Tag: pets

Austin Pets Alive! | P.A.S.S. Program Keeps Families Together

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Aug 16, 2021

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!

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August 16, 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! | Austin Subaru Shares the Love!
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Jun 23, 2021

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.
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June 23, 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! | Heat Safety Tips for Pets
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May 25, 2021

As we Austinites know, Texas summer heat is real – and sweltering hot.

With most summer days reaching at least 90 degrees in Austin, Texas, Austin Pets Alive! is alerting pet owners to exercise caution on these brutally hot days. Temperatures like these can be very dangerous for pets, especially dogs, leading to dehydration and in some cases, death.

As we ease into the summer months, be sure to follow these helpful pointers:
- Check the pavement before going on a walk. Place your hand on it for 10 full seconds. If it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for them. Know the signs – lagging is the number one sign that your dog is too hot.
- Water, water, water! Let your pet go for a swim in cool water and make sure they are staying hydrated. Getting your pet wet is the best way to speed up the cooling process.
- Keep an eye on your pet’s tongue and eyes. Red eyes and a tongue hanging very far out of a dog’s mouth is an indication that they are overheating.
- Limit outdoor activity. Take short walks in shaded areas or consider taking an evening stroll.
- Do NOT leave your pet in the car, not even for a short period of time. Did you know that on a 95-degree day, your car is actually degrees?
There are other summer heat tips that are less commonly heard about but are just as important such as supervising your pet in the pool. To avoid a dangerous situation, consider fencing off or covering your pool for when you aren’t home. Another tip to keep in mind is that when grooming your pet, avoid cutting their hair too short. Their fur helps combat sunburns and regulate body temperature. For these upcoming summer months, pet sunscreen is a great investment – we bet you didn’t know it was a thing!

Dogs most susceptible to heatstroke are overweight dogs, dogs with long fur, short nose dogs, senior dogs, and those who have lung or breathing issues. It’s important to remember that dogs only sweat through their mouth, feet, and ears, which is why they suffer from heat exhaustion faster than humans. So, even though you may be tolerating the heat, your dog may be suffering.

To help keep pet safety top of mind at a popular Austin-outdoor fave location, we’ve posted signage around the trail looping Lady Bird Lake. Thank you to Rocket Banners, a company that generously donated the print of these heat safety signs reminding trail-goers to keep their pets safe. Be on the lookout for those tips and warnings!

Austin Pets Alive! wants to keep all pet lovers informed and our furry friends safe from the ravaging heat! Follow our friendly tips and refer back when needed for a fun, safe summer!

We have an important PSA while we have your attention! While scooping the poop may not seem important, and at times pretty gross, it is crucial to the health and safety of our community. Just to put things into perspective, there are over 250,000 dogs in Austin, which in turn creates 150,000 pounds of poop per day. And now, more than ever before, we each have an obligation to care for, and look after, the health and safety of our neighbors and fellow Austinites. Click here to learn more!
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May 25, 2021
Austin Pets Alive! | Newly Named Petco Love Invests in Lifesaving…

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May 12, 2021

AUSTIN, TX (May 12, 2021) – Austin Pets Alive! announced today a $60,000 grant investment from the newly named Petco Love to support their lifesaving work for animals in Austin.

Petco Love is a nonprofit leading change for pets nationally by harnessing the power of love to make communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since their founding in 1999 as the Petco Foundation, they’ve empowered organizations with $300 million invested to date in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. And, they’ve helped find loving homes for more than 6.5 million pets in partnership with Petco and more than 4,000 organizations, like ours, nationwide.

“Today Petco Love announces an investment in Austin Pets Alive! and hundreds of other organizations as part of our commitment to create a future in which no pet is unnecessarily euthanized,” said Susanne Kogut, President of Petco Love. “Our local investments are only one component. This month, we also launched the first of our national tools to empower all animal lovers to drive lifesaving change right alongside us.”

“We’re overjoyed to be a Petco Love partner this year. Because of Petco Love’s support, Austin Pets Alive! will be able to provide immediate lifesaving care to every pet that comes to our doors from the tiniest lives like our neonatal kittens to our long-stay dogs completing innovative behavior training. Thank you to our friends at Petco Love for helping us on our journey to save 12,000 lives this year,” said Kelly Rowley, Director of Philanthropy at Austin Pets Alive!.

Austin Pets Alive! is a nonprofit organization serving Austin to provide the resources, programs and education needed to eliminate the unnecessary euthanasia of animal companions. Not only has Austin Pets Alive! pioneered the way by converting Austin into a no-kill shelter state, but since 2008, Austin Pets Alive! has saved over 90,000 vulnerable animals at risk of euthanasia at their original shelters.

For more information about Austin Pets Alive!, visit austinpetsalive.org. To learn more about Petco Love, visit petcolove.org.

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About Austin Pets Alive!

Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is a nonprofit animal shelter and rescue organization pioneering comprehensive, innovative programs designed to save the most at-risk homeless companion animals and educate others to do the same through its American Pets Alive! nationwide education and outreach division. A leader in No Kill sheltering in America’s largest No Kill city, APA! helps more than 10,000 dogs and cats annually in Central Texas and beyond get a chance at the life they deserve. To learn more about APA!, visit austinpetsalive.org.

About Petco Love (Formerly Petco Foundation)

Petco Love is a nonprofit changing lives by making communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since our founding in 1999 as the Petco Foundation, we’ve empowered animal welfare organizations by investing $300 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. We’ve helped find loving homes for more than 6.5 million pets in partnership with Petco and organizations nationwide. Today, our love for pets drives us to lead with innovation, creating tools animal lovers need to reunite lost pets, and lead with passion, inspiring and mobilizing communities and our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners to drive lifesaving change alongside us. Is love calling you? Visit petcolove.org or follow at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn to be part of the lifesaving work we’re leading every day.

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May 12, 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! | Where is Charlie Now? Our 1,000th Pet Transport

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Apr 19, 2021

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!

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April 19, 2021
Austin Pets Alive! | Austin FC and Austin Pets Alive! Announce…

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Apr 06, 2021

AUSTIN, TX — Austin FC today announced an innovative community partnership with Austin Pets Alive! to showcase eligible dogs as honorary Austin FC mascots at Q2 Stadium in an effort to raise the profile of dog adoption throughout the region.

The first-of-its-kind honorary mascot partnership will see APA! dogs available for adoption featured as Austin FC honorary mascots at each Austin FC regular season home match throughout the 2021 season. Aligned with Austin’s status as the country’s largest “no-kill” city, Austin FC and Austin Pets Alive! will promote APA!’s rescue, adoption, foster, and volunteerism efforts through this unique community platform.

In support of finding loving homes for adoptable pets available through APA!, Austin FC will provide additional exposure for the featured pets through social media outreach and in-venue activations during each match at Q2 Stadium, including the participation of a dog within the pre-match activations that occurs shortly before kickoff of each match.

“Austin FC’s partnership with APA! is unique in sports yet incredibly authentic in Austin,” said Austin FC President, Andy Loughnane. “By featuring APA! dogs as honorary mascots at Austin FC home matches, our Club and supporters can help at-risk dogs in Austin by introducing them to our dog-loving community.”

“APA! has been fortunate enough to be a part of the Austin community for a little over a decade now,” said Dr. Ellen Jefferson, APA!’s President and CEO. “We’ve grown with this community and are excited to take a seat next to Austin FC and be a part of this new development in such a unique way! This is a really fun adventure to be on!”

“Austin Pets Alive! is beyond honored to join the Austin FC team in such a special way. To be able to highlight the amazing dogs in our care, those that are most at risk for euthanasia, to this audience is really quite a dream. It is our hope to connect with the team and its fans on a deep level and we look forward to cheering for Austin’s team” said Katera Berent, APA!’s PR and Events Manager

Alongside the city’s other shelter systems, APA! supports Austin’s position as a model city for the “No-Kill” movement across the country and internationally. Giving over 90,000 animals a second chance at life over the last decade, APA! believes that every shelter animal in Central Texas and beyond deserves a chance at life. This partnership provides another avenue for APA! to create awareness around the shelter animals available for adoption.

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April 6, 2021
Austin Pets Alive! | A letter from Dr. Jefferson on Zydeco

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Mar 31, 2021

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.

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March 31, 2021
Austin Pets Alive! | The Future of Transport – A Note From Dr. J
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Mar 25, 2021

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.
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March 25, 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! | Texas Pets Alive! Celebrates House Bill 2510 by…

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Mar 15, 2021

AUSTIN, TX – Texas Pets Alive!, Austin Pets Alive!’s advocacy arm, is excited to announce that House Bill 2510, introduced by Representative Candy Noble (R-District 89), will ensure no nonprofit animal rescue will have taxes imposed on adoption fees. HB 2510 is a companion bill to SB 197, filed by Senator Jane Nelson (R-District 12).

Texas Pets Alive! works to promote and advocate for those rescue and shelter organizations that save the most at-risk companion animals in Texas, understanding that rescues across the state often pull homeless pets with expensive medical cases from municipal and county shelters, and cover the costs for those procedures, saving taxpayer money and saving lives.

“I’m proud to carry House Bill 2510. Families who are willing to open their homes to unwanted animals through pet adoption should be applauded by Texans, not taxed by the state,” said Representative Candy Noble. “The efforts of those who work in our rescue and shelter organizations should be rightly focused on the care and placement of the pets, not in the collection and paperwork associated with sales tax receipts.”

HB 2510 clarifies that rescues are exempt in statute from the Texas Comptroller’s Office imposing taxes on adoption fees. The Comptroller’s office has reviewed this legislation and determined that the bill can be administered as written.

“Rescue organizations are a lifeline for large municipal and county shelters, and ensure that animals have more options for leaving the shelter alive,” said Katie Jarl Coyle, Executive Director of Texas Pets Alive!. “Providing this sales tax relief for local organizations ensures they can easily continue to support shelters by pulling the most expensive animals and recouping fees for those costs through adoptions.”

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March 15, 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
Austin Pets Alive! | Our Mask Protocols Aren’t Changing

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Mar 04, 2021

Austin Pets Alive! will continue to require staff, volunteers, shelter visitors, and APA! Thrift store shoppers to wear masks when on site at any APA! location, which includes its Town Lake campus, Tarrytown shelter, and all four APA! Thrift stores. We will not be loosening our safety protocols that have been in place for the foreseeable future, so please mask up when you come to see our pets and our people. We appreciate our community’s kindness, understanding, and commitment to keeping each other safe.

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March 4, 2021
Keri Shull Team & DC Paws Rescue Host Halloween Pet Adoption Event
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Press Release
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Oct 28, 2016
Arlington, VA, October 28, 2016 (Newswire.com)
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The Keri Shull realty team is committed to finding homes for everyone, even pets! Join us at our pet adoption event this Halloween weekend.
- WHEN: 10/29/16 – 12:00pm to 2:00pm
- WHERE: 1600 Wilson Blvd. Suite 101, Arlington VA 22209
The Keri Shull Team is partnering up with DC PAWS, a nonprofit animal rescue organization dedicated to saving homeless animals from high-kill animal control facilities in the DMV area. The goal is to get as many pets adopted as possible at the event to make room for new pets in need. Everyone deserves a home of their own, and these furry friends are no exception.

“We understand how important having a home is to our clients. We see how much of a difference it makes in their lives, so our focus is to help find housing for all.”

Keri Shull, CEO / Founder

“We understand how important having a home is to our clients. We see how much of a difference it makes in their lives, so our focus is to help find housing for all,” said the team’s founder, Keri Shull.

Videos of adopted pets reacting to their new homes go viral on the internet every day. Their happiness is evident when they are finally given a home of their own. Help the Keri Shull team save a pet’s life by enriching your own with the company of a new friend. The love you’ll receive from a rescued animal is pure and lasts a lifetime.

Shull and her team are excited to host a pet adoption event at their office in Arlington on Saturday, October 29th from 12pm-2pm. There will be puppies, kittens, and adult dogs and cats available for adoption.

As with all nonprofit rescue organizations, DC PAWS relies solely on adoption fees to keep funding their mission to save animals from euthanasia. The fees for adopting dogs and cats are $350.00 and $150.00 respectively, unless otherwise noted. All animals over six months of age are spayed and neutered. Puppies and kittens under six months old are expected to be fixed by their new owner when they come of age as part of the adoption contract for each animal.

If you have room in your heart and your home to take in one of these lovable, lonely pets, come visit the Keri Shull team this weekend to meet your new forever friend. We know you’ll fall in love with them just as much as they’ll fall in love with you. Save a life and adopt a pet this fall. Your home will never be the same again, in the best way!

Source: Keri Shull Team and DC Paws Rescue
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October 28, 2016