Oct 06, 2021
There’s in the future left earlier than we all know whether or not the town council has taken motion on our APA! Decision by including it to the subsequent metropolis council assembly agenda.
What retains rising to the highest of criticism of our decision from council workplaces is that they don’t perceive why Austin Pets Alive! ought to be allowed to assist communities outdoors of the higher Austin metro space. They see and listen to about animals having lengthy lengths of keep at Austin Animal Heart(AAC) and the kennels being overcrowded there. Some consider that Austin Pets Alive!’s major perform, along with protecting Austin a No Kill Metropolis, ought to be to alleviate the strain at Austin Animal Heart for the town workers. Some additionally consider that Austin Pets Alive!’s apply of serving to animals outdoors of Austin is definitely inflicting the overcrowding at Austin Animal Heart.
The issue with this line of pondering is that “relieving strain” is just not one thing the Metropolis of Austin compensates APA! to do neither is it consistent with our mission. APA! has used the City Lake Animal Heart for the final 10 years to maintain Austin No Kill by pulling animals from Austin Animal Heart who will die if we don’t. Town council has awarded Austin Animal Heart with sufficient funding to alleviate their very own strain.
So then why is Austin Animal Heart continually crowded?
It’s as a result of Austin metropolis management has given little credence to analysis and knowledge that clearly exhibits that Austin has, and has all the time had, greater than sufficient adopters to absorb each single animal at Austin Animal Heart AND to undertake each single animal that will get assist from APA!, Austin Humane Society and the lots of of rescue teams who absorb animals from throughout the state.
We consider that the rationale that credence is just not given is that it’s a lot simpler to say “there should not sufficient adopters,” which suggests that rising adoptions is outdoors the management of the shelter director and reinforces poor efficiency.
We consider it’s incumbent on us as shelter professionals, and we embrace Austin Animal Heart management in that, to take a look at knowledge when making any choice. We thought, however now notice we may be fallacious, that the town supervisor and the town council additionally used knowledge to drive selections. If AAC management, and metropolis council members, did that, they’d have the ability to say “I see an issue with too many animals dwelling at AAC at one time” after which join that to the considered “what can I do to make this higher”. Now we have stated it earlier than but it surely’s price repeating: adoptions don’t simply occur. They’re the results of sources, time, and strategic planning to make sure that the animals housed at AAC are getting alternatives to fulfill folks and to be seen.
To place it in perspective, during the last 5 years, the town has elevated Austin Animal Heart’s funds by $1M per yr. Tellingly, each single class of programming has benefited from that elevated funding EXCEPT “Pet Placement/ Pet Outcomes” which truly fell by 30% in budgeted monies. Why isn’t anybody in management, at any stage, inspecting and correcting that as an alternative of strongarming APA! into making up for it?
Austin Pets Alive! has by no means been eager about being the Metropolis of Austin’s “overflow” for a system that lacks oversight, lacks crucial pondering, and continues to make poor selections and we’re standing by our mission to avoid wasting lives.
As particular person residents and as a personal nonprofit, we’ve requested and requested for the federal government animal shelter to be run nicely as a result of it’s critically vital to Austin’s animals and to APA!. That has not labored. We hope this last try and get up our metropolis council will work and we, in partnership with the Metropolis of Austin, can lastly concentrate on ahead momentum. To maintain the assist sturdy by means of this last day of metropolis council consideration, please preserve emailing to specific your assist for the APA! decision.
Even when you have already got despatched an e mail, we have to preserve the message high of thoughts. Thanks!