Shelter Suspends Adoptions

TEXAS CITY — An outbreak of an unknown illness at the county’s animal shelter in Texas City has prompted officials to euthanize 16 dogs and temporarily suspend all canine adoptions.

A La Marque man said his $1,500 pit bull mix breed died Monday at the shelter. He accused the shelter of poisoning the dog named Capone, because it attacked and killed a neighbor’s dog in February. The shelter denies the poisoning allegation.

Kurt Koopmann, a spokesman for the Galveston County Health District, said Thursday the illness outbreak could be distemper.

“We have implemented controls to lessen the chance of the spread of disease.” Koopmann said. “We don’t want to adopt animals that may be ill.”

Adoptions have been stopped for 10 days, Koopmann said, until laboratory results pinpoint the animals’ affliction.

“The dogs are examined four times a day,” Koopmann said.

“And if any symptoms are present, then they are euthanized.”

The shelter continues to take in stray dogs, but they are separated from those in quarantine, he said.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, distemper is a highly contagious and serious disease caused by a virus that attacks dogs’ respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems.

The disease is transmitted through respiratory secretions of an infected dog but is no threat to people. “The standard is 10 days with no new dogs becoming infected,” Koopmann said.

“If there are no new illnesses present, the shelter may reopen April 5.”

Koopmann said the last shelter outbreak stopped adoptions two weeks before Christmas.

The La Marque man’s dog that died was declared vicious after it and another puppy attacked two dogs in February, killing one of them, Koopmann said.

L.C. Winston said his 93-pound pit bull mix named Capone died at the shelter Monday evening.

He said an employee there told him Capone was in good health before close of business Monday afternoon.

Capone and another pit bull mix puppy named Cleopatra were removed from his yard by animal-control officers after they were declared vicious because Winston failed to abide by the requirements of the vicious dog statute, Koopmann said.

Koopmann said he didn’t know what statutes were violated.

Winston accused the health district of illegally obtaining his dogs by kicking down 12 feet of his fence.

He said he was at work at the time of their removal. He also accused the shelter of poisoning his dog.

“It’s hard to kill a perfectly health 93-pound dog overnight,” Winston said. “They say it was distemper, but he’s had his shots.

Koopmann said Winston’s puppy was sent to the veterinarian for treatment, and that a necropsy would determine what killed Capone.