Jan 07, 2025
The term “long stay” is one that has many different interpretations within the sheltering system, but when examined closely, each interpretation can be whittled down to this: a pet that has found itself in the shelter for an undesired period of time.
Over the last decade, thanks to some deep data keeping by a particularly involved volunteer, we’ve gleaned that January happens to be a month of promise for long stay pets. While we don’t know the “why,” historically at APA!, January typically sees more placement of long stay pets. As we walk the kennel rows or scroll through our full available animals on line, we see so many of the same faces we’ve seen month after month. New year, same pets. Something’s got to change. So this year, we’re taking full advantage of this data and have crowned January “Long Stay Month!” This month is filled with symbolic hope, fresh beginnings, and we’re going to give it all we’ve got to ensure that our long stay dogs and cats have the light shone on them more than usual with the intent to move them into adoptive or foster homes for their own fresh start.
APA! is built on changing the way lives are served and saved within the animal welfare system and because of that, our long stay definition looks different than many traditional shelters. Unlike traditional shelters that define long stays as 60+ days, APA! focuses on pets in the system for 100+ days, though we track both tiers.
So why does a dog or cat find themselves slipping into a long stay designation? Speaking specifically of APA!, most often, dogs or cats receive this label due to medical or behavioral needs which can be intimidating to adopters. To overcome this, our teams provide educational support, such as teaching medical care techniques like bladder expression or offering behavioral training sessions before and even after adoption. And while they wait for their adoptive home, these dogs and cats receive one-on-one attention from volunteers, staff, and fosters!
With dedicated efforts, we’ve seen incredible success stories, like Spinach, and firmly believe every long-stay pet has a perfect match waiting. This January, we’re committed to sharing their stories and helping them find a home they can call their own.
Featured Dogs:
Featured Cats:
Source: Austin Pets Alive
