Strengthening the Human-Animal Bond: Hays County Pet Resource Center’s Early Successes
May 24, 2024 In March 2024, Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) presented recommendations to the Hays County Commissioners Court on how to develop and launch the Pet Resource Center for Hays County, recommended in a 2022 feasibility study compiled by Team Shelter USA and Animal Arts. The 2022 study proposed a pet resource center model as the solution to Hays County’s expanding animal services-related needs, and as a remedy to the overburdened regional sheltering model currently in practice. The new model concept is a smaller-scale shelter...
Supporting People that Help Pets
May 21, 2024 APA! has always operated outside of the “typical” role that animal welfare plays. Our teams and programming have contributed to thousands of lives saved and as we’ve continued to grow our organization and lifesaving, we recognized that much more needs to be done for the people who have given their time, talents and love to the animals who need us most! Our Social Work Department began in 2022, led by Alexis Telfair-Garcia creating a mental health resource for staff, volunteers and fosters. While May is Mental...
It’s Gonna Be May Austin-Area Adoption Event
May 09, 2024 It’s “tearin’ up our hearts” to see so many pets waiting to find a family of their very own all across the Austin area! So, in honor of Justin Timberlake’s unofficial “It’s Gonna Be May” month, Austin area shelters are working together to get pets into loving homes — “no strings attached.” Join us May 20th-27th to meet all of the pets vying to win your heart and who “just wanna be with you!” Each shelter has unique needs and populations so each of our...
What to Expect When Expecting (Bottle Baby) Kittens
May 08, 2024 Neonatal kittens. Bottle Babies. Teeny, not yet weaned. However you describe them, whatever you call them, kittens who depend on humans to make it through their first several weeks of life are some of the cutest souls you will encounter and also some of the most vulnerable. The Austin Pets Alive! Neonatal Kitten Nursery is the first of its kind and since its inception in 2008, has taken in thousands of kittens with an average 90% save rate. This work can’t be done without the support of neonatal kitten fosters. Because...
Take Off! — APA! Transport Hub’s Inaugural Transport
May 06, 2024 Transporting pets from Texas to shelters across the country, even as far as Canada, isn’t a new process for APA!.. We’ve done it hundreds of times at this point, with our Transport Program beginning out of desperation to save pets across Texas during Winter Storm Uri in January of 2021. Whether by air or by road, our team has worked with many partner shelters both in Texas and throughout the U.S. to save dogs and cats who otherwise wouldn’t have made it out of the shelter system alive. The latest milestone for...
A Personal Look Into Volunteer Life
Apr 26, 2024 In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Week, we asked a volunteer, Anish K. to share their own personal experience as an APA! Volunteer. Anish’s APA! Volunteer journey began 1.5 years ago! It’s blissful to write about the emotions I experience when I visit APA!. I always visit on Wednesdays for the Total Obedience Program (TOP) and Canine Good Citizen (CGC) classes and stay on to walk dogs until closing time. In addition to Wednesdays, I also make it on one or both days of the weekend to walk dogs. The excitement usually...
A Celebration of Giving: The Enduring Power of Volunteers
Apr 22, 2024 In a world brimming with busy lives and personal goals, we take a momentto celebrate the incredible impact of volunteers. Their dedication embodies the very best of humanity: our interconnectedness, compassion, and unwavering commitment to building a better world together. This National Volunteer Appreciation Week, we’re shining a light on the profound power of volunteerism, not just for the good it does in the world, but for the enriching experiences it offers volunteers themselves. Volunteers are the threads that weave...
Hays County Commissioners’ Court Approves Three Month Contract Extension with Austin Pets Alive!
Apr 19, 2024 Hays County Courthouse, San Marcos, TX – The Hays County Commissioners’ Court approved the Professional Services Agreement with Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) to be extended through June 30, 2024. Last year, Austin Pets Alive! entered an agreement with Hays County to manage the development of a new Pet Resource Center. The center would aim to provide programs focused on public safety, animal safety and lifesaving, pet owner resources for happy and healthier pets, and community education for safe and humane pet care. The...
Central Texas Food Bank & Hays County Pet Resource Center Serve Over 250 Families at First Food Distribution for People & Pets
Apr 12, 2024 On March 23, in partnership with the Central Texas Food Bank, the Hays County Pet Resource Center hosted a drive-up food distribution for people and pets at McCormick Middle School in Buda. The event was open to anyone in Hays County and served over 250 families. Of the 250 families, an estimated 98% were in need of pet food. Wet and dry food for cats and dogs was provided for families, as well as resource guide flyers that included information for medical assistance, behavior support and other low-cost pet services. The Hays...
Search Laboratory Selects APA! As Their Charity of the Year
Apr 10, 2024 Austin Pets Alive! is honored and grateful to be considered one of Austin’s favorite nonprofits and beyond that, to receive outreach from companies in Austin who want to turn their love and appreciation of APA!’s work into a service-oriented gift. Search Laboratory is just such a company. In early 2023, the company reached out to our Marketing team sharing that APA! was voted as Search Laboratory’s “charity of the year,” meaning our organization would become their “pet” nonprofit to...
