Animal Shelters have been around for over 100 years, and one thing remains constant: there is a lack of transformation and innovation that leads to shelters operating archaically and killing thousands of pets a year. This is not the fault of shelter workers but the system and rules in place that led us here.
Innovation is at the heart of every Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) program; our training and education program is no different! Officially named Austin Pets Alive! Training and Education (APA!Tec), this program was launched to create and provide engaging, high-quality educational material to help professionalize and standardize the Animal Welfare Industry. In its inaugural year, APA!Tec has had over 743 shelter workers enroll in 4,423 courses covering best practices for better lifesaving and standards across the country. APA! has worked to share the knowledge and experience from Austin to other shelters, including 19 partner shelters across Texas and five shelters around the country.
Austin Pets Alive! has been a leader in transforming animal welfare and sheltering for over a decade and after more than 15 years of saving lives in Austin, we know what the best practices are for helping people and their pets. Delivering that knowledge in a compact, digestible and educationally sound format is something we're very excited about, and we look forward to continuing to create courses that will help support the critical work of the current and future generations of animal shelter workers.
APA!Tec is set to launch additional courses in 2024, including Hands-on Vet Tech Skills, Onsite Dog Enrichment and Onsite Cat Enrichment. The program works by taking APA!’s experience, combined with evidence-based research, to help elevate the quality of care shelters provide while improving job satisfaction for staff. The courses are created by seasoned educators utilizing educational best practices to ensure students are engaged and truly learning.
