It’s so important to me to give every vulnerable animal the chance at life they deserve. That’s why APA!’s No Kill mission is at the heart of everything I do, even at home. When my own pup Echo came to APA! during Hurricane Harvey, she and her brother had distemper, a dangerous virus with symptoms like tremors, lethargy, and fever.
Echo’s brother sadly passed away shortly after arriving at APA!, but
Echo has been by my side ever since. If Echo had stayed much longer in
another city without the resources to give her the round-the-clock care
and mobility support she needed, she might not have grown up into the
talkative companion she is today. Needless euthanasia is still an unfortunate reality for pets like Echo in cities that haven’t adopted No Kill yet.
Without APA!’s experience and passion for saving pets like Echo,
animals with severe illnesses or injuries might have nowhere to turn.
Because of the lifesaving and innovative programs pioneered here
(including for dogs with distemper!), vulnerable pets have a shot at
recovery and the life they deserve. We can only save animals in need and give them the chance to thrive in loving homes because of the support of friends like you!
I fostered Echo as she battled the virus, which left her paralyzed at just 8 weeks old. Echo
was sick during her critical growth phases as a puppy and still lives
with the lasting effects of her fight with distemper. Her front leg
sticks out to the side but she can scoot around the yard faster than
many dogs with 4 fully functioning legs! She has a cart that helps give
her limbs a rest from being laid on. All this means that, despite her
rough start to life,Echo’s routine just looks a little different than it might for other dogs!
So many vulnerable animals like her just need some extra love and care
to survive and thrive. When you support APA!’s lifesaving programs
today,you’ll help pets like Echo survive tough battles with illness and injury.
Paddle for Puppies is back on May 15th and better than ever! Paddle for Puppies, an annual event presented by Austin Subaru, provides incredible support for our Parvo Puppy ICU Program at Austin Pets Alive!.
Our Parvo Puppy ICU cares for puppies that contract canine parvovirus, a highly contagious and life-threatening virus that increases their risk for euthanasia in certain shelters. In 2021 alone, a record-breaking 963 lives were saved from the Parvo Puppy ICU. That’s 400 more puppies than we saved in 2020 – this program is expanding by the minute!
One of the puppies saved so far in 2022 was named Rover. Rover is a very special puppy. Apart from being a parvo survivor and having precious droopy ears that stole everyone’s hearts, Rover was the 100,000th life saved at APA!.
Needless to say, Rover’s adoption was quick. He really did steal everyone’s hearts, including Timothy and Katherine Shook’s. The Shooks were Rover’s perfect match for a couple of reasons. First, they’re great pet parents. Second, Timothy just so happens to be APA!’s main point of contact with Austin Subaru who puts on Paddle for Puppies. They are one of the largest supporters of the very same program that saved Rover’s life.
Today, months later, Rover Shook is happy at home and, from what we hear, has been a great addition to their family. Just take a look at some of what they had to say:
What is your favorite quality about Rover?
“Our favorite quality of Rover’s is his playfulness; he loves chewing on hands, blankets, pillows – anything he can get his teeth on. He chases us as we walk and bites at our shoes, and he has enjoyed a few games of ‘Attack the Swiffer.’”
How does it feel knowing you had a part in saving Rover’s life?
“Having a puppy whose life would’ve been cut short without the APA! parvo facility keeps us very grounded. We are so grateful that Rover was able to receive treatment, and we were able to help support the parvo ICU and the staff that keep the unit running.”
What do you want people to know about APA!?
“We would love for people to know that APA! has saved over 100,000 lives and is working on a national initiative to increase the number of lives they’re able to save.
Thank you Austin Subaru, for supporting our Parvo Puppy ICU that helps save pets like Rover. Thank you Shook family, for giving Rover a home. Thank you to our APA! community for all of your support that helps make stories like Rover’s possible. And lastly, thank you Rover for being so darn cute, and for being the face of this year’s Paddle for Puppies!
This year’s Paddle for Puppies is taking place on May 15 from 6:45-10:00 AM at the Rowing Dock. We hope to see you there! You’ll also receive a special t-shirt featuring Rover when you sign up. Register today to paddle and save a puppy’s life: https://www.paddleforpuppies.com/
Elton was born in Bastrop, Texas, and was brought to their shelter when he was just a baby. When he was rescued, it was soon found out that Elton had a very severe case of Parvovirus and almost did not survive. Our Parvo ICU took him in and saved Elton from these terrible circumstances.
Parvo is a canine life-threatening virus that rapidly infects the dividing cells in a dog’s body, most severely in the intestinal tract. The virus is highly contagious and resistant and can survive in the ground for up to a year. Many symptoms of the virus are lethargy, vomiting, loss of appetite, and diarrhea. These symptoms can lead to very harmful dehydration.
The best way to prevent Parvo as it is most susceptible to young puppies is vaccination. Vaccines are very important to prevent your pup from this virus.
Since APA! opened its Parvo Puppy ICU back in 2008, we’ve saved nearly 8,000 lives! We are proud to say we have an 88% save rate in the ICU. Before when these dogs were immediately euthanized in the shelter, they now get to go on and live long and healthy lives like Elton is doing!
As Elton was cleared and looking for an adoptive family or foster home, the Reynolds family was new to Austin and decided they wanted a new friend while also wanting to save a pup’s life. They came to APA!, fell in love with Elton, and adopted him in September of 2021. He is now a happy boy living in a warm, loving home with his adopter and the transformation this boy has received is amazing! The Reynolds family gushed, “Elton is a sweet gentle boy. He is our best friend. We never knew could love anything the way we love him.”
When you #AmplifyLifesaving for APA!, you allow us to help and save more pups like Elton and continue with our Parvo ICU so we can care for pups infected with this terrible virus. Every donation will be doubled to help save more lives! Will you #AmplifyLifesaving today?
Eugene was just one month old when he was surrendered to the APA! Parvo Puppy ICU fighting for his life.
#AmplifyLifesaving today and ensure pets just like Eugene get a fighting chance.
Lucy Fernandez spends her Fridays volunteering in the parvo ward when she is not working with the Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender (P.A.S.S.) program. One Friday, Eugene came “in bad shape.” Unlike a normal, bright, energetic puppy, Eugene was lethargic. “When they’re lethargic like that,” Lucy said, “it’s bad news.”
Lucy was holding Eugene while the Parvo staff administered fluids and right before her eyes, Eugene stopped breathing. His head went limp and “he died in my hands.” Parvo and clinic staff jumped into action to put a line in Eugene’s neck and do everything possible to bring him back to life. “It seemed like an hour,” Lucy said. “But it was only a few minutes.”
Miraculously, Eugene started breathing again. “I just bawled,” Lucy said. “He wasn’t even named when all of that happened.”
After several days of treatment and worrying about the squishy pup, Eugene started eating again. Parvovirus can be prevented altogether with proper vaccination in young puppies. But without proactive care, parvovirus is extremely contagious and many shelters do not have the space or resources to quarantine and treat patients. At APA!, we take pride in our 88.5% parvo puppy survival rate!
“What we do is not perfect,” she said. “But it’s a miracle.”
Eugene has been discharged from the Parvo ICU and is in a loving foster home where he’ll stay until he’s available for adoption. Without your support of our lifesaving programs like the Parvo Puppy ICU, we never would’ve been able to treat the 1,087 parvo puppies in 2021.
Each one of those lives is special but sometimes a little furry friend climbs into our hearts. One of those feline friends is named Jersey Bagel.
When we first met Jersey Bagel it quickly became clear that her back two paws were in serious need of medical care. Jersey Bagel’s paws were terribly infected and the pain quickly became overwhelming for her fragile body. Our vets knew we needed to act quickly. APA! lept into action and after a double amputation, Jersey Bagel wasn’t doing well in the shelter. She stopped eating, drinking and couldn’t seem to relax. We reached out to one of our most committed fosters, Allie Wassel, to help Jersey Bagel transition to a home so she could have the best chance at recovery.
Check out what Allie had to say about her new roommate, Jersey Bagel!
What has been your favorite moment with Jersey Bagel?
When I brought her home, she stretched out on all her blankets and just started purring. She was so clearly happy to be out of the shelter and it was heartwarming to see her so relaxed and comfortable.
Why do you love fostering with APA!?
I remember exactly where I was when I decided to foster her. I was on a plane, and I got a text from a care team member that we were starting to have quality of life talks about Jersey Bagel. Our vets had fixed her feetsies, but she wouldn’t eat in the shelter, wasn’t healing and was absolutely miserable. I frantically reached out that I would foster her as soon as I got home. When I brought her home she immediately started eating and relaxed, she just hated the shelter THAT much. It’s for cats like Jersey Bagel that fostering makes all the difference.
What do you think would have happened to Jersey Bagel without APA!’s help?
Jersey Bagel is FeLV positive (Feline Leukemia Virus), ringworm positive and a double amputee. Therefore, she needed some pretty intense wound care. I padded my entire guest bathroom with blankets, yoga mats and made a special litter box for her “nubs” while they healed. I imagine many other shelters would have euthanized her for simply being FeLV+ before even considering other complications she came with.
(FeLV or Feline Leukemia Virus is often a death sentence in traditional shelters despite cats with FeLV being able to live for many happy years)
How do monthly donations from members help animals like Jersey Bagel have a second chance to thrive?
Your monthly donations make sure that our clinic has the funds to do special surgeries for kitties like Jersey, and all the follow-up medications she was on for weeks. We spent weeks on different medications trying to get her paws better before they had to make the unfortunate call to amputate both her back paws. But I am happy to say that after two months of healing, both her nubbins look great and she is a perfect kitty!
Jersey Bagel is currently available for adoption! If you have the space in your home for this wild girl, please reach out!
By becoming a Constant Companion today, you can help APA! reach our goal of 100,000 lives saved and grow to care for the next 100,000 animals in need. Because if there is one thing we know for sure, there will always be animals in need of our care and our love.
There is a lot that can be said for this time of year!
The holiday season is a time filled with love and joy, friends and family, busy calendars full of festive get-togethers, and cozy evenings at home wrapped in blankets. And at Austin Pets Alive! this is the busiest time of the year for our fundraising which is why we’re so grateful for Subaru’s Share The Love event!
This holiday season marks Subaru’s 14th Share the Love event and since 2015 Austin Subaru has selected APA! as their hometown charity, raising more than $300,000 over the years to support our lifesaving mission!
Share the Love takes place from November 18 – January 3rd. Hometown charities receive $250 for any new or leased vehicle sold during this time! And Austin Subaru adds some additional donations as well, such as donating $5 for every vehicle serviced during the Share the Love period!
This fundraiser goes a long way for our organization. To name just a few things that we can accomplish with Austin Subaru’s Share the Love support:
$1,000 — Purchases a new IV pump to keep puppies hydrated and alive as they fight Parvovirus.
$500 — Supports maintenance and repair of current IV pumps.
$225 — Provides immune-boosting IV Vitamin C for three puppies.
$100 — Provides intake vaccinations, dewormers, and spay/neuter for one puppy.
Each year, APA! brings more animals into our care, who otherwise, wouldn’t have had a chance at life. The support we receive from community partners like Austin Subaru makes all the difference to help the animals most at risk.
Pets like Legacy can find their loving homes because of community partner fundraising like Austin Subaru’s Share the Love event! Legacy who was actually named for Austin Subaru came into our care in early 2021. He’s worked with our behavior team to learn skills that will help him find a home that fits his personality and that can offer him the continued support he needs.
Join us in thanking our long-time and loyal supporters, Austin Subaru, for their hard work, generosity, and dedication to serving our community well!
Together with you, we have the opportunity to share so many stories here at APA!.
Your love of the pets with the greatest needs inspires us to continue saving lives every single day. Today, we wanted to share one of YOUR stories.
Alyson and her partner visited APA! just two weeks after moving to Austin. “I was insistent on getting an adult or senior cat,” said Alyson. “At the time, that meant between ages five and 10, a cat that was calm and liked cuddles as much as me. Those were the parameters I relayed to the APA! worker, who immediately directed me towards Roscoe.”
“I sat on the bench in the group cage. Roscoe was almost invisible in the back corner of the only cubby. After knowing Roscoe, I realized it was because of his missing claws, he felt extremely vulnerable with other cats. But I sat next to the entrance and began to softly stroke his cheek. He crawled out slowly, rested half of his 16-lb self on my leg, and lightly purred. It was quiet and comforting; it was what I wanted. I don’t remember how many cats I met that day, but I remember knowing that he was mine.”
“Roscoe beyond everything was simply the ideal companion. We bought him a backpack, in which we would take him on trail rides and harnessed walks through the summer heat. We enjoyed watching him explore the cypress roots and the waterfronts.”
“I will never know whether it was the wisdom of age or his personality that made him such an emotive companion. We had bright days, cuddles on the couch, and danced in the kitchen. But he also held space for us in times of darkness. His patience lasted for a time when I stopped going to work. He slept on my arm as I scrolled through the devastating news. He fell asleep next to me when my fiancé went home to Slovenia, and Roscoe and I were left alone in that little apartment, to fend for ourselves in times of fear and death. Even though the emptiness of that house was harrowing, his afternoon cries for playtime, and evening snores brought me a sense of steadiness and purpose. He reminded me every day that there was a reason to stay alive and to keep moving through the routines.”
“Roscoe loved me unconditionally.Through the sleepless nights of nothingness, through the complete dismantlement of our home; through the angry phone calls and my stress pacing as I quit my job”
“To his last days, he never wanted to be apart from us. Even when he felt tired, sick, and scared, he never hid. Until his last heartbeats, I never doubted that he loved me. And as hard as we fought to save him, he fought equally hard to keep going. The last thing I said to him was, “thank you,” for his companionship, strength, and effortless love that he gave me in the two years of chaos, excitement, and change. I told him he could let go. We would be okay. I would be okay.”
“I chose to donate to Austin Pets Alive! as a thank you for giving me the gift of friendship and purpose. In the days following his passing, I was looking for ways to memorialize lost pets. One of the first recommendations was donating to an organization in their honor, and making even a small donation to his previous caretakers was the first thing I knew I had to do. Roscoe was my dearest friend, and I am grateful for the two and a half years that I spent with him. I have never forgotten where he came from and Austin Pets Alive! was always featured in the story I would retell to anyone who would listen.”
“I was sometimes questioned about my decision to adopt an elderly cat. But it was a decision I never once regretted. I know there are more animals like him in your care, and I want them to know that I love them, too.”
In September of this year, a fire at a pet boarding facility north of Austin tragically took the lives of 75 dogs in the middle of the night.
Just days earlier, an overnight fire took nearly two dozen feline lives at a shelter in Florida. As much as we wish they were, these are not isolated cases. From natural causes like lightning and heat waves to accidents like electrical shorts, the causes of fire are innumerable.
At Austin Pets Alive!, we are ever vigilant and hyper-aware of the devastating effects of fire. We know that the number one way to prevent these catastrophic events is proper sprinkler systems and alarms. We have installed alarms that alert leadership upon activation, and cameras that enable us to view our facilities remotely, but we are not able to install an automatic sprinkler system due to the low water pressure available for us.
The next best thing is for us to have someone onsite 24/7 to monitor for any warning signs of fire and act immediately so that we don’t lose time moving animals to safety. The Humane Society of the United States agrees, recommending that “the shelter is left unmanned as little as possible.”
This is where we need YOU! We are in need of adding staff willing to work overnight 3-4 days a week. Ideally, we would love to have someone onsite who can assist with basic medical care as well. We are willing to train you! Apply to join our lifesaving operations and help protect APA! animals overnight by clicking here or emailing [email protected].
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.
It was a day like any other when a woman came into a local pet supply store and started talking to the staff.
She was crippled with worry about a little kitten in her neighborhood that was the last one left from a litter of outdoor cats. You see, this kitten wasn’t like the others. He was severely malnourished and paralyzed in his lower half, unable to control his bladder and bowels, and left to fend for himself.
The staff member went home to her girlfriend Cara, an avid animal rescuer, and told her the situation. They knew they needed to help because this life couldn’t help itself. So off they went to scoop up a little kitten they named Frankie. Cara wrote on the first day, “He can still move his legs but they are disfigured – we are hoping just from malnutrition and that they can be fixed. He had more fleas than I’ve ever seen on a kitten from all my years of animal rescue.”
When Frankie was examined, it was inconclusive as to what was causing his paralysis. What we do know is that Frankie was not born this way. His prior owner said, “One day he just seized up and never walked again.” Cara focused her energy on making Frankie stronger by making sure he was getting the nourishment and medicine he needed, fitting him for diapers for his incontinence, clearing him of his fleas, and building him a PVC cart so he can gain strength in his limbs. “He may never walk again but it won’t stop him from living a long, happy, healthy life with the right family.”
Cara got in contact with the Austin Pets Alive! P.A.S.S. (Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender) program to figure out how she could help without surrendering Frankie to a shelter. APA! gave her the tools she needed to care for him as she fostered him until adoption.
Frankie fit right in with Cara’s clan, particularly loving cuddling up to her foster sibling dogs.
Three weeks ago Cara wrote, “The perfect home for Frankie is out there, and what a lucky family they’ll be. We just have to find them,” and that she did. After 62 days, we’re thrilled to report he’s found the family to love him unconditionally, differently-abled legs and all.
When animals are paralyzed, they often are incontinent. Historically, incontinent cats were euthanized immediately at the shelter with the belief that no one would want them. We’ve proved time and time again that’s not true. “APA! has adopted out 13 incontinent kitties so far this year. Many of these cats went to first-time incontinent cat adopters”, says Allie Wassel, our Cat Matchmaker Team Lead. “Thanks to dedication from our fosters, marketing, and clinic team, we are continuing to educate the public about how manageable and adoptable these cats are!”
Your gift this Giving Tuesday helps save lives like Frankie’s. With all gifts doubled, up to $100k, until December 31st, you can have double the impact on pets like Frankie. At seven weeks old he was left alone, immobile, and diminishing day by day. But together with you, and advocates like Cara, these pets get the chance to find their people, who will love them unconditionally. Give the gift of hope this holiday season and donate today.
Extremely underweight and sick, Alvie was found on the front porch of an abandoned home.
This two-year-old boy has a chronic GI disease causing emaciation and needs intense treatment. He’s currently being treated in our clinic where we can monitor his progress. Throughout everything he’s endured, he’s never lost his sweet nature. Always wagging his tail and offering licks when you come to see him. Animals prove time and time again that they will not give up hope. We promise to never give up hope either. With your support, Alvie and pets like him will continue to get the care they need.
Your donation today has double the impact thanks to a group of generous donors who are matching every gift between now and December 31, up to $100K! Don’t wait to double your impact for pets like Alvie!
“I can’t say for sure honestly if he’s going to be okay,” said APA! veterinarian Dr. Ratnayaka. Alvie is on about 12 different medications for GI comfort, antifungal treatment, and antibiotics. We just received test results that confirm Alvie has pythiosis. Pythiosis is a water-borne infection that causes extreme weight loss, diarrhea, and vomiting. With every single one of his bones poking through his skin, we’re happy to at least have some answers to what’s causing this so that we can move forward with treatment.
“I adopted my first kitten, now an 8-year-old cat, at a PetSmart adoption event in June 2013.
I was struggling with depression and trying to push my way through grad school and Lancelot has been helping me with his affection from our union.”
“Fast forward a few more years and I once again turned toward kittens as a way to help me with my mental health. In 2018, I was struggling with another depressive spell but this time turned to volunteering with APA!. I started off in the ringworm cattery before figuring out how to volunteer in the neonatal nursery. I really wanted to focus on the nurturing of kittens to mirror self-care.”
For many of us, self-care and mental health came into focus during the Coronavirus Pandemic, and for us Texans, during Winter Storm Uri. When Winter Storm Uri hit Texas in mid-February this year, it leftover four million people out of power and water for days. Temperatures got down to historically low single digits, and there was widespread loss of internet and cell phone reception.
In our work, lives are on the line every day. When disasters like Uri hit, it takes a village to ensure no companions’ lives are lost — no matter the circumstances. Luckily, we have people like Kimberley on our side.
“I was on my second kitten of the year when Winter Storm Uri hit,” said Kimberley. “I had an adorable 7-week old orange kitten named Finn when I lost electricity.
For three days straight he spent the majority of the time in bed with me curled up next to my chest while I was under five blankets. My older cats were on top of the blankets surrounding us. No heating pad or warm gruel during this storm. I was totally iced in.”
“I went to my car a few times in an attempt to charge my phone and had the heat on to try to keep him warmer. Prior to my in-laws taking me and all four felines in where they had electricity, I did fear he was starting to fade on me.”
Neonates, kittens from birth to six weeks of age, are often bottle-fed every few hours and often kept on heating pads during normal temperatures. Caring for Finn during Winter Storm Uri quickly became a life-or-death situation.
To perk him up, Kimberley knew she had to make warm sugar water for him to drink. But with no electricity and no running water, this wasn’t going to be easy. Luckily, Kimberley saved some clean water prior to the boiling order and was able to make the concoction with room temperature water — though room temperature was about 26 degrees.
“It was terrifying trying to keep him warm and not suffocate him as he burrowed up against my chest, sometimes inside my jacket after coming out to eat or use the litter box,” said Kimberley. “He was a trooper though.”
Despite being without power for 48 hours and without water for 72 hours, our shelter remained operational. We mobilized to place 90 percent of our population in foster homes, and our fosters were more vital than ever. Nothing stopped our teams from saving lives and placing pets in forever homes.
“I didn’t even have a halfway charged phone prior to losing power and had spotty signals at best. Yet the adoption team still managed to send me adoption requests, despite the challenges we all faced in Austin. I recall replying to two potential adopters when I had maybe 5 percent battery and trying to set up future Zoom meet and greets.” said Kimberley. “In the end, Finn did go to one of those potential adopters.”
“It was a horrible situation, but I can assure you the off-site volunteers and all of us fosters were doing our best to keep the animals alive and continuing our darndest to further Austin’s goal of No Kill. We did our best to keep the animals alive with what little resources we had without electricity.”
“At this point, I’ve taken in 64 kittens in my four kitten seasons. Of the 21 I’ve had so far this season, 4 have been through the P.A.S.S. program. The majority of my kittens have had ringworm and I do my best to inform people that ringworm is not a reason to reject an otherwise healthy animal. I hope to continue saving kittens and adding joy to other people’s lives with my fosters.”
“I truly consider myself a social worker for both humans and cats.”
Without lifesavers and advocates like Kimberley, APA! companions may have been lost during the winter storm. We need you to join Kimberley to fight for No Kill to stay in Austin so pets like Finn and all of Kimberley’s kitties 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 companions in need.
What’s your Winter Storm Uri story? Interact with our posts on social media TODAY for your last chance to be featured!
“With the recent passing of my dog Layla, I felt compelled to tell you about our story together.”
“This letter is as much for me as it is to document a life that was so filled with value, love, and lessons about relationships and respect.
I am beyond grateful to have had this amazing dog in my life.”
“Layla was my most challenging pet. She was very different yet I learned so much from her. She made me a much better dog mom, teacher, and human being.
She was our first rescue dog. We adopted her from APA! over 12 years ago on South Congress while we had family visiting for Thanksgiving. She came with the name “Poppy.”
“She came with a bag of medicine and some loving care instructions. She was quite sick and required a great deal of extra attention. She spent the first months of her life in our master bathroom because she was a pretty sick little puppy.
I thought I was not up for the challenge but with phone support and kindness from Dr. Jefferon, and a few wonderful phone counselors, we made it. I am so grateful for the support because I never would have known the amazing experience of truly developing the loving and mutual respect between myself and this wonderful pup.”
“Layla was a different type of dog. I have always had super social dogs – Golden Retrievers and Westies.
They are sweet and pleasing and just want to be with you. They love everyone. Not Layla, she was scared early on and she did not like other dogs so group classes and social events, even walking in heavily populated areas was not for her. She and I learned about each other. I watched her and learned her cues.”
“As an elementary school teacher, I became a better teacher because of Layla. I learned to look for cues and to really watch and learn what she (& my students) needed. I have found there are a lot of Laylas out there. She became my first thought when I had a student that did not get along with others and I stayed patient.
They would be my “Laylas.” I loved her unconditionally and respected her for what she needed and in return, she loved and respected me, even up to the last moment.”
“A few weeks ago, she got very sick and had all the signs of cancer. That last day, one of the hardest days of my life, we went for a ride, her favorite thing to do. I told her how grateful I was to have her in my life and she went for a short walk because that was what she wanted to do. Layla trusted me at the end when I told her to come to lay down on her bed and had a vet put her to sleep on her favorite bed in front of her favorite window.”
“I will forever be grateful for this amazing and loving relationship that I experienced.”
Do you have an APA! companion that made a difference in your life? Don’t wait to interact with us on all social channels to share your story with #NoKillDecade and have the chance to get featured, just like Ilene!
AUSTIN, TX — Tails are wagging at Austin Pets Alive! this summer, as the Central Texas shelter was announced as a winning recipient of one of The Grey Muzzle Organization’s annual grants for the fifth consecutive year.
APA! is one of 77 animal welfare groups chosen from 266 applicants to receive a grant to help local senior dogs. The winning groups received more than $616,000 in grants to help save or improve the lives of at-risk old dogs in their communities.
11-year old Tiana is one of several sweet seniors at APA! who will benefit from this grant. She earned the nickname “Queen of Chairs” from her habit of wanting to try out any chair or comfy piece of furniture she encounters. Tiana came to APA! in January 2020 as an owner surrender, and has been regularly training with the shelter’s Dog Behavior team to set her up for success in a home. This grant from the Grey Muzzle Organization gives dogs like Tiana the support they need to reach for a brighter future.
Tiana
Senior dogs often face an uphill battle finding adopters willing to take on an older pet. Many senior dogs also arrive at shelters with extensive medical needs, such as dental complications and heartworm disease, that most traditional shelters lack the resources to treat. Fortunately, APA!’s specialized programs are able to provide a crucial safety net for older dogs, covering the necessary medical care to improve their quality of life as they wait to find loving homes.
“Senior dogs are the best for so many reasons!” said APA!’s Dog Adoption Manager, Allison Swearingen. “It’s always sad to see them end up in a shelter setting in what should be their golden, easy years; but luckily tons of people are catching on about these well-mannered pups! They already have years of training under their belts and are just looking for a comfy home to spend the rest of their lives in while giving all their love to whomever is lucky enough to rescue them!”
Over the past 13 years, the national nonprofit Grey Muzzle Organization has provided more than $3.1 million in grants to support its vision of “a world where no old dog dies alone and afraid.”
“Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we’re delighted to help deserving organizations like Austin Pets Alive! make a difference in the lives of dogs and people in their communities,” Grey Muzzle’s Executive Director Lisa Lunghofer said. “Many senior dogs in the Austin Area are enjoying their golden years in loving homes thanks to the wonderful work of APA!.”
Christopher was facing a difficult decision, he knew his cat needed medical attention but like so many, he was struggling to afford the ongoing vet bills.
Not wanting to have to surrender his family member to the shelter because of this, he turned to our P.A.S.S. Facebook page which stands for Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender, and asked for help.
Tiger is Christopher’s sweet little orange slice you see here. He was attacked by a dog which left him with open wounds that needed immediate attention. Tiger soon received stitches for his injury with the help of his dad, Christopher. But when the stitches popped and infection set in, Christopher needed help to afford Tiger’s second treatment. The P.A.S.S. community came forward and quickly shared Tiger’s story and donated the funds to help Christopher pay for Tiger’s treatment.
APA’S P.A.S.S. Program (Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender), aims to provide resources and services to Texas residents who are experiencing challenges to keeping their pets with an overall goal of keeping pets out of shelters and providing the people with a safe, judgment-free zone for anyone in need. P.A.S.S. can provide supported self rehoming, emergency medical vet costs, temporary fosters, behavioral/training recommendations, and food/supply distribution.
With the help of the amazing P.A.S.S. community, Tiger was able to receive his second treatment and is now recovering safely at home with Christopher, where he belongs. P.A.S.S. members are continuing to support Christopher by giving him tips and tricks on preventative measures (like cutting up a shirt to put on Tiger to keep him from messing with the stitches) until he’s healed completely.
Lucy, our P.A.S.S. Program Coordinator, found Tiger’s story particularly touching. She stated, “The inspiring part of Tiger’s story (as well as a lot of the successes we see on the page) is how much the community continues to care. The generosity of the shared experience that each case and journey creates always baffles and inspires me.”She and the other moderators of the Facebook page work diligently to keep P.A.S.S. a safe community, free from judgment, so people feel comfortable sharing their stories and can receive the help their pets need.
Lucy believes, “Pets are family so it’s never an easy choice to surrender or rehome.” Thanks to the P.A.S.S. program, Tiger got to stay out of the shelter and with his dad all while getting the treatment he needed to recover.
If you feel inspired to learn about more stories like Tiger and Christoper’s, join the PASS program community Facebook today to help pets like Tiger remain with their families!
Every year, Austin Subaru partners with local nonprofits for their Share the Love campaign held at the end of each year.
We are so honored that Austin Subaru selected Austin Pets Alive! as their hometown charity last year — for the seventh year in a row! We can all agree that 2020 proved to be a tough time for so many people. But even through a ravaging pandemic, Austin Subaru persevered and through this cause marketing campaign, raised a significant amount of money — $100,000!
Legacy is ready for adoption!
Year after year, Austin Subaru meets and then exceeds their donation from the year prior. What’s even more impressive, you ask? For the second year in a row, they have raised $100,000 during their Share the Love campaign! Genny Hill, owner at Continental Automotive Group says, “our commitment to APA! allows us to share the love that our team and our guests have for their pets. We are excited to continue this partnership and happy to contribute to an organization that acts on the affection and appreciation we have for our furry friends.”For Austin Pets Alive!, every penny counts. We are able to stretch that money a LONG way. Here are some of the types of work we can do with that donation:
$100 — Provides intake vaccinations, dewormers, and spay/neuter for one puppy.
$225 — Provides immune-boosting IV Vitamin C for three puppies.
$500 — Supports maintenance and repair of current IV pumps.
$1,000 — Purchases a new IV pump to keep puppies hydrated and alive as they fight Parvovirus.
With Austin Subaru’s $100,000, Austin Pets Alive! has the ability to effectively treat and provide the resources to keep our pups alive and well as they fight Parvo. APA! is creating a future where no animal will be unnecessarily euthanized and with generous gifts like that of Austin’s Subaru’s, we’re able to continue to work towards that mission. With every animal who walks through our doors, along with our current animals, APA! will be able to do what we do best — provide lifesaving care and get our furry friends into loving homes!
Our Austin Pets Alive! team, along with the woofs and purrs are so gracious! Thank you to Austin Subaru and their wonderful pet-loving sales team for a successful fu
ndraiser. We love working closely with organizations like Austin Subaru, who truly understand and encompass our no-kill mission and work to advance that undertaking.
Be like Austin Subaru and share the love to keep Austin No Kill.
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!
As you likely know, Austin Pets Alive!’s daily work centers around our mission to end the unnecessary killing of shelter pets, which sounds generic but in reality, is extremely difficult. It means that we purposely take pets in who are either already scheduled or soon to be scheduled to be euthanized. There’s no easy way to categorize these populations of animals as they vary. They can be like the animals we save in deep South Texas, healthy adorable pets with no space to go to like we saw during the ice storm, or the animals who have been chosen for a reason to be killed or eliminated from the population.
It’s the latter group that I’ll speak about here. We realized that the most measurable way to make an impact in ending the killing of shelter pets was to actually intervene at the last second before the animal was facing euthanasia, rather than pull animals into our program who were at the front end of their stay in a shelter. The reason that is important is that many rescue groups have the resources to help animals who are ready for adoption and we found a huge gap in the number of groups who can help the animals at the end of the line, especially en masse in large shelters.
We built our programs around these animals – puppies with parvovirus, bottle babies, cats with ringworm, those with Feline Leukemia, etc. Over time we have been able to expand the limits, beyond the city of Austin, of where we intervene in the deaths of these medical groups of animals. However, for big dogs with significant behavior challenges, it is much harder. We have only been able to intervene in the deaths of the behavior dogs in the city of Austin, Austin Animal Center, because of the expense, time, and difficulty in finding solutions for these dogs.
Just like with medical cases, we know we will lose some but we take them anyway and we try.
If you’d like to read more about Zydeco and the difficult situation we are in, please take time to hear from one of his closest friends and one who’s worked with him the longest, Hana Garner our Dog Behavior Training Manager. Her letter tells his story from start to finish and will offer insight into why we’ve made the decision we have.
As we start to see the light of normalcy return with the release of COVID vaccines, we have a little break from what has felt like back-to-back emergencies to share our plans for the future at Austin Pets Alive!. Our board of directors and executive staff have been working hard on creating and starting to implement our 2021-2023 strategic plan.
This plan brings our mission sharply into focus. If you need a refresher, our mission is to promote and provide the resources, education, and programs needed to eliminate the killing of companion animals. We recognize if we tighten our efforts, forget what we know as our “status quo” and really drill down on all the ways we, as a large lifesaving organization, can physically intervene in the deaths of shelter pets, we can actually find even more ways to save lives with what we have and know. Our eyes are set on making Texas No Kill and we’re not stopping there.
After the recent snowstorm, we got a taste of what the animals are like who are still losing their lives in Texas as we madly transported more than 1,000 of them to other cities that wanted to help. These are sweet cuddly little kittens, small fluffy dogs, labs, huskies and so many more deserving lives that we know from our experience in Austin are among the easiest to save. One story in particular hit home–a sweet little chihuahua mix named Hamilton in Laredo who was scheduled to be killed. He was scooped up for this transport and now is happy and safe in a home in Jackson Hole, WY! We had never thought we could save thousands more per year until now, and dogs like Hamilton deserve our brainstorming and reassessing so that more lives are saved.
Here is some food for thought:
It is estimated that 150,000 animals are still needlessly dying in Texas shelters every year.
In most northern U.S. communities, there is an overabundance of adopters, which is keenly felt by organizations which scramble to find adoptable pets to meet demand.
It costs a fraction of our total per animal to serve as a distributor to shelters and rescues as it does to take them all in and do all the work ourselves before adoption.
So why haven’t we transported out all along? Over the last 12 years, we have steered clear of transport, except during Hurricane Harvey and then only for non-Austin animals, because Austin is the safest community in the country for pets. Sending pets from Austin to anywhere else is inherently more dangerous for them. Unfortunately, that thinking has gotten in the way of us taking a hard look at how we might be able to help pets still dying all over the state. While Austin is safest, only a tiny fraction of the 150,000 animals losing their lives each year in Texas can get into Austin. If we start to think of Austin instead as a pit stop in the journey from one very dangerous place in TX to a much less dangerous place in the north, even if that final destination is not at Austin’s level of No Kill experience, we start to open the door to making Texas No Kill.
You might be thinking, “But taking some of your attention off of Austin-only animals makes you less effective for Austin!” We believe the opposite is true. We know that if we are able to save the masses of Texas lives more efficiently, we can ourselves focus on saving the few that truly need our specialized support more effectively. By helping more cities stop killing, we help more animals join homes both in Austin and beyond. By solving for the reasons animals die on a grander scale than just our own backyard, Austin continues as the beacon of hope for other cities and states. By ensuring that the money entrusted to us to save lives saves as many pets as possible, we give every animal, no matter its lineage, an equitable chance to not die in a shelter without the benefit of someone trying to help.
Transport is one small piece of our strategic future. We will be sharing a lot more in the coming weeks. Thank you for being on this journey with APA! as we continue to push the lifesaving needle.
