Fort Worth shuts down animal shelters, euthanizes dogs amid viral canine disease outbreak

Fort Worth Animal Care & Control has temporarily stopped accepting new animals and closed its two shelters to the public in response to a viral outbreak of the highly contagious, incurable disease of canine distemper virus.

As of March 28, animal shelter staff have euthanized 17 of the 18 dogs who tested positive for distemper, said Brenda Matute, communications coordinator for the Code Compliance department, which oversees animal care. She said the 17 dogs were euthanized to mitigate the spread of the virus, but they also had underlying medical conditions or behavioral issues.

She described the euthanizations as heartbreaking but necessary.

“That’s a really tough decision that our vets are having to make — either try to save one animal and risk it spreading to 10 or euthanize that animal humanely to save the other animals in that kennel,” Matute said. “With so many animals in such close quarters, that’s just a really tough decision to make, to place one dog’s life over hundreds of others.”

Between the two shelters, Fort Worth’s total animal population is 1,017 as of March 28. The shelters are able to hold a total of 77 animals in their contagious isolation areas, Matute said.

Staff detected the shelters’ first case of distemper March 22, the city announced in a March 24 news release. At the time, staff decided to shut down the shelter’s north campus at 351 Hillshire Drive in Haslet, where the case was detected.

Matute said the dog that tested positive was a stray the shelter took in earlier this month. The dog was quarantined and treated when it initially started showing signs of illness, but after several days without improvement, staff tested it for distemper.

After testing a larger population of shelter animals and realizing the virus had spread, staff shut down the city’s other shelter, the Chuck & Brenda Silcox Adoption Center at 4900 Martin St. in Fort Worth, on March 27.

What is canine distemper virus?

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

The virus attacks the cells of a dog’s immune system, weakening its immune response and putting it at higher risk of other infections. Symptoms may include discharge from the eyes and nose, fever, coughing, lethargy, reduced appetite, vomiting and diarrhea.

Canine distemper is an airborne virus, and dogs typically become infected through contact with an infected dog’s respiratory secretions, saliva or urine. Once infected, dogs may be contagious for several months.

All dogs are at risk, but puppies younger than four months are particularly vulnerable to the virus. A vaccine is available and typically included in annual combination vaccine packages. More information on canine distemper is available here.

As of March 28, the shelter is still awaiting test results for hundreds of dogs. Matute said the city transported hundreds of tests to a specialized testing center in College Station. Results are expected back the weekend of March 29.

Until more results are confirmed, there’s no telling how long the two shelters will be shut down.

“There’s just so many variables. We have no timeline at this point,” Matute said March 28.

In an effort to contain the outbreak, shelter staff are continuing to vaccinate all animals that enter its facilities, maintaining a “strict” vaccination schedule for vulnerable animals within the facilities, and administering booster vaccines for healthy adult dogs, according to the March 27 news release. All dogs showing symptoms are being isolated and tested for distemper.

The Chuck & Brenda Silcox Animal Care & Adoption Center pictured Oct. 2, 2024. (Cecilia Lenzen | Fort Worth Report)

During the shutdown, the shelters have suspended all new animal intakes and paused all volunteer opportunities, including fostering dogs.

The shelters have also withdrawn from all upcoming dog-centered adoption events, including a mega adoption event hosted by the Humane Society of North Texas in collaboration with more than 25 North Texas shelters. The event in Dallas aims to make more than 1,000 pets available for adoption April 5-6. The city will still supply cats for adoption at the PetSmart adoption centers at Hulen and Alliance.

Fort Worth not alone in navigating full shelters, outbreak

Ed Jamison, CEO of the Carrollton-based nonprofit animal shelter Operation Kindness, said there likely isn’t anything Fort Worth could have done differently to prevent the outbreak. As with many North Texas shelters, Fort Worth’s are full, and the more dogs they take in, the higher the chances are that one of them is carrying a disease.

“They’re very, very full, and it’s just prime for an outbreak,” he said.

The warmer weather and increased chances of rain during the spring also contribute to the likelihood of an outbreak, he added. Under these conditions, other North Texas shelters have recently experienced similar outbreaks.

Irving Animal Services announced March 27 that it has temporarily suspended adoption visits and intakes of all dogs due to an unidentified animal illness. In mid-March, Dallas Animal Services announced that it would limit the number of animals it intakes as a proactive measure against canine infectious respiratory disease.

Operation Kindness is one of Fort Worth’s partners, and its veterinarians treat animals in the city’s shelters daily. Amid the outbreak, the nonprofit is having to limit its contact with Fort Worth shelters to avoid cross contamination, Jamison said.

“We’re trying to give them anything that we can, but … while they’re trying to see the extent of the exposure, that slowed us down,” Jamison said.

Until Fort Worth has a better sense of the size of the outbreak, the best thing staff can do is limit intake.

“This whole ecosystem has to do with capacity,” Jamison said. “Right now is the time, any shelter or rescue in and around Fort Worth that works with the city of Fort Worth, helping to foster with those agencies will ultimately have a very direct effect.”

Volunteers with Fort Worth Animal Care & Control stand with a dog during an animal adoption event March 4, 2025, outside new City Hall. (Cecilia Lenzen | Fort Worth Report)

Once Fort Worth knows how many dogs have been infected, staff should work to clear unexposed healthy dogs into temporary homes with fosters, Jamison said. Keeping dogs clear of risk while managing capacity will be key to controlling the outbreak, he said.

“Fort Worth and all municipal shelters need everybody’s help. These things happen,” Jamison said. “The city will navigate this, hopefully get it over with as (quickly) as possible … this will just be a speed bump, it won’t be a long-term barrier.”

Cassie Davidson, senior director of marketing, communications and public relations for the Humane Society of North Texas, reiterated Jamison’s sentiment in an emailed statement that emphasized her organization’s strict safety protocols during the outbreak. She said the humane society’s staff are following existing safety protocols related to disease prevention and increasing surveillance and testing of dogs showing signs of respiratory illness.

As of March 28, the humane society has not seen an increase in pet surrenders to its shelter but will help with intake to the extent it can to keep the shelter population safe, Davidson said.

How can residents help? Fostering, keeping strays off streets

Like Jamison, Davidson emphasized the importance of fostering.

“During this time, the public can help all shelters in the Dallas/Fort Worth area by volunteering to foster or adopt pets,” Davidson said. “Keeping pets out of a shelter environment is the best outcome for everyone!”

Until Fort Worth shelters resume foster opportunities, Matute said the best thing residents can do to help is temporarily home stray dogs, when possible and if safe. She noted that municipal shelters have an obligation to pick up stray animals, but continuing to bring in strays poses an obvious risk to the shelter’s current population.

The city is asking residents to house strays for a minimum of four days. During that time, they should try to find the dog’s owner. They can also contact Fort Worth Animal Care & Control to schedule an off-site with an animal control officer, who will scan for a microchip, administer vaccines and register the stray. After four days, the shelter will start looking for placement options, such as adoption, fostering or placement with a rescue organization.

Animal control officers will continue responding to emergency calls involving “dangerous or vicious” animals, as well as reports of sick or injured animals. City guidance on reporting stray animals is available here.

Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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Fort Worth shuts down animal shelters, euthanizes dogs amid viral canine disease outbreak

What is canine distemper virus?

Fort Worth not alone in navigating full shelters, outbreak

How can residents help? Fostering, keeping strays off streets

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