About Us

The History of The Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area

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About Us

Our Background

Our Mission

The Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area strives to promote the humane treatment of animals and to foster respect, understanding, and compassion for all creatures.

About Our Contracts

While we are not funded by the city, the county, or any national humane organizations, the Humane Society of New Braunfels, a 501c3 non-profit, contracts with the City of New Braunfels and Comal County to house stray animals brought in by their Animal Control Divisions. We also accept stray pets brought in by citizens and if space allows, pets whose owners can no longer care for them.

A small portion of our operating budget comes from the city and country contracts. We care for over 4,000 animals a year, with around 230 cats and 90 dogs between our shelter and foster homes at any given time. The revenue we collect from our contracts covers approximately three days of care per animal and their intake vaccinations. If the animal stays longer, or needs any veterinary care, we rely on donations and adoption fees to cover those costs.

Reuniting Furry Ones with Their Loved Ones

Reuniting lost pets with their owners is a particular passion of our staff. All animals are scanned for microchips multiple times and we leverage social media to reach a wide audience when we have animals in our care that seem likely to have someone looking for them. Our “return to owner” rates are much higher than the national average because of a creative, intuitive and determined staff! When we have exhausted those efforts, finding an appropriate new home for the pets in our care is our second great opportunity. Each pet is marketed individually to highlight its unique features and hopefully attract a loving new adoptive home.

HSNBA ensures animals leaving our care have the best chance at being successful. Dogs and cats adopted through HSNBA are:

Spayed or Neutered
Microchipped
Fully Vaccinated
Treated for internal parasites
Treated to external parasites

Ill or Injured Pets

If a pet comes in ill or injured, or becomes ill while in our care, we have visiting volunteer vets who exam and treat them in the shelter. If the illness or injury is more than can be handled with the limited diagnostics available at the shelter, we send the animal to a local full service veterinary clinic for treatment. While much of our food is donated, and local vet clinics offer the shelter generous discounts, caring for 4,000 homeless animals requires financial resources. We rely heavily on donations, fundraisers, volunteers, foster homes, and adoption fees.

HSNBA History

The Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area (HSNBA) became a 501c3 organization in 1975 and incorporated in 1979. HSNBA has operated an animal shelter for 43 years. In those 43 years, there have been five executive directors. The first New Braunfels Humane Society animal shelter was located at 1920 Kuehler Avenue and opened in 1980. The land on which the Kuehler shelter was built was leased to the Humane Society by New Braunfels Utilities (NBU). The 5,000-square-foot shelter was originally built with one dog run, and eventually, 36 dog runs and 34 cat kennels were added. Over time, the shelter became too small to serve the growing community, and HSNBA also had to relocate because NBU was expanding its wastewater treatment plant at that site.

In February 2013, the current 11,000-square-foot shelter built on Morningside Drive officially opened. The shelter resides on 16 acres of land owned by the Humane Society. In 2016, we added an onsite Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) spay/neuter clinic for feral cats in a large metal storage container that was converted into a holding area and a surgery area. In 2022, we added an onsite spay/neuter clinic for HSNBA shelter dogs and cats in a portable classroom that was converted into a surgery room and a recovery room. We still have lots of room to grow!

Reuniting lost pets with their owners is a particular passion of our staff. All animals are scanned for microchips multiple times and we leverage social media to reach a wide audience when we have animals in our care that seem likely to have someone looking for them.

While much of our food is donated, and local vet clinics offer the shelter generous discounts, caring for 4,000 homeless animals requires financial resources. We rely heavily on donations, fundraisers, volunteers, foster homes, and adoption fees.

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