COOKE COUNTY, Tex. -- Stray animals left on farms, in open fields, and even on the side of the road is a growing problem around Texoma. Officials in Cooke County say they can no longer keep up with the number of strays.

It takes a lot of money and a lot of work to keep a pet. Both Cooke County officials and shelter workers say more and more often, owners decide they can't handle the burden and dump their unwanted animals.

"It's a pretty sad state of affairs you know, starving to death, getting eaten by coyotes, looking for boyfriends and girlfriends, getting hit by cars, that kind of thing," Cooke County Judge Bill Freeman says.

In a county that's more than 900 square miles, Freeman says it is difficult to keep up with the number of strays. Shortages of staff and money are also concerns. There is no county animal control officer, and there is not enough funding to build or staff a facility.

"If we come up with an animal control officer, we would have to have a controlled facility, and the bills connected with that facility. We're talking about a million dollar price-tag, easily. And I just do not believe that the county can afford to do that," Judge Freeman says.

With nowhere else to turn, county residents often end up taking unwanted animals to Noah's Arc Animal Rescue in Gainesville.

Vice president and veterinarian Dr. Michelle Gomulak says they try to help as many animals as possible, but they too have space limitations, and each week the shelter takes in between 30 and 50 cats and dogs.

"We just frankly don't have room. Our maximum capacity is 120 animals and when we're full, we're full, you know. We can't just go and kill everything and make room for the county animals."

Since all the animals found in the county are brought to Noah's Arc, Gomulak would like to see another shelter in the city or county to ease the burden. But she says a simple way to help control the stray animal population is to spay and neuter your pets.

"People don't realize that if they spay and neuter their pets early in life, they avoid not only the over population with the puppies and kittens, but they avoid a lot of health problems with their pets. Their animals will live longer, they'll hand around the house more, won't be running off looking for boyfriends and girlfriends, getting hit by cars, that kind of thing," Gomulak says.

Noah's Arc is so full now they are unable to accept animals from the county, saying they received at least nine animals from inside Gainesville on Tuesday alone.

For more information on Noah's Arc, check http://www.noahs-ark-care.org. Adoptions are $85, and the price includes spaying/neutering, first set of shots, and microchip.