Austin City Council has adopted changes to the city ordinance related to spaying cats and dogs at the Austin Animal Shelter, including an amendment that proved controversial. Under the changed ordinance, the city will notify Austin Pets Alive! (APA) about animals that are lactating so that APA can pick up lactating animals within three hours […]
Austin Pets Alive!
An animal shelter with unique rescue programs targeting animals that would have been euthanized.
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
‘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 Advisory Commission splinters over spay/neuter expansion
The city’s Animal Advisory Commission continues to duke it out over an approach to shelter overcrowding, with a proposal to expand contracts with Emancipet and Austin Humane Society forecasting more friction ahead. The proposal, put forth by the commission’s spay/neuter working group, calls to expand the nonprofits’ existing sterilization and vaccination programs to address growing […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics commission shelves lobbying complaint against Austin Pets Alive! employee
The Ethics Review Commission has opted not to move forward with a lobbying complaint against a member of the city’s Animal Advisory Commission who also works in a governmental affairs job for Austin Pets Alive. Last week the ethics commission voted 4-4 on a motion that would have forwarded to the city attorney the complaint […]
Posted inCity Hall
Animal Advisory Commission dives into Robert’s Rules
The Animal Advisory Commission grappled with process questions at its regular meeting on Monday. Item 5 on the commission’s agenda was intended to be an explanation of Robert’s Rules of Order by the parliamentarian. But since the parliamentarian was absent, Chair Craig Nazor gave a brief presentation on two debate motions instead. He outlined the process […]
Posted inAustin
Proposal to audit animal shelter fuels debate about choice of auditor
Austin’s Animal Services Office, which runs the Austin Animal Center, will soon be audited, per a recent resolution approved by City Council. The Office of the City Auditor will report on the department’s effectiveness and bring in an expert on no-kill shelter policies to help advise the facility’s operations. Members of the public chimed in […]
Posted inCity Hall
Shorthanded shelter temporarily shuts down on Sundays
The Austin Animal Center, which provides shelter for more than 16,000 animals each year, announced this week that it will close its doors to the public on Sundays, beginning Jan. 23. Historically, the shelter has been open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, a schedule it hopes to soon return to. But a staffing shortage has given the […]
Posted inAustin
Austin Pets Alive! poised to stay at Town Lake site
City Council overwhelmingly approved a resolution Thursday that appears to give Austin Pets Alive! greater leverage in negotiating a new license agreement with the city to replace the existing deal that expires Nov. 23. The two sides had reached an impasse over several changes APA wanted in its agreement with the city, which provides rent-free […]
Posted inAustin
Austin Animal Center contemplates ‘notifications for possible euthanasia’
In a memo last month, Chief Animal Services Officer Don Bland updated City Council and Mayor Steve Adler about the ongoing capacity issues at the Austin Animal Center. The memo included a few lines that made animal lovers around the city sit up and pay close attention: “This current challenge may create the need for […]
Posted inAustin
Austin Pets Alive! provides neonatal care for kittens in kitten season
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 […]
Posted inEnvironment
Frigid temps put strain on wildlife and pets alike
As an energy crisis triggered by unusually frigid weather persists throughout the state, even our wild neighbors have struggled to adjust, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department reports. Mortality events have been observed in several bird species, including various species of waterfowl, purple martins and other songbirds. Fatalities are more likely in areas in which abnormal […]