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.
