Tag: animal

Austin Pets Alive! | Future of APA!: A Letter to Our Stakeholders

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Aug 24, 2021

Friends,

In 2017, the Austin City Council passed a resolution that APA! could stay on the Town Lake Animal Center (TLAC) property for three 25-year agreements (75 years!). City staff and APA! were directed to negotiate and execute an agreement over the next three years.

Since then, APA!, with the amazing help of our pro-bono attorneys at Drenner Group, and the City has been in intense negotiations, resulting in two emergency extensions to allow both sides more time to come to a consensus. This has proven very difficult and our exact future is unknown. We want to make sure that you, as a valued APA! partner, are being brought along more thoroughly as this unfolds and a final decision is reached in the months ahead. What is crucial for you to know today is that it is impossible for APA! to operate with the TLAC facility service agreement currently in place, and due to the state of our facility, we have no choice but to either renegotiate those terms or find a new facility. We want you to be aware of this as we continue to work with the City of Austin to determine our future in the months ahead.

I’m sure you are asking: why can’t you just keep your current terms? The top-line answer to that is that it’s complicated. The complications involve requirements around the parkland that TLAC sits upon, the campus buildings in various stages of disrepair, the City’s Lamar Beach Master Plan, operations at both Austin Animal Center and APA!, and our vision for the future of No Kill. It is too much to pack into one letter. In an effort to keep you informed but not overwhelmed, we will be sharing this information in pieces over the next few weeks. We welcome your questions and thoughts as you hear our plans unfold.

When we started APA!, our goal was to make Austin a sustainable, No Kill city. We envisioned a place where all pets would be truly safe from death and where euthanasia due to space and time limits would no longer exist. Now, more than a decade and nearly 100,000 lives saved later, we have succeeded in fulfilling that mission year-over-year, making Austin the safest place in America for lost and homeless pets, and spreading that territory into the rest of Texas. This will not change, no matter the outcome of our relationship with the City.

As we are sustained entirely on donations and rely heavily on fosters and volunteers, we could never have accomplished making, and keeping, Austin No Kill without your tireless support. Your ongoing investment has helped us transform Austin and show the world what it looks like when a community comes together to work towards one goal. Every dollar you’ve given, every hour you’ve spent volunteering, and every pet you’ve fostered or adopted have resulted in what has come to seem normal but is truly extraordinary.

Thank you,

Ellen Jefferson, DVM
President and CEO
Austin Pets Alive!/American Pets Alive!

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August 24, 2021
Austin Pets Alive! | Fostering in Austin
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Aug 23, 2021

Recently we were lucky to have an amazing group from the UT Austin McCombs School of Business study what the capacity for people to foster animals in Austin really looks like, by comparing current census data to common trends among our [hundreds] of amazing volunteers currently fostering APA! animals.

What many people don’t know is that there is an entire machine of coordination and support behind any shelters with robust foster programs for homeless pets. The good news is that this machine is completely possible to build in any community and nurture to extend the ability to save the lives of companion animals at risk of euthanasia. And, thanks to this study, we have even more certainty on what we suspected to be a huge opportunity for new fosters in Austin.

First, Who exactly fosters?

The study matched active APA! foster parents’ demographics with Austin district census and survey data. Based on the number of current APA! fosters in each zip code, those ages 18-34, without pets, closer to the animal shelter and renters/single occupants are more likely to foster (both dogs and cats).

When these variables were compared with the census in the same zip codes, a potential 433 potential dog fosters and 498 potential cat fosters were identified! And that number could multiply if the households foster more than one animal in need.

Why do they foster?

The study also analyzed the demographic data of APA!’s current fosters to find the top 5 reasons for fostering:
- New time and bandwidth
- Not ready for a long-term commitment (adopting)
- Love of animals/grew up with animals
- Desire to help animals
- Trial for future adoption
Based on this information, we are more knowledgeable than ever on who potential fosters are. And any city could pair these commonalities with their communities, plus best practices for building and maintaining a foster program [ampa resource link here] and we’d be looking at city by city solving a major portion of commonly being too under-resourced to save enough lives – by finding new resources outside of the shelter and into the community via foster homes.

Thank you to the McCombs School of Business team: Anurag Peddaiahgari, Drake Sides, Haoshu Yuwen, Nicholas Hill, Nicholas Solorzano, and Sandesh Kakade, for shining new light on the potential of fostering animals in Austin!

For those of you not yet fostering in Austin and are willing to join this lifesaving network, please email [email protected].

Sources: Simply Analytics/Census and APA! fosters data
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August 23, 2021
Austin Pets Alive! | Pet Evictions – A letter from Dr. Jefferson on…
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Aug 17, 2021

You are likely well aware of the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the emerging eviction crisis, which threatens to displace millions of Americans from their homes.

The Washington Post, in an interview with our national arm, American Pets Alive!, just shared the massive potential impacts of the end of the eviction moratorium on pets.

Evictions are on track to be the number one reason cats and dogs enter the public shelter in Austin. Based on our Pet Eviction Calculator, in Travis County alone a whopping 37,340 pets are at high risk of eviction.

If these evictions span the course of 60-90 days, as is expected, our shelters will be overwhelmed. The shelters are not able to absorb even a fraction of this number of displaced pets, without invoking mass euthanasia. We need your help to prevent the senseless loss of animals’ lives.

People are already giving up their animals in anticipation of being evicted, and with the federal eviction moratorium expiring on October 3 we have a very short window to act and prevent catastrophe.

There are two actions we are asking of Austinites today:
- Call and email the council members and the city manager to ensure that animal welfare leadership is at the table while solutions to mass evictions are being discussed. It is critical that our government, especially here in Austin, doesn’t forget how much pets mean to our residents. To keep human-animal families together, we must plan now. This means ensuring transitional housing is pet inclusive, identifying temporary boarding options at Austin Animal Center for people being evicted, and providing resources and support to pet owners to help them keep their beloved family members.
When you reach out, please say or write that we need real solutions for the whole family, including pets, and animal welfare leadership must play a key role in the city’s eviction response.
- Get involved. If you want to help a pet owner facing eviction or other financial crisis, join our efforts on the Austin Pets Alive! Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender (P.A.S.S.) Facebook page. This page is set up to help pet owners who need help paying pet rent deposits or medical bills, who wish to rehome their pet without shelter surrender, and who need temporary safety net foster caregivers. We need good Samaritans to join as we prepare for many more people in need. Another way you can get involved is to stay tuned to your Nextdoor app and offer to help a neighbor in need—you can proactively put the message out or you can wait until someone posts about a need.
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August 17, 2021
Austin Pets Alive! | Austin Pets Alive! President and CEO Gives…

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Jul 22, 2021

The City of Austin’s Animal Advisory Commission recently created a Working Group to focus on Austin Animal Center’s shelter space concerns. The Commission held a Special Called meeting this past Monday to discuss the findings of the Working Group as well as hear APA!’s quarterly report. At Monday’s Animal Advisory Commission, APA! President and CEO, Dr. Ellen Jefferson presented. Below is a summary of her comments to the Commission.

Austin Pets Alive! is the largest city of Austin Animal Services partner in lifesaving and the largest subsidizer of the city’s budget to serve Austin animals.

APA! takes animals that have medical and behavioral issues that require a higher cost per animal than the average healthy animal and care. APA! focuses on these animals in an effort to have a measurable effect on the live release rate at Austin Animal Center (AAC).

In June alone, of all the animals that were transferred from AAC to any partner, APA! took 77% of those animals and over 200 times the number taken by the other brick and mortar shelters in Austin.

APA!’s cost to care for the animals pulled this past quarter was approximately $500,000 – $750,000. These numbers are currently being validated through an external agency and will be reflected as accurately as possible in future reports.

APA! receives no funding from the City of Austin but through a license agreement does receive use of the Town Lake Animal Center (TLAC) facility, which on the rental market could reasonably expect to receive about $8 per square foot per year in rent for the use (kennel), the condition its in (deteriorated), and the location it is in which, at best, is $100,000 per quarter. APA! therefore contributed between $400,000-$650,000 last quarter alone to subsidize the city’s budget to serve Austin animals. That is just for the animals we’re taking in from AAC, not for the other work we’re doing in the community.

APA!’s mission is to eliminate the unnecessary killing of shelter animals. Over the last 10 years of this license agreement, the role of APA’s support at AAC has shifted away from lifesaving and into serving as overflow for Austin Animal Center, which was never the intention of the license agreement that was drafted 10 years ago. That’s what we’ve been trying to re-negotiate for the last five years. What that means is that Austin Pets Alive! is serving many animals that should not be at risk of euthenasia in the city’s publicly-funded shelter.

AAC has received an increase in budget of more than $10 million since the original license agreement was signed, and many supports have been put in place over the years by the Austin City Council. APA! is 100% committed to continuing to serve as a safety net for animals that cannot be saved through taxpayer dollars and is currently negotiating a license agreement that more accurately reflects the mission of APA! and the responsible utilization of all the funds put towards animals, whether they are donated or taxpayer-funded.

You can find the complete 2nd Quarter Report from APA! to the Animal Advisory Commission here.

You can watch the complete meeting here.

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July 22, 2021
Austin Pets Alive! | APA! will always keep Austin pets safe. We need…
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Jul 03, 2021

More than a decade ago, Austin Pets Alive! stepped forward to provide support to the City of Austin in order to improve, and eventually fix, the Austin Animal Center, which at the time was killing more than 14,000 pets annually. Our goal was to teach AAC to implement best practices in No Kill sheltering and transfer animals to APA! that were at imminent risk of dying. We have since partnered with the city to advocate for policy changes and budget growth while offering free consultative and educational services. Then and now, this has a direct cost to APA! of millions of dollars annually. APA! has provided all of this to the city at no cost to them, but at great cost to us. Through our 501c3, we spend millions each year on the animals we pull directly from AAC. In addition, a 2017 study conservatively measures the annual economic impact of the No Kill movement in Austin at more than $157 million.

While we’ve made tremendous progress as a community, becoming the largest No Kill city in America, today we find ourselves at a crossroads.This summer, AAC intakes, adoptions, the number of pets returned to owners, and volunteer hours are at historic lows. Austin Animal Center is headed in the wrong direction and the City of Austin needs to take corrective action. We are fully committed to maintaining Austin’s status as the safest place in the country for homeless pets. Now we need our colleagues at AAC to do their part.

The above graph shows June data for the past five years, indicating that the burden of animals is at a historic, pre-COVID, low. We collected data in several key areas, including volunteer hours and adoptions, to share with you here. While these charts show performance metrics at the Austin Animal Center are on the decline, AAC’s director is threatening to euthanize animals who have been safe in Austin for more than six years. Foster placements are down and APA! is still having to rescue pets from AAC who should be adopted from AAC, simply because the leadership at the shelter refuses to follow best practices or to adhere to either the No Kill Implementation plan or the 95% resolution passed by City Council in 2019.

While we have long been the City’s largest transfer partner, we also do so much more than simply transfer animals to APA!. We provide food and supplies to homeless pet owners and respond in crisis situations like the recent winter storm. We also have an online community of more than 15,000 individuals known as the PASS program. Through this innovative mutual aid platform, APA! helps thousands of pet owners annually who are faced with having to give up their animals due to housing loss, medical issues, or temporary crises. We also provide hundreds of jobs, offer endless volunteer opportunities to Austinites – both groups and individuals, and offer free consulting and operations support to Austin Animal Center through our Maddie’s Fund Learning Academy.

In addition to all of this, we have helped pass the No Kill Resolution/Implementation Plan, Animal Code Amendment Ordinance, 95% Live Release Ordinance, advocated for AAC to receive 10 million dollars in increased funding, shared protocols and training with AAC management to help them implement best practices, and donated countless hours of peer-to-peer training.

The Austin Animal Center, now one of the most highly resourced government shelters in Texas, has the ability to permanently solve the problems that lead to preventable, seasonal overcrowding.

Here is what we are asking AAC to do now, in order to build a sustainable, public-private partnership with Austin Pets Alive!:
1. Submit the data required in the Animal Code Amendment Ordinance. Transparent, monthly reporting will clearly illustrate to the public and the Animal Advisory Commission that areas of performance that need immediate improvement, including number of foster placements, number of adoptions, and the number of animals returned to their owners.
2. Implement emergency space protocols and AmPA!’s other proven protocols in order to avoid future, recurring capacity issues. APA! provides support and guidance to hundreds of shelters around the nation. As we offer our transport triage services and transfer-in help, we ask our shelters to do their part to minimize the number of pets APA! has to get out of the shelter.
3. Remove bottlenecks to outcomes. Currently, adopted pets cannot go home for days or weeks longer because they are awaiting sterilization surgery. These pets have families waiting for them but are taking up valuable kennel space because AAC procedures are inefficient and proven programs have been eliminated, like the VIP adoption program. This is just one example of where AAC needs to work with both the Animal Advisory Commission and the expert team at American Pets Alive! to improve operational efficiency to avoid capacity issues.
4. Join the hundreds of animal shelters around the nation who are participating in the Human Animal Support Services Project and learn how other successful large organizations, including several large municipal shelters in Texas, are reducing shelter intake, serving more pets and people in their communities, and keeping families together through pet support services.
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July 3, 2021
Austin Pets Alive! | Shelter Support: How Austin Pets Alive! Helps…
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Jul 02, 2021

Each year, we save thousands of lives of pets right here in Austin and Travis County, and in the counties immediately surrounding Austin. We also provide support, education, and animal transport guidance to shelters all over Texas and beyond. Our ultimate goal is to focus on animals who, without APA’s help, would die or face being killed in a shelter. For this reason, we ask shelters we support to do everything they can to keep as many pets as possible in their homes and communities, in order to reduce shelter intake. We also ask that they learn and follow American Pets Alive! best practices, in order to save as many lives as they can and to serve as many pets as possible within their own cities and towns.

Consultations: Our American Pets Alive! instructors are proven professionals, with a decade or more of experience in the animal welfare field. We offer consultative support for shelters, in order to make recommendations to streamline operations, increase lifesaving, prevent needless pet intakes, and keep all shelter pets healthy. If our team does help your organization transport pets OR if we ‘pull’ animals from you into our organization, we ask that you receive and implement recommendations from our AmPA! team so you can achieve long term solutions to the root causes of the challenges in your organization.

Transport: If your shelter faces chronic overcrowding and you are severely limited on resources to save them, our team can assist you in finding viable transport solutions. Transport is not a ‘magic’ solution to difficulties faced by underfunded, high-volume shelters, but it can be tremendously helpful for some organizations. Here is an example of how El Paso Animal Services is utilizing transport to prevent overcrowding. Reach out if you have a question about how we can help you create a transport relationship with a receiving shelter, get connected to existing transport solutions, or ask anything else about transport.

Transfers to Austin Pets Alive!: In some cases, we may be able to take animals into our organization, with most pets arriving in Austin and heading immediately to loving foster homes. We primarily focus on animals who do not have any other viable options, including pets with contagious illnesses, injured and sick animals, pets with special needs, and in some cases, pets who are otherwise healthy but face imminent euthanasia for any reason. These spaces are very limited, and the need always exceeds our ability to help. If you need help, or are an organization that wants to contribute to our efforts, contact us.

What we ask our partner organizations: Thanks to the generosity of Maddie’s Fund Family Foundation, as well as the tireless support from our Austin community, we are able to offer support and guidance free of charge. Our team is made up of just a few folks and we’re aiming to help organizations all over the nation, so we ask our partners to be part of the solution. If we assist your organization in any way, we ask you to commit to the following:
1. Follow recommendations (to the very best of your ability) of our AmPA! instructors. They help hundreds of shelters annually and they know their stuff!
2. Become a Human Animal Support Services partner shelter. HASS is a collaborative of more than 500 organizations and 1,000 animal welfare professionals working together to solve today’s toughest animal welfare challenges.
3. Implement emergency space protocols and AmPA!’s other proven protocols.
4. All levels of the organization work alongside our team to help solve the root causes of your challenges so in the future, we can focus on other shelters in crisis.
What AmPA!-supported shelters have to say:

“AmPA! brings hope. Animal Welfare is a very emotional and lonely existence. Even with us all being in the same field of work, AmPA! gives validation and hope to our everyday lives at the shelter and on the streets.”

“Our live outcomes have changed drastically! Before AmPA! training our local shelter was as 33% live release, since June 2019 it has been at 90+%!”

“The best part of AmPA! visits is how inspired our staff is after they leave. We are a rural small non-profit so being able to see the big picture has been game changing for our team.”

“I appreciate that you provide one on one conversations to help with specific questions and problems in OUR shelter. It’s better than doing research because a live person is hearing your issues and giving ideas on what to do next.”

“Our staff LOVES when AmPA! staff visit. All the AmPA! staff who have visited us are members of our internal organizational page and often participate. Our team gets so excited when they visit and everyone learns so much while they are here. Most of our staff have had no prior exposure to the national scene so feeling a part of a larger movement has been great for their self-identities and commitment to our organization. The presence of AmPA! staff has been invaluable.”
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July 2, 2021
Austin Pets Alive! | APA! Steps Up for Pets from Laredo Shelter,…

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Jun 29, 2021

AUSTIN, TX – Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is asking people to help at-risk pets in crowded Texas animal shelters. APA!’s Town Lake Animal Center is currently at capacity. APA! is asking the Central Texas community to foster, adopt, volunteer or donate so APA! can continue helping dogs, puppies, cats and kittens with the greatest medical and behavioral needs.

Laredo Animal Care Services reached out to American Pets Alive!, APA!’s education and outreach division, to help out with its overpopulation. American Pets Alive! responded to their request and just sent this video. Dozens of cats and kittens are being rescued right now and need foster homes within the next 24 hours. Anyone able to foster a cat or kitten is asked to please email [email protected].

At the Laredo shelter’s request, American Pets Alive! traveled to the shelter not only to provide rescue and transport, but to train the Laredo staff on sanitation practices and community engagement programs. The American Pets Alive! team is on the way back to Austin now bringing some of the pets to safety, to treat medical needs and get every single pet directly into a foster home as fast as possible. You can find out more about the current state of the Laredo Animal Care Services facility here.

Austin Pets Alive! And American Pets Alive! are grateful to partners at Texas shelters who know that these animals are escaping dangerous environments.

While we know these pets will be saved from euthanasia, the rest of their future is uncertain. Rush a donation today to ensure they make it into loving arms.

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June 29, 2021
Austin Pets Alive! | A Lifesaving Request from Dr. Jefferson

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Jun 16, 2021

Not far from APA!, our friends at the Bastrop County Animal Shelter reached out to us for emergency help, as their shelter is facing an outbreak of distemper. All their kennels are full and the pets inside are facing euthanasia to make room for incoming pets. This news is devastating, and we want to help.

The Bastrop County Animal Shelter said their greatest need is for us to help them save the lives of 20 dogs. The dogs have tested positive and may come down with signs of distemper. They need a place to stay while recovering – so their foster homes need to have no other dogs or ferrets, or fully-vaccinated adult dogs with healthy immune systems.

These dogs are friendly and adoptable, yet they are facing euthanasia if they cannot find foster homes over the next 48 hours.

Distemper is a contagious disease of dogs, coyotes, raccoons and other wildlife. It can cause fever, lethargy, anorexia, and respiratory illness. The virus is spread in the respiratory secretions and urine of infected animals. It’s easily prevented with routine vaccinations and vaccinated pets are not at great risk (much like COVID). Distemper does not infect domestic cats, people, pocket pets (like hamsters or sugar gliders, but does infect ferrets) or birds.

If you can foster a dog in the next 48 hours, please email [email protected] and someone will respond right away. If you’re not able to foster but still want to help pets in Bastrop, please consider donating to their Amazon wishlist.

We are so grateful for the generosity of the greater Austin community for opening both hearts and homes to the pets from APA!, Bastrop and anywhere there is a need.

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June 16, 2021
Austin Pets Alive! | 10 Days to 100: Austin Pets Alive! Sets Goal of…

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Apr 22, 2021

Austin Pets Alive! will begin a brand new campaign from May 1 to May 10 — 10 Days to 100. The innovative animal rescue organization hopes to add 100 or more additional donors to its monthly giving program, Constant Companions, in just 10 days.

Constant Companions are the most dependable donors for the organization. Expanding the Constant Companion family allows APA! to continue setting its sights higher than ever. With its eyes set on making Texas No Kill, APA! relies on the generosity of Constant Companions to support this expansion and constant innovation.

Launched nearly a decade ago, APA!’s monthly giving program allows loyal supporters from all over the world to regularly contribute to lifesaving efforts in Central Texas and beyond. Currently, the program has 1088 Constant Companions that give $46,269.88 a month to Austin Pets Alive!. That’s 154 pets saved every month by APA!’s Constant Companions alone.

The 10 Days to 100 campaign will feature compelling stories of companion animal lifesaving that would not be possible without those who support APA! every single month. With the help of local artist and animal lover, Will Bryant, exclusive tote bags are being created for qualifying Constant Companions. New members and those who increase their membership level will be able to take home custom tote bags exclusive to Constant Companions. Be sure to follow Austin Pets Alive! on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to keep up with all of the action.

Each monthly gift, no matter the level, sustains APA!’s mission and writes a brighter future for every companion animal in Central Texas.

Want to join Constant Companions and can’t wait until May 1? Click here to sign up!

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April 22, 2021
Austin Pets Alive! | Austin Pets Alive! Hits Goal of 1,000 Shelter…

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Mar 23, 2021

AUSTIN, TX — On Wednesday morning March 24th, Austin Pets Alive! placed 27 cats onto a private plane bound for Wichita, KS, culminating a weeks-long effort to transport 1,000 at-risk pets to safe shelters in the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri. This is the third transport flight that David Nelson, the owner and pilot of the plane, has donated on APA!’s behalf. By offering his plane, fuel, time and resources, David has played an integral role in APA!’s transport missions that began in late February.

Charlie, the 1,000th animal transported.

Upon landing in Wichita, the kitties will be met at the receiving airport by staff members from KC Pet Project, who will then drive the cats the rest of the way to their shelter to be put up for adoption. This feline-focused transport represents a significant milestone that was only made possible through the support of countless volunteers, donors, and animal welfare advocates.

Map updated 3.23

After the devastating winter storm that hit Texas just a few weeks ago, APA! responded to urgent pleas for help from small, rural shelters across the state that lacked resources to care for all the pets that were suddenly arriving through their doors. The APA! Town Lake facility became a central transport hub for these pets in need, while shelter partners across the country organized the next leg of transportation to reach their final destinations. From Florida to Washington to Massachusetts, animal shelter staff across the continental U.S. welcomed these vulnerable pets with open arms, providing safe shelter and care to get them ready for adoption within their respective new communities.

Additional photos and videos of this transport are available for press upon request. Please contact [email protected]

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March 23, 2021
Austin Pets Alive! | Community Centered Animal Support Takes Center…

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Mar 18, 2021

It’s been over a decade since we started the APA! Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender Program (PASS). We began this initiative because we recognized that Austin pet owners were often faced with the terrible choice to give up their pets due to housing issues, life crises, pet medical problems the owner couldn’t afford to treat, and other human problems. The vast majority of these caregivers loved their pets like family, but their only choice at the time was to surrender the pet to the Austin city shelter.

That’s when we created the PASS Facebook group, a safe space for pet caretakers to get resources and support to help them keep their pets, or in some cases, safely rehome their pet to another loving home without that animal having to enter the shelter system. PASS helps people temporarily board their pet, find a short-term foster placement, raise funds for medical care, and more. Today, PASS has 12,000 members and serves thousands of pets and people every year. Though many APA! supporters are not even aware PASS exists, it is among the most impactful programs in the APA! family of lifesaving services.

Last month, APA! hired our first-ever PASS Coordinator. Until this point, PASS has been operated solely with volunteer support, managed by one PASS Manager, Patty Alexander. In this unprecedented time, more people than ever are facing financial challenges and other hardships that, without our help, will result in the separation of human/animal families and we recognize that saving shelter pets has to be augmented with helping people not create more pets in shelters.

The community-centered philosophy behind PASS has helped create the national Human Animal Support Services (HASS) movement, a collaborative project facilitated by our education and outreach division, American Pets Alive! (AmPA!).

This week, the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association highlighted our work in a feature story entitled, “Animal shelters, control officers, aim to be more community-centric.”

This is the second large, national publication to highlight HASS, the first being Fast Company’s September then title article about this big nationwide initiative.

With the international reach of AmPA!, we are now able to help hundreds of other animal welfare organizations around the United States and beyond implement safety net and pet support programs similar to the PASS initiatives that work to keep families together. Please take a moment to read this story and we’d love to hear from you if you have been impacted by the PASS program, either as a Good Samaritan or someone who has received help and support from this community pet help program!

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March 18, 2021
Austin Pets Alive! | Austin Pets Alive! Flies to Rural West Texas,…

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Mar 09, 2021

AUSTIN, TX — Austin Pets Alive! coordinated the rescue and transport of 1 dog and 13 cats by plane today. With the help of private pilot David Nelson, the flight to Alpine, Texas and back to Austin saved the 14 pets at-risk of euthanasia from two shelters as part of APA!’s aim to save 1,000 pets in shelters facing tough times in the aftermath of the recent Texas winter storms.

Map updated 3.8

These pets are from Alpine Animal Services and Marathon Animal Shelter, both small, rural shelters lacking resources to care for all the pets that enter their doors. Austin Pets Alive!, through the generosity of donor Nelson, flew to the Alpine area to pick up these pets and return them to Austin before transporting them to shelter partners in Michigan, Chicago, and the DC area later this week.

6-year-old pup George, who was brought back on the lifesaving flight

This roundtrip, same day flight is crucial to lifesaving. Where it would normally be a 12-13 hour day of driving for volunteer transporters, the flight there and back will take just a few hours. Available vehicles, drivers, and funds have historically been major barriers to getting pets in these rural areas to safety, so David’s time, plane, and willingness is invaluable.

This is David’s second lifesaving flight for Austin Pets Alive! in less than two weeks. In late February, David and APA! flew to Harlingen and Laredo in one day. On that rescue mission, David met and transported a dog named Wagon, who he fell in love with and had to add to his family.

Jennifer from Alpine Animal Services loading two cats on the plane

Texas shelters who need help getting pets out as well as shelters that are able to transport and/or receive cats and dogs should contact [email protected]. The biggest need at this time is for organizations that can safely transport pets. To help make these transports happen, people are encouraged to give to Austin Pets Alive! here.

Additional photos and videos of this transport are available for press upon request. Please contact [email protected]

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March 9, 2021
The Vanderpump Dog Foundation Takes in Hurricane Harvey Dogs

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Press Release
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updated: Dec 11, 2017

LOS ANGELES, December 11, 2017 (Newswire.com)
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On Dec. 9, 2017, The Vanderpump Dog Foundation partnered with The Lucy Pet Foundation to help rescue and house dogs that were affected by Hurricane Harvey earlier the year.

An abandoned grocery store (which had flooded during the storm) was turned into a temporary shelter for nearly 30 dogs. The dogs were in desperate need of placement and housing as the temporary shelters in the region began closing their doors on Dec. 7. This left many of these dogs at risk of being euthanized.

After natural disasters there is generally an influx of help and aid, however, it is in the months and years after that makes a lasting impact. This is why the Vanderpump Dog Foundation is continuing to assist in Hurricane Harvey relief in collaboration with the Lucy Pet Foundation to make a lasting, positive difference.

Dr. John Sessa, Executive Director of Vanderpump Dog Foundation

Executive Director of The Vanderpump Dog Foundation Dr. John Sessa and “Vanderpump Rescuer of the Year” Lora Drammis traveled to John Wayne Airport in Orange Country in the Vanderpump Dogs Rescue van to meet the plane full of dogs, chartered by The Lucy Pet Foundation with help from other organizations. “After natural disasters, there is generally an influx of help and aid, however, it is in the months and years after that makes a lasting impact. This is why the Vanderpump Dog Foundation is continuing to assist in Hurricane Harvey relief in collaboration with the Lucy Pet Foundation to make a lasting, positive difference,” said Dr. John Sessa.

Six of these dogs are currently available for adoption at the Vanderpump Dog Rescue Center at 8134 W. 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048. The center is open to the public 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

For more information on The Vanderpump Dog Foundation, visit their website www.vanderpumpdogs.org.

ABOUT THE VANDERPUMP DOG FOUNDATION

The Vanderpump Dog Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit dog rescue organization, working on both a domestic and international front to help create a better world for dogs globally. Founders Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd began the long journey towards trying to stop the barbaric torture practices at the Yulin Dog Meat Festival and end the dog meat trade in Asia in 2015. Together with their partner Dr. John Sessa, they launched the campaign “Stop Yulin Forever,” which ultimately led them to create The Vanderpump Dog Foundation. The movement gained momentum and has inspired activists all over the world to work towards ending the Yulin Dog Meat Festival and encourage more humane treatment for dogs worldwide. The Vanderpump Dog Foundation was formed to not only aid in ending this international atrocity but to also better the lives of dogs domestically. The United States faces many problems of its own including dog overpopulation, abuse, neglect and lack of education with regards to spaying and neutering pets. With the opening of their new Vanderpump Dog Rescue Center in Los Angeles, The Vanderpump Dog Foundation aims to reduce these problems within California and beyond, as well as continue their national and international campaigns built on a platform of education, legislation and activism.

Media Contact:

John Blizzard
JBlizzard@VanderpumpDogs.org

The Vanderpump Dog Foundation:

8134 West Third Street, Los Angeles CA 90048
1-323-852 –DOGS
Info@VanderpumpDogs.org

Source: Vanderpump Dogs

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December 11, 2017
The Vanderpump Dog Foundation Second Annual Fundraising Gala a Huge Celebrity-Studded Success

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LOS ANGELES, CA, November 14, 2017 (Newswire.com)
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On November 9th, 2017, Lisa Vanderpump and The Vanderpump Dog Foundation hosted its second annual Gala, presented by Zappos for Good, at the Taglyan Cultural Complex in Los Angeles. The purpose of the Gala was to raise awareness about their efforts to end the dog meat trade, draw attention to their current and future campaigns within the US and raise money to continue the Foundation’s work. The Gala was a complete success – hundreds of people gathered together to celebrate dogs, and help improve the lives of abused and mistreated dogs both domestically and internationally.

The Gala’s red carpet kicked off at 6pm, with a beautiful candlelit cocktail hour and a silent auction. Celebrities and attendees bid on a variety of donated luxury items ranging from hotel stays to dog beds and luxury beauty packages. At 7:30pm the doors opened to a stunning ballroom complete with pink roses and candelabras for a dinner that included music, dancing, celebrity performances, celebrity speakers and an incredible Live Auction of one-of-a-kind experiences.

Mario Lopez, the event’s host for the second year in a row, began the evening and continued to host throughout the night. The Vanderpump Dog Foundation’s founder, Lisa Vanderpump, made a heart-wrenching and moving speech, while recapping the successes of the Foundation, including medical missions to Yulin, China, and Haiti, as well as sharing some of the incredible success stories of the 350 dogs adopted out since the Vanderpump Dog Rescue Center opened on West 3rd Street in Los Angeles in March of 2017.

The Vanderpump Dog Foundation honored former corporal Megan Leavy, presenting her with their 2017 “Dog Hero” Award for her service to both her country and the canine community. The Foundation also awarded Honey, a survivor of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival this year, as their “2017 Dog of the Year”. Honey was rescued from the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, and brought back to the Vanderpump Dog Rescue Center by the Executive Director of the Foundation, Dr. John Sessa, and has since been adopted by a loving, caring family.

Celebrity performances were peppered throughout this gorgeous event, with performances by Billy Gilman (The Voice), singer and actor Cheyenne Jackson (American Horror Story), and an incredible dinner performance by the band Shirley House. The night ended with a spectacular dance performance from Dancing with the Stars’ Julz Tocker and partner Rachel White, followed by a night of guests dancing, with stars Lance Bass, Michael Turchin, Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd leading the way.

Many of Lisa’s close friends showed up to support the cause, including a wonderful amount of celebrities who helped raise awareness on the red carpet and through social media. Aside from Extra’s Mario and Courtney Lopez, Lance Bass and Michael Turchin, who supported the event by hosting and presenting, Real Housewives cast members Gretchen Rossi & Slade Smiley, Taylor Armstrong, Joyce Giraud, Melissa Gorga, Dolores Catania, Teddi Jo Mellencamp, D’Andra Simmons and Kameron Westcott were in attendance. Vanderpump Rules cast members Jax Taylor, Kristen Doute, Brian Carter, Brittany Cartwright, Scheana Shay, Stassi Schroeder, Peter Madrigal, Katie Maloney-Schwartz, Tom Schwartz, Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval and James Kennedy came out to support. Other celebrities who attended included Christy and Autumn Gibel, Mohamed Hadid, Shiva Safai, Jeff Lewis, Gage Edwards, Jenni Pulos, Jonathan Nassos, John Jay, Amanda Stanton, Jasmine Goode, Mercedes Javid, Wendy Burch, Fortune Feimster, Heather McDonald, Austin Anderson and Emmy Perry.

This event would not have been possible without the generous support of presenting sponsor Zappos for Good (www.ZapposForGood.com), hosting sponsor Collide (www.collide.com), corporate sponsors Evolution Media (www.evolutionmedia.com), Randy and Mindy Levine, Palm Bay International (www.palmbay.com) and SUR Restaurant (www.surrestaurant.com). Other sponsors of the event included, Kibble Pet (kibblepet.com), Shady Paws (shadyface.com), Emmy’s Hope (www.emmyshope.com), Lovegevity (www.lovegevity.university), Loyola High School of Los Angeles (loyolahs.edu), and the Hutcherson Family.

For more information on The Vanderpump Dog Foundation visit their website www.vanderpumpdogs.org

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ABOUT THE VANDERPUMP DOG FOUNDATION

The Vanderpump Dog Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit dog rescue organization, working on both a domestic and international front to help create a better world for dogs globally. Founders Lisa Vanderpump & Ken Todd began the long journey towards trying to stop the barbaric torture practices at the Yulin Dog Meat Festival and end the dog meat trade in Asia, in 2015. Together with their partner Dr. John Sessa, they launched the campaign Stop Yulin Forever, which ultimately led them to create The Vanderpump Dog Foundation. The movement gained momentum and has inspired activists all over the world to work towards ending the Yulin Dog Meat Festival and encourage more humane treatment for dogs worldwide. The Vanderpump Dog Foundation was formed to not only aid in ending this international atrocity, but to also better the lives of dogs domestically. The United States faces many problems of its own including dog overpopulation, abuse, neglect and lack of education with regards to spaying and neutering pets. With the opening of their new Vanderpump Dog Rescue Center in LA, The Vanderpump Dog Foundation aims to reduce these problems within California and beyond, as well as continue their national and international campaigns built on a platform of education, legislation, and activism.

Media Contact:

John Blizzard
JBlizzard@VanderpumpDogs.org

The Vanderpump Dog Foundation:

8134 West Third Street, Los Angeles CA 90048
1-323-852 –DOGS
Info@VanderpumpDogs.org

Source: Vanderpump Dogs

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November 14, 2017