SANGER — Of all Denton County cities operating an animal shelter north of Lewisville Lake, Sanger is the only one operating without the oversight of an advisory committee, a violation of state health laws.

Denton, Hickory Creek, Lake Dallas and Pilot Point all have advisory committees overseeing their shelter operations. Both Krum and Corinth take animals to the Denton shelter. Other area cities contract privately for animal control.

Once a county reaches a population of 75,000, municipal shelters must have the oversight of an advisory committee. The law applies to privately run shelters, too, according to Chris Van Deusen, spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services.

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Construction continues on a new animal shelter for the town of Hickory Creek that will include kennels, several cat rooms, a quarantine area and a large, fenced-in outdoor area for dogs.

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“The law defines it pretty broadly,” Van Deusen said. “Any shelter that keeps or impounds animals should have a [advisory] board.”

The Texas Health and Safety Code requires city councils to appoint an advisory committee with at least one veterinarian, one city official, one representative from an animal welfare organization, and the animal control officer or other person involved with the daily operation of the shelter. The law also requires the body to meet at least three times a year.

The deficiency came to light two weeks ago when Sam and Kelli Alexander learned that Kenzy, their golden retriever, was euthanized at the Sanger shelter. The couple, who live just outside the city limits, were in South America on vacation when someone picked up their dog, eventually taking her to the city shelter.

Kenzy was still alive when the couple returned, but through a series of miscommunications, the couple’s attempts to reclaim their dog never reached the right people.

Sanger officials are expected to take up the topic at their regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 502 Elm St.

In addition to a flood of sympathetic phone calls, the Alexanders have received an occasional admonishment from those who believed they bore the most responsibility, Sam Alexander said.

“That’s hard to take when you’ve lost your dog,” Alexander said. “Of course, we blame ourselves and wonder what we could have done differently.”

However, the couple has been asking a lot of questions of both state and local officials, too, and plan to make a full presentation of their findings to the council.

“They’ve said they’ll give us 15 minutes,” Alexander said. “Kelli is the detail person; I’ll probably just let her do the talking. But I might take my three minutes at the end.”

In Lake Dallas, Police Chief Nick Ristagno confirmed that city leaders appointed a board after the city built its new animal shelter in 2008.

Pilot Point’s animal control officer, Lisa Rose, said the city has filled its advisory committee with the people needed to comply with state law, but the city’s ordinance provides for more spots for residents to get involved. The city still has openings on the board for residents, she said.

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Construction of the kennel area at Hickory Creek’s new animal shelter is shown Tuesday. Just beyond the door will be a large, fenced-in outdoor area for dogs.

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Hickory Creek resident Cheryl Roemmele saw similar circumstances there, five years ago. The town had a small shelter with five dog runs and eight cat cages. At the time, Hickory Creek, too, had no advisory committee, in violation of state law.

A group of concerned residents went before the Town Council and proposed the fix. They were primarily concerned that no one was checking the shelter on the weekend.

“We just got together and said it’s time to do something,” Roemmele said.

Since then, the board has been active, not only with policy-making, but also in garnering resources. The group’s fundraising supports both a city fund for the shelter and a nonprofit fund it uses in times of need.

The policy-making has helped increase the adoption rate and turned their small shelter into a “low-kill” shelter with a high placement rate, both through adoption and with rescue groups, according to fellow board member Marilyn Wagner.

“In the past three years, we have not euthanized unless they are too sick, or too dangerous, or too injured,” Wagner said.

Both Wagner and Roemmele attributed some of the group’s success to its ability to raise funds and garner other resources for the shelter. For example, one dog came to the shelter with a badly injured hind leg. At another shelter, the dog likely would have been euthanized, but Hickory Creek’s animal welfare board paid for the leg to be amputated and fostered the dog during recovery. It was eventually adopted.

While Sanger officials decide their next steps, the veterinarian who euthanized Kenzy doesn’t want to wait for a new animal control board to change his procedures.

Veterinarian Lynn Stucky has a contract with Sanger to euthanize its impounded animals, but he says he can make some changes on his own to prevent unnecessary euthanasia.

Flyers for lost dogs and cats brought into his office will be dated and he will be bringing copies of those flyers with him to the shelter. He also will ask the city staff to tell him how long the animal has been in the shelter and what is known about its ownership. If there is a tag, he will make a phone call.

In many situations, it seems prudent to wait and give the animal another week, Stucky said.

“We’ll try to make contact one more time,” Stucky said.

PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881. Her e-mail address is pheinkel-wolfe@dentonrc.com.