Jam-packed shelter rescues 40 more dogs

The Austin Animal Center has just taken in 40 more dogs despite a historic space crunch that has the shelter operating at 142 percent capacity for dogs. All of the dogs were surrendered by a single owner who was served with an eviction notice, according to a news release from the city. After the county constable alerted the shelter to the situation, animal protection officers arrived on the scene expecting to rescue 20 small dogs. When they arrived, “they found over 40.” Fortunately, Animal Services chief Don Bland said the shelter’s out-of-state rescue partners have stepped forward to help. “When we get notified about an impending eviction like this, we have no choice but to find somewhere to put these dogs. We’ve been operating over-capacity for months now, and we’re starting to see an increase in people needing to surrender due to evictions. We really need our community to come out and foster and adopt so that we have open kennels for cases like these.”