Loki spent months at an under-resourced shelter in Texas. a The brown-eyed, sweet pup had lots of energy and love to give but the crowded shelter did not provide the opportunity for him to find a home. As time passed, more dogs entered the facility, which increased the risk that Loki might be moved to a euthanasia list.
We knew there was a family out there that would be a perfect match for Loki and we were determined to create an opportunity for this heartfelt connection to occur.We sent word out about Loki to our Transport Program destination partners, and eventually a potential placement came through in Toronto. We worked with our destination rescue partners until a placement came through, with a shelter in Toronto—then we got Loki onto a ride to safety up north.
Loki’s adopters sent us an update soon after that. They said he was a perfect gentleman in their home, and “an absolute angel.”
“He’s made himself at home,” his family told us. “We are so blessed and thankful.”
Loki loves to cuddle, and his family shared photos of him doing just that—snuggling up on the couch, in his new home, with his very own people, looking for all the world like that’s exactly where he was always meant to be.
At Austin Pets Alive!, we never hesitate to treat any companion animal that trots, limps, or must be carried through our doors.
Because of your generous support, we have been able to save nearly 100,000 lives in the last 10 years. One of those lives is Sapphire. We see tragic cases every single day, and Sapphire is no exception.
Living as a stray, Sapphire was struck by a car. A bystander alerted the city and she was brought to the city shelter, Austin Animal Center. She was bleeding, writhing in pain from nerve damage and bruised ribs — and pregnant. But when the city asked us to take over, our clinic staff did the ultrasound and made the heartbreaking discovery of no fetal heartbeats.
Determined to save Sapphire, our clinic gave her pain medication and she was stable. Unfortunately, her front left leg likely won’t heal with the nerve damage so it will have to be amputated in the coming weeks.
At most shelters, dogs with injuries like Sapphire’s would immediately be euthanized but together with you, we believe all pets deserve a chance to recover and live long healthy lives.
You can support pets like Sapphire every single day by giving today.With every gift matched up to $100K until December 31st, your gift today has TWICE the impact for pets in need.
“When Sapphire came to us, she was in a lot of pain. Walking to the end of the corner and back was a big deal for her,” said her foster Anne.
Before moving to America, Anne heard of Austin’s No Kill status and knew she needed to foster. She began fostering in January 2019 and adopted her “foster fail,” Luna.
“Nothing deters me,” said Anne. “It’s just the right thing to do. I don’t have a lot of people here because of the pandemic, all of my family is overseas. This can be my adoptive family right here. I mean, who doesn’t fall in love with that face?”
Because of animal lovers like Anne, we know that fostering is the future of APA!. The more pets we can get into homes, the more critical cases we can treat on campus. Together with you, we can strive towards a future where we save more pets than ever. Will you consider making a gift to help further APA!’s future?
Today, Sapphire is all play! You would never guess this gem has nerve damage. Currently Sapphire is on a special surgery list for amputation. Regardless of whether Sapphire has three legs or four, we are determined to give her the best life possible. Until then, she’ll be hanging with her foster mom Anne and foster sister Luna.
“Her spirit never falters,” Anne said. “I just hope she finds a really good family who’s going to love her unconditionally.”
As we enter into this season of giving, your active support allows us to say “yes” to every pet that needs us. With so many companion animals in need, your gift today instantly affects thousands of pets nationwide. Together with you, we can end needless euthanasia across our state and our country.
After a year and a half of cancelled events and celebrations, APA! opened our doors once again for Clear the Shelters. During this national adoption event, 186 pets were adopted from our shelter! That’s 186 newly formed families complete with pets that didn’t stand a chance anywhere else.
When you join our monthly giving program, you invest in the long term stability of APA! which allows us to continue triaging and training for the most tailwags possible.Your monthly gift allows our teams to work around the clock to get as many available animals into homes so we can care for the next wave of companions in crisis.
One of those newly adopted pets is Pirate. Pirate came into our care with painful sores and nerve damage on his front right paw. Pirate, appropriately named for what was to come, couldn’t walk properly on his front leg and it was clear he needed an amputation.
After a pit stop in Maddie’s® Cat Adoption Center: Treatment and Care for Ringworm Positive Cats where Pirate graduated with honors, he was ready to join the fun at Clear the Shelters. Enter his future adopter, Auden.
“I was looking forward to the Clear the Shelters event for weeks and there were a few cats I was interested in, but [Pirate] was my top choice,” Auden said. “After waiting in line, I got inside and asked if Pirate was available, and everyone’s head turned. [Someone] asked me, ‘You want Pirate?!’,” she said.
It turns out Pirate was looked over during the whole event while all five of his kennel mates were adopted before him. It was then that Auden found out about Pirate’s paw and his upcoming amputation surgery.
“I was a little nervous at first, I’ll admit, but he was such a sweetheart and I knew even though I didn’t have previous knowledge on what it took to care for him, I could learn,” she said.
Just last Tuesday, Pirate went into surgery to have his front right leg removed.
Pirate & Auden
“Once he was home and I saw him, it was very emotional. I definitely had some time wondering if I could really do this for him,” Auden said. “There were a lot of very strong feelings that first night, and I ended up falling asleep on the bathroom floor with him because I was so nervous.”
While Pirate’s love and companionship has changed Auden’s life, he’s impacted her other cat Anakin even more. At eight years old, Anakin was shy and anxious around strangers. But, through Pirate’s tenacity Anakin began trusting his new sibling and the world just a little more.
“When I saw Pirate [I was reminded of] this quote from a podcast I’ve loved since I was younger, Welcome to Night Vale,” Auden said. “I actually named him after the cat in that show, Khoshekh. That cat also has some special needs, and when discussing him, the protagonist states, ‘No pet is perfect, it becomes perfect when you learn to accept it for what it is.’ Some people in my life were doubtful about me adopting him due to his paw, but I think this really captured how I felt when I met Pirate. Despite the challenges he would come with, I haven’t had a second thought and have spent every moment so happy that we found each other.”
Pirate post-amputation
Thanks to our Constant Companions, pets like Pirate can find their buried treasure in a forever home. When you join our monthly giving program, you ensure APA! can continue matching humans and animals to find the ‘purrfect’ home. Will you become a Constant Companion today?
Sunday mornings are Bart and Rocio’s only day to sleep in.
Sunday, June 27 started like any other Sunday morning. Around 9 a.m. the couple decided to attend the early church service rather than their usual late morning service.
Driving down windy roads just northwest of Austin, the couple was coming down a hill when they spotted Angelo. Rocio slammed on the brakes when she saw a small animal in the middle of the road. As they got closer to Angelo, they could tell it was a dog — a severely injured dog.
With one look, it was painfully obvious that Angelo had been on his own for weeks. With ribs and backbone showing, his malnourishment was evident.
“The worst part was the massive wounds to his face,” Bart said. “I consider myself to be a bit of a tough guy. I have taught martial arts for over 30 years, but at that moment I could not stop the tears. My heart was torn out of my chest as I wondered who would leave a dog out here. Why? As I looked at Angelo’s massive injuries, all I saw was a sweet, loving, beautiful dog.”
Rocio rushed to get food, water, and blankets while Burt sat with Angelo, stroking his back and letting him know he was safe. “No more nights alone in the woods,” Bart said.
Once Rocio returned with supplies, Angelo attacked a bowl of water as if he was dying from thirst, but refused to eat anything. Rocio and Bart knew Angelo needed emergency medical care.
After arriving at a local animal hospital that did not take emergencies, Rocio and Bart drove around town desperate to find a vet that could care for Angelo.
At an emergency vet clinic, Rocio and Bart said that they would claim responsibility for the expenses of Angelo’s care. After examining Angelo for 30 minutes, a veterinarian came back and said that because Angelo was not their dog and his care would cost thousands, the clinic could not help.
“My heart sank,” said Bart. “We could tell [that the veterinarian’s] hands were tied.”
In the parking lot of the clinic, Bart asked someone for advice on where to take Angelo. The person led the couple to Austin Pets Alive!.
“She said that was the place she would go, even though she knew APA! doesn’t take dogs from the public,” said Bart.
Bart and Rocio pulled up to our Town Lake Animal Center location and met with a vet technician. She also shared that we do not take animals from the public and recommended Emancipet, but warned they have a 24 hour waiting period. Bart shared that he didn’t believe Angelo would make it another 24 hours without care.
This response prompted the technician to come and see Angelo. After spotting the wounds on his face, she hurried him inside the clinic.
“Up to this point, we were not sure where to turn. It had been such an emotional morning,” said Bart.
The technician came out and said that the veterinarians and APA! had agreed to save Angelo.
“We offered to pay what we could and [the technician] said, ‘You already have. You saved Angelo.,’” Bart said. “We both believe that we were put there for a reason that morning, and that reason was to be there to help save this beautiful creature.”
Thanks to our incredible P.A.S.S. (Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender) program, we’re able to take in emergency cases like Angelo and continue to act as the safety net for pets in need right here in Austin and across Texas. We’re happy to share that Angelo has received treatment and is in a loving foster home until he gets adopted.
Aleia and her son (who you may recognize from our episode of “That Animal Rescue Show”) are currently fostering Angelo.
“I was reached out to by the clinic and [they] asked if I would be willing to help out with him because he is a special needs case,” said Aleia. “We do a lot of hospice fostering and palliative care. It worked out well. He has assimilated into the home, no problem. He’s good with cats, good with dogs. He really just wants to be on his blanket sleeping most of the time, that works out really well. He’s just a sweet guy which makes it very easy.”
Austin never would have reached 10 years of No Kill without everyday heroes like Rocio and Burt. If Rocio and Burt hadn’t decided to attend the early service that Sunday morning, Angelo may have never gotten the chance to find a loving home. We need you to join Rocio and Burt to fight for No Kill to stay in Austin so pets like Angelo get the same chances as healthy pets by making a gift today.
With our No Kill future at risk more now than ever before, these stories remind us of why we do this work. Why we save the animals that have nowhere else to go.
Sunday mornings are Bart and Rocio’s only day to sleep in.
Sunday, June 27 started like any other Sunday morning. Around 9 a.m. the couple decided to attend the early church service rather than their usual late morning service.
Driving down windy roads just northwest of Austin, the couple was coming down a hill when they spotted Angelo. Rocio slammed on the brakes when she saw a small animal in the middle of the road. As they got closer to Angelo, they could tell it was a dog — a severely injured dog.
With one look, it was painfully obvious that Angelo had been on his own for weeks. With ribs and backbone showing, his malnourishment was evident.
“The worst part was the massive wounds to his face,” Bart said. “I consider myself to be a bit of a tough guy. I have taught martial arts for over 30 years, but at that moment I could not stop the tears. My heart was torn out of my chest as I wondered who would leave a dog out here. Why? As I looked at Angelo’s massive injuries, all I saw was a sweet, loving, beautiful dog.”
Rocio rushed to get food, water, and blankets while Burt sat with Angelo, stroking his back and letting him know he was safe. “No more nights alone in the woods,” Bart said.
Once Rocio returned with supplies, Angelo attacked a bowl of water as if he was dying from thirst, but refused to eat anything. Rocio and Bart knew Angelo needed emergency medical care.
After arriving at a local animal hospital that did not take emergencies, Rocio and Bart drove around town desperate to find a vet that could care for Angelo.
At an emergency vet clinic, Rocio and Bart said that they would claim responsibility for the expenses of Angelo’s care. After examining Angelo for 30 minutes, a veterinarian came back and said that because Angelo was not their dog and his care would cost thousands, the clinic could not help.
“My heart sank,” said Bart. “We could tell [that the veterinarian’s] hands were tied.”
In the parking lot of the clinic, Bart asked someone for advice on where to take Angelo. The person led the couple to Austin Pets Alive!.
“She said that was the place she would go, even though she knew APA! doesn’t take dogs from the public,” said Bart.
Bart and Rocio pulled up to our Town Lake Animal Center location and met with a vet technician. She also shared that we do not take animals from the public and recommended Emancipet, but warned they have a 24 hour waiting period. Bart shared that he didn’t believe Angelo would make it another 24 hours without care.
This response prompted the technician to come and see Angelo. After spotting the wounds on his face, she hurried him inside the clinic.
“Up to this point, we were not sure where to turn. It had been such an emotional morning,” said Bart.
The technician came out and said that the veterinarians and APA! had agreed to save Angelo.
“We offered to pay what we could and [the technician] said, ‘You already have. You saved Angelo.,’” Bart said. “We both believe that we were put there for a reason that morning, and that reason was to be there to help save this beautiful creature.”
Thanks to our incredible P.A.S.S. (Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender) program, we’re able to take in emergency cases like Angelo and continue to act as the safety net for pets in need right here in Austin and across Texas. We’re happy to share that Angelo has received treatment and is in a loving foster home until he gets adopted.
Aleia and her son (who you may recognize from our episode of “That Animal Rescue Show”) are currently fostering Angelo.
“I was reached out to by the clinic and [they] asked if I would be willing to help out with him because he is a special needs case,” said Aleia. “We do a lot of hospice fostering and palliative care. It worked out well. He has assimilated into the home, no problem. He’s good with cats, good with dogs. He really just wants to be on his blanket sleeping most of the time, that works out really well. He’s just a sweet guy which makes it very easy.”
Austin never would have reached 10 years of No Kill without everyday heroes like Rocio and Burt. If Rocio and Burt hadn’t decided to attend the early service that Sunday morning, Angelo may have never gotten the chance to find a loving home. We need you to join Rocio and Burt to fight for No Kill to stay in Austin so pets like Angelo get the same chances as healthy pets by making a gift today.
With our No Kill future at risk more now than ever before, we need your help TWICE as much to keep Austin No Kill. Give today and double your impact for pets in need just like Angelo.
Do you have an incredible rescue story like this? Keep up with our social media for your chance to tell us your story!
When Hurricane Harvey devastated much of Texas and Louisiana in 2017, the APA! community leaped into action with the goal of evacuating and saving as many lives as possible.
Thanks to the amazing support that we received from donors, fosters, volunteers, and the APA! community both near and far – you! – we were able to transport over 5,000 animals to safety, stand up three temporary shelters, gratefully accept truckloads of donations, and record nearly 30,000 volunteer hours.
But the impact of Harvey didn’t end in 2017. It only just began for the thousands of adopters that added new additions to their families. This included Patrick and Lauren. Just recently engaged, the couple took the opportunity to grow their family while helping pets in need.
“It was my birthday,” said Lauren. “He [Patrick] has this habit of sending me pictures with no explanations and then I have to guess why he’s sending it to me. On my birthday he sent me a picture of a dog in a crate and it got me really excited. I thought he had gotten me a dog for my birthday. When I found out he was just sending a picture of a cute dog, I got really upset.”
But when Lauren mentioned that APA! was rescuing thousands of cats and dogs from Houston and surrounding areas prior to and following Hurricane Harvey, the next day Patrick snuck out of the house and headed to APA!.
That’s when Patrick first laid eyes on Wren.
“I’m afraid she may have been in a hoarding situation or with someone who was trying to turn her into a hunting dog…going through that process and maybe she didn’t take. Maybe they saw the hurricane as an opportunity to ditch her,” Patrick said.
For Patrick and Lauren, saving Wren was also about starting a family.
“I love Wrennie,” said Joey, Patrick and Lauren’s two-year-old daughter, with a hiccup. Joey gave Wren that name as soon as she could talk. They’ve been best friends since the start.
“It’s been interesting because when we first adopted Wren, she was our only family,” said Patrick. “She was all of our attention and spare time. It’s been really interesting to see the family grow around her, see the dynamics change and see how she’s adapted and adjusted to not being the boss of everything, even though she still thinks she is. She’s always been very maternal. She’s been good with kids.”
From being stranded among the floodwater from Harvey to a loving home complete with a young friend to play with, Wren is just one of the thousands of lives that have been saved by everyday people looking to make a difference.
“I understood the need to adopt because there are so many dogs out there that need rehoming. I don’t think I would ever do anything differently now,” Lauren said.
“I always thought that if I got a dog, I would get a shelter dog. I don’t like the idea of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on something that comes from a puppy mill or breeding facility,” said Patrick. “When Harvey came along it felt good to try to help a cause. I would do it again.”
Patrick & Lauren: we’ll be here, waiting for when y’all are ready to adopt all over again. Adopters like Patrick and Lauren are just some of the people who have made our #NoKillDecade possible. You can join the No Kill movement by making a gift today to ensure another 10 years of lifesaving. Thanks to an anonymous board member, all gifts will be DOUBLED, up to $10K!
Want to share your experience with Hurricane Harvey? Whatever your APA! story is, we want to hear it. Interact with all of our social posts this week to tell us your story using #NoKillDecade.
“His determination to overcome a horrific past and his pure will to reject the aid of a wheelchair was the point that sealed the deal.”
Sweet, friendly, and now full of energy, you’d never guess Lasagna had a traumatic, rough first year of life. As a young pup, Lasagna came to Austin Pets Alive! paralyzed, likely from a gunshot wound. He was unable to bring his back legs underneath him and could not bear weight. Stranger to houses, as he had never been in one, Lasagna simply wanted a home where he could live a fun, comfortable life that every dog deserves. What Lasagna didn’t know is that his soon-to-be foster dad would do everything in his power to find him just that.
Lasagna’s foster dad, Jeffrey, was not a marketing guru, but he did his best to ensure Lasagna got the life he deserved. What we really should be asking is, “What didn’t Jeffrey do?” Jeffrey posted regular Facebook updates, created an Instagram account, submitted photos for Lasanga’s APA! bio, taught himself how to use hashtags, had Lasagna featured in mobility-challenged pup marketing, had Lasagna in a workshop covered by KXAN, and even snuck Lasagna into a dog showoff sponsored by Tito’s! With rapid succession, Lasagna had 3 adoption inquiries in a short amount of time!
One potential adopter mentioned he liked how Lasagna “tossed his wheelchair aside and decided to push through learning to walk instead.” Lasagna continued to face adversity with 4 pressure ulcers on his hind leg and paws and contracting tapeworm, which led to starvation and a behavior shift. But he persevered, and grew into the nickname “Wags” because of how much he wagged his tail! Jeffrey and Lasagna faced the challenges head-on and Jeffrey noted that Lasagna “loves like no creature I’ve seen before.”
Enter Richard, a man who was ready to find his new best friend. After browsing several dog profiles, the behavior team at APA! recommended Lasagna to Richard. He LOVED Lasagna’s Instagram account. He recalls Lasagna’s story as “heartbreaking but even more so inspiring. This is how my granddaughter came to name him MAGNAR which translates to “survivor.”After a successful meet-and-greet with Lasagna, now Magnar, and foster Jeffrey, they were sold. Magnar has improved greatly as he is now able to clear a 12-step flight of stairs with no issue!
Strong and brave, Magnar — appropriately named — overcame his rocky start to life. He’s happy to finally have a place to call home. Fosters and adopters play such an important role in giving our medical animals at APA! a chance at life. Consider being a lifeline to a pet in need by becoming a foster today. It can really turn their life around — just look at Magnar.
When the winter storm hit a few months back, a lot of shelters in Texas were facing one of the hardest decisions they had to make. They needed to get their animals out to a safe shelter or be left with the choice that no shelter ever wants to make, euthanasia. A lot of these shelters are in rural parts of the state where the kennels are outside and their access to resources is always limited, especially during a weather crisis. That is when Austin Pets Alive! and our national division, American Pets Alive!, sprang into action.We made it our mission to get 1,000 pets out of Texas safely to shelters all across the United States. In a matter of just four weeks, we hit our goal with our 1,000th pet being an adorable cat named Charlie.
Charlie traveled all the way from Loredo, TX to KC Pet Project in Kansas. His journey up north was made special by having a first-class seat in a private plane flown by our volunteer pilot friend, David Nelson. Once he landed at KC Pet Project, it was only a matter of days until he found his forever home. We took a moment to hear from his adopter, Kathryn, to see how our 1,000th pet is doing.
It turns out that Kathryn and her husband are both originally from Texas so adopting Charlie who came from Texas as well felt like it was a perfect fit. “We felt like he was our cat from the moment we saw him. Knowing we came from the same place just cemented that feeling.”
You might be wondering what made them choose KC Pet Project and why they felt now was the right time to adopt. It turns out after mourning the cat that they had for over 18 years who died in 2020, they were ready to bring another family member into their life in 2021. They are an “adopt don’t shop” type of family so Kathryn said going to KC Pet Project was a no-brainer. “Their mission and their compassion made them the perfect place for us.”
“Charlie (as my husband and I call him), “Fluffy Ball”(as my 5 YO calls him), is full of energy and has brought a lot of humor to our house,” Kathryn gushed when asked about what their family loves about Charlie. “As a 7-month-old cat, he bounces around the house constantly, nipping at our legs when we walk by, chasing toys and balls, jumping on beds… so that has been a source of enjoyment for all of us. He is also extremely gentle and patient with our daughter. She gets in his face, kisses him constantly, follows him around, and he is totally gentle with her and never seems to get tired of her attention.”
It’s clear that Charlie is now living the good life with his new family in Kansas City, surrounded by love and affection every single day. It’s heartbreaking to think what his future would have been if he didn’t get the chance to be transported to KC Pet Project, which is why Kathryn wanted to leave you all with this message. “Adopt, don’t shop! There are so many wonderful animals that need a good home. Also, VOLUNTEER! KC Pet Project has wonderful volunteers and plenty of opportunities for individuals and families to volunteer at their beautiful facilities. Make it your mission to make a difference in animals’ lives, whether through adoption or volunteering at the organizations who help them.”
Austin Pets Alive! is always in need of volunteers, and there are various ways you can do so! From walking dogs to feeding bottle baby kittens, to even transporting pets like Charlie from rural shelters to our doors here in Austin; the list is endless. If you are reading this from the Kansas City area, you can find all of KC Pet Project’s volunteer information on their website as well. We wish Charlie a happily ever after with his new family!
