It’s kitten season, the time of year when the population of kittens explodes in communities across the country. Kitten season begins in the spring and peaks during the summer, lasting until the fall months. During this period, thousands of kittens are born, putting pressure on municipal shelters and animal rescue groups to keep up with the flood […]
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 inAustin
Shelter logged record-setting number of animal distress calls during ‘snowmageddon’
The weeklong winter “snowmageddon” that stretched from February 16 to 21 also affected the city’s ability to respond to animal distress calls. Pounding sleet, icy roads and temperatures as low as 10 degrees in Austin made the roads dangerous for animal rescue trucks as well as staff traveling to and from the shelters. Austin 311 […]
Posted inAustin
Austin Animal Center’s December report looks bright
The Animal Advisory Commission convened on Jan. 11 to discuss, among other things, the accomplishments of the Austin Animal Center at the end of 2020. One recent highlight was the implementation of a new chatbot designed to field questions residents may have about the services the shelter provides. “Since its inception, 3,800 people have used the […]
Posted inCity Hall
Animal Advisory Commission votes down euthanasia code amendment
The city animal shelter must wait two business days before euthanizing a pet and must give other shelters or former owners the chance to claim the pet. A recent vote by the Animal Advisory Commission will ensure the rules stay that way for now. The commission voted 8-3 not to move forward with a code […]
Posted inAustin
Animal Advisory Commission has questions about potential new shelter model
At its meeting Friday, the Animal Advisory Commission considered whether the city should join Human Animal Support Services, an international coalition led by no-kill organization American Pets Alive! The program would use case management to keep most animals out of the shelter while awaiting adoption. When a person calls with an animal for surrender, the […]
Posted inAustin
Animal advocates decry Austin Animal Center intake policy changes
In a video making the rounds on social media, a woman is standing near the entrance to the Austin Animal Center with a medium-sized dog on a leash. She’s telling a staff member she cannot keep the dog, who is a stray, and that she has already completed the online form to schedule an appointment to bring […]
Posted inAustin
Austin Animal Center reopens on-site adoptions
Starting this month, the Austin Animal Center will again offer on-site adoptions as part of the city’s phased effort to reintegrate city employees back into their physical workplaces. City Manager Spencer Cronk released a memo May 29 on the reintegration plan for four city departments: Animal Services, Parks and Recreation, Austin Public Library and the […]
Posted inAustin
Austin Pets Alive! shutters due to COVID-19, still seeking fosters
Over the weekend, Austin Pets Alive! made the decision to close its lobby and bar its clinic from any public visitation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the city-run Austin Animal Center shuttered its doors last week, Austin Pets Alive! remained open during its normal business hours until Saturday, when APA Director Ellen Jefferson informed […]
Posted inAustin
Updated: Coronavirus shutters Austin Animal Center, but shelter still desperately needs fosters
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect daily life in Travis County with the closure of the Austin Animal Center. AAC announced on its Facebook page Monday that it would close to the public, effective immediately, and not reopen until March 30 at least. The closure includes volunteers who walk dogs and perform other duties around […]
Posted inCity Council
Community concerns with teeth: Council postpones vote on animal-related code changes
Austin is the largest no-kill city in the country and residents would like to keep it that way. Yet some have expressed concern that maintaining the animal shelter’s no-kill status could come at the expense of community safety. Although much of the draft code changes remain uncontroversial and there is support for the current draft […]
Posted inCity Hall
Animal advocates call for redo of animal services officer hiring process
With a nearly $14 million budget and 15,843 animals coming through its doors last year, the Austin Animal Center has worked hard to achieve the title of the nation’s largest “no-kill” shelter. However, animal advocates are worried that the finalist candidates for the chief animal services officer position will undo the work that has been […]
Posted inAustin
The cats are alive and well at the Austin Animal Center
After a significant dip in live outcomes for cats in April, the Animal Advisory Commission began to seriously consider how it could reverse that trend to allow more animals to survive their stay as a guest at the Austin Animal Center. As a result of the concentrated efforts, this month the live release rate for […]