As the Montgomery County Animal Control Authority attempts to deal with an increase in stray animal sightings in The Woodlands area and the county as a whole, local shelters are struggling to accommodate all the animals they take in. The capacity for pets at the Montgomery County Animal Shelter—a group dedicated to finding homes for abandoned animals—is around 285 for cats and 435 for dogs. However, it is not uncommon for the organization to exceed those levels. A significant portion of those animals—roughly one-third of intakes in 2014—are euthanized, with reasons ranging from illness to lack of space, said Minda Harris, director of the Montgomery County Animal Shelter. MCAS sees roughly 24,000 dogs and cats come in yearly. The number of pets taken in varies from one day to the next, but typically averages more than 50 and it is not uncommon to be higher than 100. Total numbers fluctuated throughout 2014, but the shelter's 123 cats and 388 dogs as of Jan. 26 are still up from the 95 cats and 330 dogs the shelter housed at this time last year. Housing numbers peaked in 2014 in August, when cats were 60 above capacity and dogs were 36 above capacity. Statistics from Montgomery County Animal Control show complaints have nearly doubled since 2010, from around 13,000 per year to 24,500 per year. The authority is responsible for the enforcement of rabies control, animal restraint and handling wild and dangerous animals, as well as animal cruelty investigations. Officials have reported an increase in wild dog sightings particularly around residential areas in The Woodlands and urge residents not to leave food out for them. Once captured by Animal Control, dogs tend to lose the pack mentality and become adoptable pets, Harris said. MCAS statistics show about two-thirds of pets that come to the organization are strays. Pets brought in by owners who do not want them or can no longer care for them make up another 27 percent. The reasons for the increase in stray animals are varied, said Laura McConnell, director at the Lone Star Animal Welfare League in Montgomery County. "The primary reason is because we have far too many people who are not responsible pet owners and refuse to have [pets spayed and neutered]," she said. "The poor pets that end up with such owners then continue to breed, and multiple litters of puppies either end up being dumped in our shelters or dumped in our streets." McConnell said addressing the problem ultimately falls to officials with the county. She suggested offering incentives to have pets fixed or implementing pet licensing for pet owners with fees assessed to owners of unlicensed pets. She said responsible owners who cannot afford the surgery can find help at nonprofits such as LSAWL. "We need to pursue a full-scale effort to decrease the numbers of dogs and cats ending up languishing in our shelters or dying in the street," she said. "They are man's best friends. They deserve much better than that." For more information on how to donate, adopt, volunteer or become a foster parent, visit the Montgomery County Animal Shelter website at www.mcaspets.org or the Lone Star Animal Welfare League at www.lsawl.org.