Mayor Kirk Watson, City Of Austin | City Of Austin website
Mayor Kirk Watson, City Of Austin | City Of Austin website
The Austin Animal Center is facing a crisis and is seeking assistance from the community to help alleviate its overcrowding issue. Don Bland, Chief Animal Services Officer, highlighted the urgency of the situation, stating, “Our goal is to get as many medium/large dogs as possible into foster and adoptive homes in order to avoid issuing euthanasia notices.”
As of Wednesday morning, the center was housing 299 medium/large dogs, exceeding its capacity limit of 272. Bland explained, “Currently we have zero open kennels for any incoming dogs, including emergencies. We just received notification that 12 dogs from a cruelty case are on their way and we need space for them.”
To encourage adoptions, all adoption fees at the Austin Animal Center are currently waived, and the center is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Additionally, the center is actively seeking foster homes for medium/large dogs, with staff available to process walk-in fosters every day this week from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Foster homes are asked to commit to keeping the dogs for a minimum of 2 weeks.
In an effort to create more space, the Austin Animal Center is reaching out to rescue partners and offering a monetary incentive for those who can take medium/large dogs into their programs. Rescue organizations interested in participating can contact the center via email at animal.rescue@austintexas.gov.
Alerts Sign-up