The city of Harlingen's new animal shelter is now open.

It's in the same facility that once housed the Rio Grande Valley Humane Society. The biggest change is the amount of animals inside.

RELATED STORY: City of Harlingen renovating former animal shelter as new facility

When the shelter first opened, they only had one dog inside, but that is expected to change. One thing that is needed right now is volunteers to help facility operations run smoothly.

The shelter opening brings in a new era for Harlingen after the city and the Rio Grande Valley Humane Society parted ways.

RELATED STORY: RGV Humane Society opens new location in Harlingen

Stray animals that are found can be brought in.

The city hopes to rehome them quickly, but that can take time to find the right family. They hope the services they offer will speed up the rehoming process.

"Once you bring an animal into the shelter, they're going to evaluate the animal's condition, whether it has a condition that's going to be contagious for the rest of the animals, so they'll start treatment right then and there," Harlingen City Manager Josh Ramirez said.

The shelter has enough space for 32 dogs and right now, cats are not being accepted.

City officials say kennels to hold cats are still being gathered, and the designated cat room is in need of an expansion.

Once the shelter has what it needs, the capacity for animals will increase to 50.

No adoptions are happening at the moment during this transition period, but the shelter is hoping by the end of the week that will change.

Anyone interested in volunteering can call the shelter at 956-216-5250 for more information, or follow them on Facebook. 

Watch the video above for the full story.