ONE MISSION.
The Humane Society of Tom Green County was founded in 1961 to serve the local community and advocate for the humane treatment of companion animals.
In those early years, the organization owned property on Baze Street that was also used by the City of San Angelo for animal control. Although the Humane Society and Animal Control were separate organizations, they shared space and worked alongside one another.
Animal Control focused on public safety. The Humane Society focused on identifying adoptable animals and finding people willing to give them another chance.
Tom Green County
The Humane Society of Tom Green County began advocating for the humane treatment of companion animals throughout San Angelo and Tom Green County.
At the shared Baze Street location, the Humane Society identified dogs suitable for adoption and placed them in foster homes while permanent families were found. It was an early version of the lifesaving work that remains central to PAWS today.
By the late 1990s, the aging Baze Street facility needed significant repairs and was no longer large enough to serve a growing community.
The Humane Society worked with the San Angelo Animal Shelter to prepare grant proposals and organize fundraising efforts for a larger municipal shelter.
Those efforts helped lead to construction of a new facility in 1999, which became the home of City of San Angelo Animal Control.
As the years passed, sharing space with Animal Control contributed to a public misconception that the Humane Society and the municipal shelter were the same organization.
They weren't.
Late in 2009, an anonymous donor generously donated a building at 910 W. 14th Street to the Humane Society of Tom Green County.
The move gave the organization a distinct physical identity and room to grow its advocacy and companion-animal programs independently.
In December 2010, the Humane Society approached Sunset Mall with an idea: create an adoption center where families were already shopping, gathering and spending time.
Sunset Mall embraced the concept and donated more than 1,400 square feet of space. The location was supported by the mall and private donors, and Gail Stefanski generously offered to remodel the space.
Concho Valley PAWS opened the Judith & David Hirschfeld Adoption Center at 3134 N. US Hwy 67, next door to the San Angelo Animal Shelter.
The facility was made possible through the generosity of Judith and David Hirschfeld and gave PAWS a dedicated home for adoption and lifesaving programs.
In October 2024, the Stephens Dog Dorms were completed, creating a welcoming and sanitary environment where dozens of rescued dogs could live while volunteers and prospective adopters visited with them.
The purpose didn't.