Animal intake at the Austin Animal Center continues to surpass the number of adoptions, according to a presentation at an Animal Advisory Commission meeting Monday. In July, the center took in 932 animals while 769 animals were adopted, according to the presentation from the Animal Services Office. Animal intake dropped from June, which saw […]
Austin Animal Shelter
This shelter is the official shelter of the city of Austin, opened in 2011. It is located in East Austin on Levander Loop.
Posted inCity Hall
Animal Services Office turns to outside boarding to address shelter crowding
The Animal Services Office has recently resumed use of third-party boarding facilities to handle space constraints and crowded conditions at Austin Animal Center. A memo published last week from Don Bland, chief animal services officer, gave City Council an update on the move to use outside boarding providers, including Austin Pets Alive!, which has become […]
Posted inAustin
More animals must leave the shelter before Austin Animal Center will accept them again
The Austin Animal Center has stopped accepting any more animals until further notice. Jason Garza, deputy chief animal services officer, said the shelter has so many dogs and cats that it’s overcapacity. As of Tuesday, there were 683 animals on site, including about 300 medium to large dogs. The shelter has only 252 dog kennels. […]
Posted inCity Council
City Council updates code to address animal shelter overcrowding, safety
City Council voted on consent at its meeting on Thursday to amend the city code regarding animal services, heeding recommendations from a recent audit that found the Austin Animal Center in far East Austin was struggling to maintain quality of animal care because of overcrowding and other issues. The code changes include: Replacing the current […]
Posted inCity Hall
Commission approves creation of Finder to Foster working group
The Animal Advisory Commission at its regular meeting Jan. 8 voted to officially create the Finder to Foster working group. Commissioner Paige Nilson explained at the commission’s Dec. 11 meeting that city code currently mandates that when an animal is admitted to the shelter, it must be held for three days. “And city legal is […]
Posted inParks
Commission discusses spike in animals leaving shelter without being spayed or neutered
The Animal Advisory Commission at its regular meeting Jan. 8 pondered an unexpected rise in the number of animals leaving the shelter without being spayed or neutered. In an overview of monthly reports, Jason Garza of the Animal Services Department told commissioners that the Austin Animal Center took in 681 animals in December, and the […]
Posted inAustin
Council members want action, updates to improve city animal shelter
Members of City Council want ongoing updates from the Animal Services Office about the conditions at the Austin Animal Center, which a recent audit found to be routinely overcrowded due to a variety of management issues. Council’s Audit and Finance Committee received a briefing on the audit Wednesday and told top city managers and the […]
Posted inAustin
Animal shelter audit calls out overcrowding, management issues for no-kill facility
An audit of operations at the Austin Animal Shelter has found that the no-kill facility is often beyond its capacity and lacks the data, staff and processes to meet the city’s 95 percent live-release goal. A draft copy of the audit, which was called for last summer by City Council, produced four broad findings, including […]
Posted inAustin
‘Dogs coming out of our ears’: Pandemic, no-kill policy worsen overcrowding at Austin Animal Center
The Austin Animal Center doesn’t want its halls lined with crates, but they are. It doesn’t want to keep three puppies in a kennel meant for cats, but it does. And it doesn’t want to keep crates of large dogs in its loading dock in the middle of the Texas summer, but it has to do so. The center […]
Posted inCity Hall
Animal commission checks in on community cat backlog
The Austin Animal Center is working with the Austin Humane Society to increase its spay/neuter capacity and make progress on its backlog of calls about community cats, according to a report from the Animal Advisory Commission’s spay/neuter work group to the full commission on Jan. 9. Community cats refer to free-roaming cats that may be stray or […]
Posted inAustin
Animal services programs missing from city strategic planning
The Animal Advisory Commission is asking the city manager’s office to include animal services programming in its upcoming strategic plan. At its regular meeting Nov. 14, the commission voted to approve a letter asking City Manager Spencer Cronk and Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo to include animal services and wildlife protection in the upcoming […]
Posted inAustin
Austin Animal Center is restricting intake because its kennels are full
Austin Animal Center is temporarily restricting intake starting Tuesday because the shelter is over capacity. The city-owned animal shelter is urging people to help by fostering or adopting pets from the shelter. The shelter currently has more than 700 animals, including 67 dogs that are staying in pop-up wire crates because all other kennels are […]