Hays County is about to lose its ONLY no-kill animal shelter after 40 years.
We’re calling on the Texas Attorney General to intervene before it’s too late.

🐾 What’s Happening at PAWS Shelter 
In January 2026, PAWS will reach its 40th anniversary… if it survives long enough to celebrate it. PAWS is the only no-kill shelter in Hays County and has been a symbol of compassion — a lifeline for the lost, abandoned, injured, and forgotten animals who had nowhere else to go

Today, this beloved community institution is facing the most dangerous crisis in its history — one created not by lack of love or community support, but by failed governance, collapsing oversight, and decisions made behind closed doors.

In October 2025, the Board abruptly announced plans to shut down the Kyle shelter, liquidate land, and cut long-term staff — without transparency or a plan.
The community was asked to raise emergency funding of $200,000, yet Board updates have been buried in comments and inconsistent.
Leadership has collapsed: caretakers resigned, governance records haven’t been produced, and operations are failing.
We are calling on the Texas Attorney General to step in with independent oversight, leadership transitions, and full transparency.

Please sign to protect the animals, the mission, and 40 years of community trust.

🐾 What’s Happening Right Now 
In mid-October 2025, the PAWS Board announced — with no notice — that the Kyle shelter would close at the end of the month. This is the only no-kill shelter in Hays County.
If it closes, thousands of animals will have nowhere to go. But the crisis is far bigger than one facility. • The Dripping Springs caretaker house and surrounding 5 acres were prepared for sale.
Land donated for animal welfare was suddenly positioned for liquidation without public explanation. • The long-term caretakers — including the surgical technician who lived on-site — have left the organization.
This eliminated the last remaining operational continuity. • City and County officials toured both campuses, appearing to evaluate the properties for potential acquisition.

• The Board asked the community to raise $200,000 to “keep the doors open.”
And the community delivered — families, volunteers, and major corporate donors stepped up within days. But behind that emotional plea was one critical detail: • Buried in the fine print, PAWS stated that donations could be used for general operations, not specifically to save the Kyle campus.

This has created confusion, frustration, and fear that the crisis was being used to generate unrestricted emergency funding without a clear plan.   
🐾 Disjointed Communication, No Transparency 
Despite the community’s extraordinary response, the Board has not provided: A public plan
A financial roadmap
An explanation for the collapse
Any acknowledgment of the governance failures that led here

Instead: • Staff — not Board members — have been used as public messengers for Board decisions they did not make.
• Updates have been buried in Facebook comment threads instead of shared formally.
• A single comment was posted claiming the shelter could “now permanently stay open” — with no explanation of how, why, or whether the underlying issues have been resolved.

This is not transparency - It is fragmented, inconsistent, crisis-driven messaging that avoids accountability, leaves the public more confused than informed, and obscures the true status of the organization. PAWS currently has no Executive Director, and the Board amended its bylaws to prevent Board members from speaking directly with staff. Departments are functioning without leadership. Open records requests have been denied. The shelter is failing not because the community abandoned it — but because leadership did.   
🐾 Why This Matters 
If PAWS collapses: Hays County will lose its only no-kill shelter
Stray and surrendered animals will be transported to neighboring counties where euthanasia is more likely
Families, volunteers, fosters, and adopters will lose their home base
Donor-funded assets — including land — may be sold
40 years of community investment will be at risk
Trust in regional animal welfare will suffer lasting damage
The animals cannot speak for themselves.
So the community must speak for them.   
🐾 A Personal Perspective 
“I served as PAWS Treasurer for years and devoted countless hours to strengthening its financial foundation. I left the organization in February 2023 when governance deteriorated to a point where transparency and internal controls could no longer be maintained. Watching from the outside as the shelter unraveled — and as the community was left in the dark — has been heartbreaking. This is not about blame. It is about accountability, truth, and preserving the mission that PAWS was created to serve.” — Cody Bradstreet, CPA
Former Treasurer, PAWS Board of Directors   
🐾 What We’re Asking For 
The PAWS Transparency & Recovery Coalition has filed a formal complaint with the Texas Attorney General requesting: ✔ Independent oversight of financial and operational activities
✔ Leadership transition and governance reform
✔ Release of bylaws, records, and organizational documents
✔ Restoration of transparency and internal controls
✔ A halt to all closures, asset sales, and land transfers
✔ Protection of all charitable assets and donor intent
We are asking you to support this request by signing this petition. Your signature sends a clear message: The public wants accountability.
The public wants transparency.
And the public will not allow PAWS to disappear.

🐾 Why Your Voice Matters 
PAWS was built by the community — by families who adopted pets here, volunteers who poured their hearts into each shift, staff who gave far more than they ever received, and donors who believed in a mission that always put animals first. PAWS does not belong to secrecy, silence, or mismanagement.
It belongs to the people — and the animals — it was created to serve. We can save this shelter.
We can restore stability, trust, and transparency.
We can protect the next 40 years. But we must act now.

🐾 Please Sign & Share This Petition 
Help us protect: The only no-kill shelter in Hays County
Our community’s animals
Donor-funded land and resources
Staff, volunteers, and the mission they’ve dedicated their lives to
The legacy of 40 years of compassionate service
Sign today. Share widely. Be the voice they can’t be.
Let’s save PAWS — together.