How many stray dogs are on Valley streets?

If you live in the Valley, you've seen them: dogs trotting along the road shoulder, sleeping under parked trucks, waiting outside the corner store. It's not your imagination. There are a lot of them.

The estimate

A local rescue estimates 750,000 to 1 million stray animals across the Rio Grande Valley, second only to Houston in Texas. The Valley has more than 860 colonias, and each one may have 60 to 100 stray dogs.

When it gets out of hand

In March 2024, 93 dogs and a cat were rescued from a single McAllen home. Three more hoarding cases followed across the Valley within months.

Why fosters matter

Shelters can't hold them all. Neighbors who foster are the safety net. They take a dog off the street, get them to the vet, and keep them safe until they find a home.

That costs money: vet visits, vaccines, flea meds, food, and supplies. Often, fosters pay for it out of their own pocket.

Can't foster? You can still help.

That's why we're building Howlback, an app where neighbors follow foster dogs and chip in toward their vet bills, food, and supplies. Only verified business receipts get paid back, so you know your help goes to the dog.

See a preview of the app, or sign up below to hear when it launches.