Moving Forward: Maintaining No Kill Through Measurement
Aug 07, 2019 Yesterday, the City of Austin announced that they chose Don Bland to be the next Chief Animal Services Officer. As you know, this is a hiring process that we have been critical of and that we believe highlighted some gaps in the way our city is planning to sustain No Kill. Obviously, Don is not responsible for that and needs to be given the opportunity to succeed here. Today, we fully commit to doing everything we can to make Don and Austin Animal Center (AAC) successful. We left our recent conversations with city leadership...
A Letter from Dr. Jefferson: Common Misconceptions of No Kill Shelter Influx
Jun 28, 2019 For the last 8 years, the City of Austin has been the largest No Kill City in America, where 97.5% of the animals that enter Austin Animal Center’s (AAC) doors leave alive. Even though we as a city have been extremely successful in saving lives, AAC is going through a difficult time with a 20% increase in animal intake between 2018 and 2019. AAC is currently facing a “space crisis,” meaning every kennel is inhabited by one or more pets and there is no space for incoming animals. Each summer, like in most...
Myth vs Fact: How We Pick Our Creative Cat Names!
Jun 06, 2019 Due to a viral tweet, the talk of the town has been our, as many have put it, eclectic cat names. You may have seen the tweet which simply asks, “Who is in charge of naming the poor kittens at Austin Pets Alive!?” Some of the cats featured in this tweet have the names of Atomic Toaster, iPad 4, Glycolysis 6, and Unicycle 7 – safe to say those aren’t the typical cat names you’re used to hearing. The tweet led to many people digging through our adoptable cats and picking out the names they found to be...
Radiant Plumbing & Air Conditioning Commits to $20k in Pledged Improvements at APA!
Apr 22, 2019 Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is pleased to announce that Radiant Plumbing & Air Conditioning has committed to a year-long sponsorship of Austin Pets Alive! that provides $20,000 in services to help APA! make improvements to its shelter facilities. Radiant has been a long time supporter of Austin Pets Alive! and has consistently stepped up to provide and/or donate necessary work and improvements to both the Town Lake Animal Center and the Tarrytown Adoption Center. “I am so thankful for Radiant’s continued generosity...
Historic No Kill Resolution Passes in Austin City Council
Mar 29, 2019 AUSTIN, TX — Austin City Council voted unanimously in favor of a historic resolution to raise the minimum live release rate for the city to maintain No Kill status from 90 percent to 95 percent yesterday on March 28. You can read the signed resolution here. This resolution ensures that as the City of Austin works to maintain its status as the largest No Kill city in the country, a minimum of 95 percent of homeless animals who enter shelters must leave alive. This is the first resolution of its kind and is the highest...
Stop H.B. 3806 in its Tracks
Mar 28, 2019 UPDATE!: The Agriculture and Livestock Committee received over 2,500 emails regarding this bill! Because of the outreach and overwhelming response from the incredible animal welfare community here in Texas, Representative Springer and the committee will not be furthering the bill this session. Thank you to everyone who wrote this committee! This is a major win for animal welfare! On Monday, April 1 at 10:30am, the Texas Legislature will hear House Bill 3806, an act related to veterinary services by releasing agencies. This...
Recommitting to No Kill at 95 Percent
Mar 21, 2019 Date: Thursday, March 28 Time: 10:00 AM Where: Austin City Hall, 301 W 2nd St, Austin, TX 78701 What: Hearing to recommit No Kill in Austin at 95 percent On Thursday, March 28, city council is hearing a resolution that would set the minimum live release rate to 95 percent instead of 90 percent. This goal directly affects whether or not over 1,000 pets live or die. In 2010, the Austin City Council passed a groundbreaking resolution that mandated that at least 90% of the animals that enter the City of Austin Animal Center leave...
#LoveATXPets? Us too! Come find us at SXSW!
Mar 07, 2019 SXSW is here, and we’re so excited to take part in this year’s festivities! In the midst of all the panels and concerts, don’t forget to find Austin Pets Alive! at the following fun-filled events, and be sure to follow our SXSW adventures via #LoveATXPets on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! We will be making a few exciting appearances – find where to join us below: The Puppy Pop-Up 12pm – 2pmSaturday, March 9thHarvest HQ78 Rainey St.APA! is bringing adoptable puppies to hang out at Harvest HQ...
CBD Oil for Dogs – Why CBD Dog Treats May Be the Best Option
Mar 05, 2019 This guest post was written and provided by Joy Smith of Joy Organics. We love our pets. This goes without saying. In fact, we’d rather spend the day with them than many of our two-legged family members! Yet, when our less awesome two-legged family members need care, we would bend over backward to see them comfortable. The same kind of love should be shown to our four-legged babies too. Now that CBD products are legal in all 50 states, our dogs can also benefit from the same relief that many humans did in 2018. Here’s...
#AmplifyLifesaving for Pets Like Lovebug
Feb 28, 2019 Approximately 1.5 million pets are euthanized in shelters across the country every year. This is an epidemic that APA! is on a mission to solve. By pioneering our seven lifesaving programs, Austin Pets Alive! has provided over 60,000 pets since 2008 with a renewed lease on life. Programs such as our Dog Behavior Program and Barncat Program provide perfectly healthy animals a shot at finding their forever home; and programs such as our Parvo Puppy ICU, Ringworm Cat Adoption Center, Neonatal Kitten Program, Feline Leukemia Adoption...
#AmplifyLifesaving for Pets Like Bluebeard
Feb 25, 2019 In 2010, Austin Pets Alive! made a commitment to give all cats with ringworm a chance at life and love – and that’s exactly what we’ve done. Since the opening of APA!’s Ringworm Adoption Center, not one cat affected by this curable infection has been euthanized in Austin. In 2018 alone we adopted out over 600 ringworm cats! That’s more than 600 lives in one year that wouldn’t have had a chance if APA! hadn’t started the fight to treat and destigmatize cats with ringworm. Ringworm is...
#AmplifyLifesaving for Animals Like Martha
Feb 07, 2019 Martha’s story is one of true resilience and inspiration. A good Samaritan noticed that this sweet girl had been tied in front of a storefront for days and called for help. When this call was inspected, eight-year-old Martha was found severely injured. It looked like she had been hit by a car and then tied up, as her back left leg was severely fractured and her tail and some of her teeth were broken. She was immediately rescued and made her way to the APA! Clinic where she was put into the hands of those whose goal was to...
Dash with Dane During Our $60K for 60,000 Lives Dollar Dash!
Dec 27, 2018 Dane is the perfect example of the amazing things that happen at Austin Pets Alive! each and every day when animals are given a chance that they don’t get anywhere else. This sweet one-year-old boy came to APA! from Austin Animal Center at the end of September due to his severe injuries. He had been picked up from the side of the road and was suspected to have been hit by a car, as he was completely paralyzed in his hind end. Due to his past traumas, he spent the first few days in our Medical Triage and Wellness Clinic...
#BecauseOfYou: Fancy, Jacki and a Third Chance at Life
Dec 24, 2018 After Jacki had to say goodbye to her beloved APA! Alum Helena, she was completely devastated. Despite being unsure whether she had more love to give, a few weeks after Helena’s passing she became instantly intrigued by a “derpy black cat” named Fancy. Once she learned Fancy’s story, she knew that it had been the angelic spirit of Helena that brought the pair together. Fancy arrived at APA! in 2011, was adopted in 2012, found her way back to APA! in May 2017, and was adopted by Jacki shortly after on July...
#BecauseOfYou: Meet Laura and Hamilton
Dec 22, 2018 Last summer, Hamilton and Laura’s lives changed forever, because of you. At two weeks old, Hamilton’s three sisters and brother arrived at Austin Animal Center in critical condition. They had overdosed after being given Xanax and needed immediate treatment and blood transfusions. They were rushed to APA! to receive the care they needed; unfortunately, Hamilton’s brother passed away, but thanks to the incredible work of the APA! Clinic staff and volunteers his three sisters were able to be saved. Just a little...
