Gallup shelter spotlights abandoned Weimaraner Biggs, seeks adopters

An abandoned Weimaraner named Biggs has become the latest face of the pressure facing the McKinley County Humane Society in Gallup. Left at the Gallup dog park under unclear circumstances, Biggs is now at the shelter’s Balok Street facility, where staff are asking residents to consider adoption instead of letting another dog become part of the county’s intake backlog.

Biggs is not just another mixed-in kennel listing. He is a Weimaraner, a breed known for high energy, intelligence, strong loyalty and a need for serious exercise and close companionship. That makes the dog a practical fit for someone ready to take on an active animal, but it also underscores a larger problem in McKinley County: dogs are being left behind in public places and then funneled into a shelter system that has already been under strain.

The humane society is at 1273 Balok St. in Gallup. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with animal viewing from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Saturdays, the shelter is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with viewing from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For anyone looking to adopt, foster or support the shelter, those hours make Biggs and other animals immediately accessible.

The pressure on the shelter has been building for years. In January 2024, the McKinley County Humane Society was described as especially overcrowded with dogs. Staff said they had been forced into quarantine after a sick surrendered dog put other animals at risk, and they reported seeing dogs left in crates and newborn puppies left in boxes during cold weather. To manage the crowding, the shelter shifted surrender intake to Mondays and Fridays by appointment.

That strain worsened in public view in October 2025, when the City of Gallup ended its contract with the shelter, citing longstanding operational problems. The city pointed to a 400 percent increase in parvo outbreaks compared with the previous year, higher euthanasia rates and concerns about transparency and accountability for public funds. Around that time, 21 dogs and puppies were transferred from Gallup to Albuquerque shelters for urgent medical attention.

Even with that turmoil, the shelter said it had cared for animals in the community for 40 years. Biggs now sits at the center of that record, and of the immediate need in Gallup: a dog left behind at the park, a kennel that still has to absorb him, and a chance for someone local to step in before the next abandoned animal arrives.