Open Letter from Dr. Ellen Jefferson, President & CEO, Austin Pets Alive!
Sep 05, 2023 Today, Austin Pets Alive! has made the difficult decision to provide a 30-day notice to end our veterinary services contract with Laredo Animal Care Services (LACS). When we began our partnership with LACS earlier this year, at the request of the Laredo city council and community, it was with the whole-hearted intention to help meet the city’s goals of providing medical care and practices that further saved lives. Every vaccine given and disease prevented, medical treatment administered, surgery conducted, and animal...
Help the Pets of Hays County – Brief Survey
Sep 01, 2023 Your participation is important to us! Please complete this brief survey to better inform how we serve people and pets in Hays County. Fill Out The Survey Here This survey will take approximately 5 minutes to complete. All information received will be strictly confidential. _____________________________________ Ayude a las mascotas del condado de Hays: breve encuesta ¡Su participación es importante para nosotros! Complete esta breve encuesta para informar mejor cómo servimos a las personas y las mascotas en...
Let’s Scoop the Poop
Sep 01, 2023 We all do it. But we all go about keeping it sanitary in different ways. Humans use flushing toilets, cats keep it classy and bury it or use a litter box. And dogs? Well. Dogs need their mamas and dads to help them out. That’s right. We’re talking about poop. When it comes to keeping our environment clean and healthy, dog “paw”rents have a responsibility to do a simple act: scoop the poop. It isn’t glamorous and certainly isn’t fun. But it takes just a few seconds to pick up your dog’s...
A Picture of Transport Success: Tonto
Aug 29, 2023 For 10 months, Tonto sat overlooked in a crowded shelter in an isolated part of West Texas, where the human population counts at 9,000 and the nearest vet is 90 miles away. The longer he sat, and the more crowded the shelter got and the greater risk there was of Tonto facing euthanasia. But Tonto’s fate changed when APA!’s transport team, the Texas shelter, and Underground Dog, a local rescue, teamed up. Together we got Tonto on a flight up to Boise Bully Rescue in Boise, Idaho, where Tonto was quickly...
A Picture of Transport Success: Darla
Aug 26, 2023 APA!’s National Shelter Support team was working at a partner shelter location when they first laid eyes on sweet Darla. With legs too scared to walk, the 8-month old Golden Retriever was being taken to the euthanasia room in a wheelbarrow when a member of our team intervened. Jordana Moerbe urgently shared Darla’s story with rescue partners throughout the country in hopes of getting a shelter to accept her into their care; a “yes” from a shelter would mean a ticket onto the upcoming lifesaving transport...
A Picture of Transport Success: Boo Thang
Aug 24, 2023 Check out BT in his tiny aviator costume! That’s what this sweet guy wore to celebrate sitting shotgun next to the pilot, on his rescue flight from Texas to Massachusetts. BT could easily have not made this journey. He is diabetic, and has a disease called feline leukemia (FeLV)—a virus that affects a cat’s immune system.,. In many shelters, cats with FeLV are euthanized as a matter of course. This is largely based on the unfounded belief that people won’t want to adopt cats with the illness because it...
Progress Update of APA!’s Veterinary Services Contract in Laredo
Aug 23, 2023 The City of Laredo and Laredo Animal Care Services (LACS) partnered with Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) in February 2023 as a result of the city’s desire to meet the Laredo community’s need for shelter improvement. Due to limited resources, LACS has historically faced challenges in implementing veterinary best practices, struggling to save half of the 8,000 pets that come into its shelter. Recognizing that a change was needed, LACS contracted with APA! to provide veterinary care services and updated shelter operations....
A Picture of Transport Success: Loki
Aug 18, 2023 Loki spent months at an under-resourced shelter in Texas. a The brown-eyed, sweet pup had lots of energy and love to give but the crowded shelter did not provide the opportunity for him to find a home. As time passed, more dogs entered the facility, which increased the risk that Loki might be moved to a euthanasia list. We knew there was a family out there that would be a perfect match for Loki and we were determined to create an opportunity for this heartfelt connection to occur.We sent word out about Loki to our...
Offering Hearts and Home to Better Dogs Lives
Aug 05, 2023 We love getting to know the pets while they are at the shelter, but when you take the dog out of the shelter environment, you get to see their personality really blossom! Jessie and Chris Montoya have had a front row seat witnessing many fosters bloom since 2017. When APA! jumped into action to support the dogs and cats who needed help during hurricane Harvey, many individuals and families joined in, including the Montoyas. This couple knew they could offer their hearts and homes to pets in need and quickly found their niche form...
Foster a Pup…Save A Life!
Aug 03, 2023 German Shepherd pup Wile E. Coyote was deeply in need of help when he arrived at Austin Pets Alive! (APA!). He was so emaciated that he could not stand or walk. Then Katie Plunkard entered his world and decided to foster the shy, sweet-faced puppy. “This sweet boy was my first foster experience and, boy, was it more than I bargained for. He was in such rough shape but the payoff in watching him overcome it all and get back to 100% has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” she said. Under her diligent...
