In the wake of Austin Animal Center (AAC) closing intake during the busiest sheltering week of the year, Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is calling on the community to adopt or foster a pet before July 4.
“It’s
an immensely hard time for shelter animals and the people caring for
them in Austin right now, especially for medium to large dogs,” said
APA! president and CEO Dr. Ellen Jefferson. “We wish we could take in
even more animals from AAC, but our Town Lake location is also full to
the brim, and we’re calling on the community to adopt or foster a
shelter pet this week before the July 4th holiday!”
APA! is
working on long-term solutions to fix the space crisis in our city for
good, but as those plans are in process, the nonprofit is imploring our
community members to come to APA! or AAC today to help prevent an even
bigger animal sheltering crisis from unfolding over a weekend known for
lost dogs entering the shelter system in record numbers.
“There
are hundreds of lovable dogs (and cats) at both APA! and AAC who can be
immediately placed into homes,” Jefferson said. “People might not
realize this because we help animals throughout Texas, but the majority
of the dogs at our shelter today came from AAC. More pets leaving APA!’s
Town Lake location will allow us space to help AAC even more after July
4th.”
APA! is offering a 50% discount on all adoptions through July 3rd, and all adoption fees at AAC are waived completely.
Across
the nation Austinites have a reputation for their commitment to keeping
Austin the safest city in America for shelter pets. Jefferson is asking
the community to rally together now like they've been known to do time
and time again.
“Austin has rallied together through various
crises. Community members are directly responsible for helping to make
Austin the largest No Kill community in the nation, have created lines
around our building and down the road when our facility was flooding,
came in droves to support our Hurricane Harvey Activation, jumped in
when the whole world was turned upside down due to the pandemic,” she
said. “Let's keep it going, Austin, and ensure dogs and cats get the
love and homes they deserve.
In addition to fostering or adopting now, here are some additional ways community members can help:
If you find a lost pet, walk around the neighborhood and ask your neighbors if they recognize it. Most lost animals are only within a mile of their home.
Take the pet to the shelter, pet supply store, or even fire station, they can scan it for a microchip and contact the pet’s owner.
If the pet does not have a microchip, post it on social media like the Austin Lost and Found Facebook group, Next Door, and Instagram. For Lost or Found Animals in Travis County, please check out the Austin Animal Center guide. It is very helpful to hold on to the animal for 2-3 days; it greatly increases its chances of being reunited with its family.
You can also join Austin Pets Alive!’s PASS Program Facebook group
to ask any questions and get community support, such as finding other
potential fosters who can take the dog in until the owner is found or a
shelter is available. You can also find more information online on APA!’s PASS Program web page or the APA! PASS Pet Resources Guide.
