In 2004, Friends of Gonzales Animal Shelter (FOGAS) incorporated as a non-profit, charitable organization with two primary goals.  To promote the spaying and neutering of pets in Gonzales County, and to promote adoption of animals from the Gonzales Animal Shelters.

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In 2004, the Cat Adoption Center was opened. It houses the cats and kittens and is located in central Gonzales. 

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As of January 1, 2024, the Cat Shelter in Gonzales is now being operated by Kingdom Rescue, dba Gonzales Pet Adoption Center. 

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FOGAS remains an active non profit  - with fostering, promoting spay/neuter and TNR, providing a pet food pantry to those in need, and seeking grants to continue helping pets in the community.

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~  Update - October 2023  ~  

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For the past 18 years FOGAS has operated the City of Gonzales’ cat shelter and together we’ve made an amazing journey.  From the day we moved in we’ve made the cat shelter a “no kill” facility.  Not one cat was killed to make space for a new intake!  This was achieved largely through grants providing just over $500,000* in new funds from outside our community,  These funds were mainly for spay/neuter of dogs and cats owned by county residents and trap/neuter/return to field for community owned cats.   And we’ve been pleased and grateful for the way that each member of our team….the City, Guadalupe Valley Veterinary Clinic and FOGAS interacted with the others.  It was smooth and very, very effective.  But it’s time for a change.

 

FOGAS’ shelter management contract with the City of Gonzales expires October 1, 2023.  The FOGAS Board has decided to decline signing for another year. 

 

So why aren’t we continuing?  Primarily it’s the fact that our 3 most active FOGAS volunteers have an average age of 80 and also individual health challenges.  It’s time.  We, like 70% of animal rescue groups, will not be operating a shelter.  We’ll revert to being a foster care network and seek out additional spay/neuter grants as we always have.  

 

Net/net:  The City’s shelter will still be here and FOGAS will still be here.  We just won’t be managing the shelter.  If your group is interested in this shelter opportunity, please call Chief Autry or Lieutenant West at 830-672-8686. 

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(*This figure represents 18 years total awarded grants. These grants are competitive and used many administrative hours to meet requirements. These monies were designated only for spaying and neutering community owned cats and dogs. All private donations raised by FOGAS are used to fund internal shelter expenses for day-to-day operations such as: food, supplies and medicine.) 

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Highlights of our accomplishments since forming in 2004.

 

Over 2800 pets of low income owners spay/neutered at no cost to the owners, the city or the county.

  -  Over 2750 shelter orphans spay/neutered so they could be adopted out.
  -  Over 4300 shelter dogs and cats re-homed through our own adoption efforts and those of our adoption partners.
  -  Equine efforts begun in 2008 have rescued and saved 21 horses. 

   - Managed the City dog and cat shelters for the last 3 years and  HELPED TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITY NO-KILL !!!

It's achieving this "no-kill" status that has made all of our hard, often dirty, work worthwhile. Communities of all sizes are striving to get there, and we ARE there. It means that healthy, adoptable pets who happen to be homeless will be safely sheltered until they are re-homed.

We achieved "no-kill" status by using two primary tools. First we have provided free spay/neuter services for the pets of qualifying owners for seven straight years. This was done by winning grants and executing them through local veterinary clinics. Over the 7 years this has brought $270,000 into our local economy as well as lowered our shelter intake.
The second major effort was to increase our shelter adoptions from fewer than 100 per year in 2004 to just over 600 in 2010. This was done through our direct efforts and those of our rescue group teammates. 

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In 2022 we were able to rescue over 500 homeless cats from the streets of Gonzales. We did this through fostering, adoption, TNVR, rehoming and our Barn Tiger program due to  the dedicated hard work of four volunteers!  We are most proud that we maintained our “no kill” status during these years.  

 

In 2022 we also applied for and won a grant that awarded our community with enough funds to pay for the spaying and neutering of 135 cats and 90 dogs!  These are animals living within  and owned by the community.  Perhaps you were one of many owners who benefitted from this grant. We have been able to get these grants for 13 of  these years

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FOGAS thanks you for your years of donations and support. 

 

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