Fireworks can be scary for pets! Keep them safe this July 4th.
Jul 02, 2024 More dogs go missing on July 4th than on any other day of the year. Fireworks can be scary for dogs and cats. Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) wants to share easy steps you can take before and during the festivities to ensure your pet is safe and comfortable as you celebrate the Fourth of July. Because fireworks are so scary, your chances of finding a lost pet will be higher during the holiday. If you find or lose a pet this holiday, there are a few things you can do BEFORE going to the shelter. According to a study published in...
APA! Voted ‘Best Nonprofit’ by Austin Chronicle Best of Austin for 10th Time
Jun 24, 2024 We are honored to have been voted ‘Best Nonprofit’ in the Austin Chronicle’s 2024 ‘Best Of’ issue. Since 2010, Austin Pets Alive! has won 14 “Best of Austin” awards from The Austin Chronicle, including ‘Best Nonprofit’ 10 times. We live in a community full of heart and it shows with all of the thriving nonprofits that help make our city one of the best around, so it truly is an honor to receive this award. We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our supporters, donors,...
Kyle Family Finds Safe Haven After Losing Their Home to a Fire
Jun 10, 2024 A Human and Animal Partnership Served As A Beacon of Hope A Kyle family recently faced a devastating house fire, leaving them heartbroken and worried for their beloved pets. But amidst this great loss, a flicker of hope emerged. Thanks to an incredible partnership between The American Red Cross of Central & South Texas and Austin Pets Alive! (APA!), they were able to find comfort and care during a difficult time. The family and their five dogs—Sadie, Dirk, Harlee, Hobbs, and Koda—miraculously made it out unharmed...
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...
