At today’s meeting of the Public Health and Human Services Subcommittee (a subcommittee of the Austin City Council), City Staff presented a plan that would continue their recent progress at TLAC and increase the live release rate to 90% in the next two years. The plan included many excellent ideas that were supported by the Animal Advisory Commission, including expansion of prevention efforts, adding off-site adoptions, and changing the owner surrender policy to make it harder for people to abandon their pets at TLAC.
In addition to this, the Subcommittee also made some progress on the new shelter. Towards the end of the meeting, Subcommittee Chair Randi Shade took action to ensure the approval of the construction bids for the new shelter are added back to the Council’s agenda at the next available meeting. Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez agreed, and we anticipate that it will be added to the agenda for the March 11th Council Meeting.
We were very encouraged to hear Council Member Shade take this action. As we all know, the current shelter does not meet current standards for the humane housing of animals. The new shelter will be a major step forward for Austin’s animal welfare efforts.
Have you or someone you know recently purchased a puppy from Petland which turned out to have serious health problems? A major cable network is producing a television special about Petland and they are looking to interview people with Petland dogs that are currently having serious health problems.
If you or someone you know has a Petland puppy currently in poor health, please respond as soon as possible to the following e-mail: puppytv@gmail.com
The Animal Advisory Commission (AAC) and the City of Austin Health and Human Services Department Management are seeking input from community stakeholders regarding the AAC Recommendations to Council to reduce the killing of homeless animals, including but not limited to, policies and programs related to reducing the intake, and increasing the live outcomes of shelter animals. The AAC invites all interested parties to present in person or submit a written response to this Request for Input.
This Request for Input is being sought strictly for the purpose of gaining knowledge to fulfill AAC Recommendations. Any input that does not directly apply to the AAC Recommendations will not be considered or presented. The request for input may be submitted in the form of either a suggestion/comment or a proposal using the attached guidelines. The AAC invites all interested parties to participate in this process. The following opportunities to participate are available…
The first 10 persons to sign up to provide suggestions or comments will have 3 minutes.
The first 10 individuals/organizations to sign up to present a proposal will have 6 minutes.
Written responses may also be submitted.
Should you choose to present a proposal, it should address the following…
Brief description of your proposal or solution.
What resources and/or expertise can you contribute to the solution that you are proposing?
What is your expected measurable impact and timeline?
So that City Staff and AAC Commissioners have time for review, we request that proposals be submitted 48 hours prior to the corresponding AAC meeting. Proposals should be sent to the following email address: austinaac@gmail.com.
Please see the attached schedule designating the topics to be discussed. In compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, all agendas will be posted through the City Clerk’s office.
We appreciate your response to this request.
Larry Tucker
Chair, Animal Advisory Commission
AAC Recommendations Implementation Planning Topic List
Nov 23rd: Discussion and approval of Planning Process
Nov 30th: AAC Recommendation III: Structural Changes to Enhance Lifesaving
A: Revise Mission of Animal Services
Dec 7th: AAC Recommendation I: Increase Live Outcomes
A1:Offsite Adoptions
Dec 14th: AAC Recommendation I: Increase Live Outcomes
A2-6: Increased Capacity for Adoption
make-ready, behavioral, empty kennel usage, Davenport building use after shelter move, and increased public awareness.
Dec 21st: AAC Recommendation I: Increase Live Outcomes
B: Large Scale Foster Program
Dec 28th: AAC Recommendation II: Decrease Shelter Intake
A: Reduce Euthanasia of Owned Animals
Increased Return to Owners, Increased owner awareness of possible euthanasia, increased owner safety net services
During the months of November, December, and January, all pet cats who live in the city of Austin East of I-35 will receive free spay/neuter surgery, free Rabies vaccination, and a free microchip when you book now at Emancipet’s clinic at 7201 Levander Loop. Appointments go fast so don’t miss out! Call 512-587-7729 or schedule online at www.emancipet.org.
A sudden and unexpected influx of cats and kittens has left Town Lake Animal Center (TLAC) without space to care for them. Currently 34 cats are being transferred to the Austin Humane Society (AHS) from TLAC to immediately enter their adoption program.
AHS has become the “go to” resource for animal emergencies in Austin. By taking in today’s group of cats, both TLAC and AHS are giving them a second chance and help prevent euthanasia at TLAC. These are perfectly healthy, perfectly loving cats who want nothing more than a home.
AHS is also the organization most frequently used by the Spay Austin TNR team for feral spay/neuter surgeries, and we appreciate the work they do everyday, not just in times of extraordinary circumstances like this. Please consider making a donation to the Austin Humane Society today so they can continue the important work they do for animals.
In light of today’s new arrivals, both the Austin Humane Society and Town Lake Animal Center are lowering their cat adoption fee to only $35 until November 22.
When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I “was bad,” you’d shake your finger at me and ask “How could you?” — but then you’d relent, and roll me over for a belly rub.
My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because “ice cream is bad for dogs,” you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.
Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love. She, now your wife, is not a “dog person” — still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy.
Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a “prisoner of love.”
As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch — because your touch was now so infrequent — and I would have defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.
There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered “yes” and changed the subject. I had gone from being “your dog” to “just a dog,” and you resented every expenditure on my behalf.
Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You’ve made the right decision for your “family,” but there was a time when I was your only family. I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness.
You filled out the paperwork and said “I know you will find a good home for her.” They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with “papers.”
You had to pry your son’s fingers loose from my collar as he screamed “No, Daddy! Please don’t let them take my dog!” And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too.
After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked “How could you?”
They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you that you had changed your mind — that this was all a bad dream … or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited.
I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room.
A blissfully quiet room.
She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her.
The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood. She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured “How could you?”
Perhaps because she understood my dog speak, she said “I’m so sorry.” She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn’t be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself — a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my “How could you?” was not directed at her. It was you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of. I will think of you and wait for you forever.
May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.
The End….
A note from the author…
If “How Could You?” brought tears to your eyes as you read it, as it did to mine as I wrote it, it is because it is the composite story of the millions of formerly owned pets who die each year in American and Canadian animal shelters. Anyone is welcome to distribute the essay for a noncommercial purpose, as long as it is properly attributed with the copyright notice. Please use it to help educate, on websites, in newsletters, on animal shelter and vet office bulletin boards. Tell the public that the decision to add a pet to the family is an important one for life, that animals deserve our love and sensible care, that finding another appropriate home for your animal is your responsibility and any local humane society or animal welfare league can offer you good advice, and that all life is precious.
Please do your part to stop the killing, and encourage all spay & neuter campaigns in order to prevent unwanted animals.
Join emancipe+ on Friday, October 2nd, from 5:30-7:30 for a grand opening happy hour in their new office and be one of the first to check out the amazing new spay/neuter clinic. They are located on the same campus as the old clinic, just a few feet down the driveway at 7201 Levander Loop. We hope to see you there!
So, you’ve heard it’s better for your pet to have a litter before bring spayed or neutered. Or, maybe you want your children to experience the miracle of life close up, so you allow your cat or dog to have just one litter. You don’t understand what all the fuss is about. You know everyone who will take one of your kittens or puppies will give them a good home. All those other irresponsible pet owners are the problem, not you.
The truth is once you allow your pet to reproduce you are the problem. The “one litter” myth was dispelled long ago. According to the American Veterinarian Medical Association (AVMA):
The population of dogs and cats in the United States currently exceeds the capacity of our society to care and provide homes for them as companion animals. As a result, millions do not have homes and are euthanatized annually by animal control agencies, humane organizations, and veterinarians in private practice. Dogs and cats that are not adopted can become victims of trauma, starvation, or disease. The AVMA concludes that dog and cat population control is a primary welfare concern of our society.
Spaying and neutering is the solution. Every dog, cat and rabbit at the Town Lake Animal Center is the result of someone who believed it was important to have “just one litter”, wanted their children to experience the miracle of birth, didn’t realize how expensive it is to properly care for a pet with regular vet visits and sterilization, or in a much smaller group, just didn’t care. Every new pet owner accepts the initial responsibility of caring for the animal, but sometimes things happen. People lose jobs, get pregnant, move, the list of reasons not to continue to accept that responsibility goes on and on.
So, while you allow your pet to have just one litter, you ultimately have no control over the offspring after they leave your possession. It is more likely than not that there are animals at the TLAC that are a direct result of your choice to have “just one litter”. Since there is not enough room for all the animals, the city budget provides a solution: euthanasia. Now, you have not only not accepted responsibility for your pet, the city has appropriated everyone’s tax dollars to pay for your actions. They tell you right on their website:
The shelter takes full responsibility for animals that are brought in. Animals brought in to the shelter may eventually be:
* Reclaimed by their owner (strays are held a minimum of 3 days)
* Adopted to a new family
* Transferred to one of our Partner Organizations, or
* Humanely euthanized
The decisions made about what will happen with a specific animal depend upon the information we have about the animal, the health and behavior of the animal, and the space available at the shelter at that time.
More than 12,000 animals are euthanized every year in Austin. If you are not spaying and/or neutering your pets you are the problem. There will always be professional breeders supplying kittens and puppies to the public. Some are good and some are not. We don’t need to worry about running out of animals, and your contribution to the effort is unwarranted and unnecessary. Now if we could only get those breeders licensed and inspected by the state like every other profession, but that’s another issue.
Now that you understand the consequences of your actions, we hope you will be a part of the solution by spaying and neutering your pets. And, to help you explain the miracle of life to your children, we have a short video you can share:
The Spay Austin Coalition was recently notified of a desperate situation on Santa Rosa street in east Austin by Shadow Cats rescue. Feral cat trappers Julia Hilder (Spay Austin Coalition President) and coalition member Calene Summers (Thundering Paws) answered the call only to find one of the worst situations they could imagine.
What started as a few cats and kittens in a yard soon became the reality of an entire block overrun with wild cats and kittens. One of the neighbors puts food out regularly, the others throw out food scraps for the cats to scavenge. As Julia and Calene began trapping the first few cats they quickly realized there were many more than originally reported. As Julia was trapping one day, a resident pointed to an orange tabby and said, “That’s the mother who started it all”. Her current litter is living in a box on the front porch.
The cats have staked out their territory in individual yards, living in bushes and under cars and homes. Several litters of kittens, in addition to the one on the porch, have already been born and the females without new kittens are pregnant and will give birth any day.
So far more than 20 kittens have been removed from the neighborhood and, had they not been rescued, would have been doomed to a life of misery. One kitten was found limping down the street with a broken femur after being hit by a car. Julia rushed this tiny kitten to Riverside Veterinary Clinic where a pin was placed into her leg. She is indeed one of the lucky ones.
The adults are too wild to be adopted so they are being spayed and neutered, then returned to the neighborhood where they will continue to live, but will no longer contribute to the overpopulation problem. The process of sterilizing feral cats and replacing them where they were found is called Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). TNR naysayers contend the cost of surgery for these homeless cats is not worthwhile and would be better spent on family pets. However, studies have shown not only does it stop the breeding cycle, the cats have claimed the area as their own thereby preventing new cats from moving in to start the cycle all over again.
Of course, all it takes is two intact cats abandoned in that neighborhood, which is why it’s so important to spay and neuter all pets at an early age. The Spay Austin Coalition began as a concerted effort by a number of animal welfare groups working together to reduce the number of animals killed at the Town Lake Animal Center. After six years, our efforts have started making a difference. We were chosen as the group to assist the director of TLAC in drafting the original guidelines for the citywide TNR efforts that continue today. The ASPCA funded a grant called Mission Orange that provided resources directly to spay/neuter programs in Austin, including specifically for feral cats.
If you are interested in helping the Spay Austin Coalition in our efforts, please consider donating today. If you want your funds to go directly to the Santa Rosa Project, Shadow Cats Rescue has set up a funding page. All of the donations through that portal go directly to the care of the Santa Rosa cats and kittens.
If you want to donate without specifying a project, simply use the Paypal button in the upper right corner of this page. The Spay Austin Coalition is an all volunteer organization with IRS 501(c)(3) status. All donations are tax exempt and go directly to the care of the animals we work with. We have no – zero – paid staff or administration costs.
If you don’t have the funds to donate, please consider fostering or adopting a kitten (or two, or three). To foster or adopt, send an email to president at spayaustin dot com, or check the President box on our contact form. The socialization of these kittens at an early age insures they will be suitable for adoption, where they will live a long and happy life as part of a family. Maybe yours.
The Dallas City Council plans to vote in late June on measures to strengthen its animal control ordinances. Before that happens, though, the council must examine the enforcement options available under state law and then ask: Are we going far enough?
The proposed changes will include mandatory spaying or neutering of most pets. These are necessary long-term steps that will slowly help reduce the tens of thousands of stray dogs and cats roaming our streets. There’s also a proposal to stop owners from leaving their dogs tethered outside. Tethering is widely believed to make dogs more prone to attack.
So far, so good. But the proposed measures still don’t go far enough to hold irresponsible dog owners to a higher legal standard. Of particular concern are measures aimed at dangerous dogs – those with a record of inflicting bodily harm through an unprovoked attack. In both existing city law and the proposed law, the sanctions are dog-specific, not owner-specific.
If, for example, an irresponsible owner permits his dog to run free, and it mauls a child on the sidewalk, the city invokes a series of steps to help ensure that the dog won’t attack again, including forcing the owner to build a fence and purchase a $100,000 insurance policy. To escape those expenses, all the owner has to do is get rid of the dog.
Neither existing law nor the proposed changes do anything to ensure that the owner won’t simply purchase a new dog and continue the same irresponsible behavior that led to the original attack.
The new law must include stiff sanctions that stick to the owner, not just the dog. State law permits felony criminal prosecution of irresponsible owners, but the city doesn’t take advantage of it.
City Attorney Tom Perkins found a similar problem in his recent review of the city’s ordinances addressing abandoned or derelict structures. He determined that city ordinances were too lenient, considering the enforcement latitude allowed by state law. So, at his recommendation, the City Council beefed up local law to take the fullest possible advantage of what state law allows.
Why not do the same for the animal-control code?
And don’t forget enforcement. Get-tough laws are great, but if the city fails to enforce them because funds and staffing are insufficient, those laws become worse than meaningless.
There’s no question tougher laws are needed, as evidenced by the fact that residents in neighborhoods like Preston Hollow reportedly now walk the streets with guns after a recent dog attack. There’s got to be a better way, and it begins with laws that sanction irresponsible owners, not just their pets.
Key changes
in the law
•Mandatory spay/neuter for household pets
•Limit on the number of dogs and cats per household
•Ban on tethering unattended dogs
•Streamlined process to go after vicious dogs
What’s still needed
•Sanctions that apply specifically to irresponsible owners
So far more than 20 kittens have been removed from the neighborhood and, had they not been rescued, would have been doomed to a life of misery. One kitten was found limping down the street with a broken femur after being hit by a car. Julia rushed this tiny kitten to Riverside Veterinary Clinic where a pin was placed into her leg. She is indeed one of the lucky ones.
