Outbreaks can decimate a shelter populationArticle by Billy Armendariz, Deming HeadlightOccasionally, it occurs . A sick pet is dropped off at the Deming Animal Shelter and disease is spread throughout the kennels. The shelter, located at of the Deming Animal Shelter at 2135 Oñate Avenue SE in Deming’s Industrial Park, dealt with a major outbreak of infectious disease in 2023 that affects shelters and kennels from Phoenix to San Antonio. Distemper decimated the local shelter during the southwestern outbreak and claimed 75 percent of the shelter’s population. “The outbreak was quick and took a toll on our pet population at the shelter,” Foster, told the Headlight.