facility? Will residents be able to adopt dogs daily from the facility or only when the facility hosts special events?
7. Can residents volunteer here or will the facility have limited access?
8. Why has the City of Frisco not held any town halls, surveys, or listening sessions with residents before pushing forward on this project?
9. Was the new input for this facility put together by the Animal Advisory Board? When is the last time the advisory board every visited a shelter in official board capacity? How many hours do each member of the board serve volunteering with animals at a shelter or rescue? What is the attendance record of the board members (asking to see if they take it seriously)?
10. Why has the city not done a "Feasibility Study" for an Animal Shelter like they have for other projects in the city?
What Do Residents Want?
A REAL SOLUTION FOR FRISCO PET LOVERS!
Innovation
Forward Thinking, Full Service, Animal Services Center
Frisco's Full-Service Animal Facility would:
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Provide housing, food, medical care for lost, abandoned, or surrendered animals, aiming to find them new homes through a creative concept of sheltering.
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Search for True Innovative Animal Shelter Director who thinks beyond warehousing animals.
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Embrace a director who can see The Frisco Animal Center as Community Hub for pet lovers. A place for residents and pets, that is open to doing it differently through the use of volunteers, social media platforms, and foster programs which increase adoptions.
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Frisco Way: The shelter is a lifeline, not the end of the line!
Engagement
Community Focused Hub For Pet Lovers
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Engagement offers a True Community Hub for Volunteering, Adoption, Reunification and Education
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Community engagement through a volunteer program allows residents to interact and care for these animals and offsets the burden of costs and staff duties.
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Engagement enhances the city's image as humane and responsible.
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Engagement with local rescue organizations and other local municipal centers can help reduce the strain on Frisco's Animal Service Center and surrounding centers.
Compassion, Consistency &
Rescue
Saving Lives
Frisco could be compassionate! Their commitment to compassion ensures that every pet receives the necessary medical care and support while awaiting adoption, fostering trust and safety in our community.
Animal Shelters allow residents to have one consistent point of contact for lost pets, cruelty reports, adoptions, and licensing. They ensure compliance with public health standards and animal welfare laws
Working with Rescue Partners gives every pet a chance at a happy and healthy life.
Collaboration
Forward Thinking, Full Service, Animal Services Center
By leveraging innovative programs and state-of-the-art resources, a Frisco Animal Care Center can aim to create lasting impacts on the lives of pets and families in Frisco.
Collaboration comes in volunteer programs, business partnerships for adoption events, partnering with local rescues and wildlife organizations in an effort to enhance outreach while promoting adoption and responsible pet care.
Collaboration is partnering with experts in low-cost clinic care such as Texans For Them (TCAP) and The Spay & Neuter Network.