People are breaking into the after-hours pens at Dubbo's animal shelter to remove animals placed inside, Dubbo City Council reports.
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Council environmental control manager Debbie Archer reported a "high level of vandalism" of the pens outside the facility's operating hours.
Ms Archer said it was proving "costly to fix" and called for those doing it "whether they be the owner of the animal or someone else" to stop.
"It's straining our resources and reducing the services we can provide," she said.
"It's only a matter of waiting to the next morning and they can come and claim ownership.
"The pens are basically useless once they've been broken into, if the door has been pulled off or the wire pulled apart."
The manager also reported there were "occasionally" incidents of the pens being used for sick and injured animals being placed in the pens, she said.
"That is an act of cruelty," Ms Archer said.
"People should seek medical attention for any sick or injured animal.
"We do have monitoring at the shelter, but we're more concerned about the animal's welfare.
"I really encourage people to attend the vet."
The council has had to recruit staff and manage other operational matters at the shelter.
"It has been a steep learning curve but we're confident we're complying with the requirements and doing a great job, re-homing as many animals as possible and returning animals to their owners," Ms Archer said.
Since it resumed management, opening hours changed to 11.30am - 1.30pm, Monday to Saturday excluding public holidays, for cat and dog collection and sales.
Ms Archer said there hours had been "acceptable to the majority" of community members.
"Operationally we don't have any plans to expand because we need time to clean and take care of the animals," she said.