UPDATE: The heater replacement has been funded! Thanks to a generous discount offered by Radiant Plumbing and Air Conditioning, combined with the funds donated by you, in less than 24 hours we reached our goal. We hope to have the unit replaced this week.
UPDATE: All dogs on the affected kennel run have gone to sleepover or been relocated to heated kennels. Our community is amazing. Thank you and more updates in the morning.
Cold Front Brings Winter Woes and Puppies to Austin Pets Alive!
A decades-old heater could not keep up with the winter blast at Austin Pets Alive’s! TLAC facility, leaving one run of kennels with insufficient heat. At the same time, APA! has received numerous requests to take in puppies while it continues to plea to the public for fosters for large dogs.
We have been asking for the public’s help getting some of our larger dogs out of the shelter and into homes and now with the heater failure, that need is even more critical, plus we need to raise funds to replace the heater. The heater is one that did not need replacement in a similar winter emergency two years ago. It is estimated that the heating system will cost between $6,000 and $10,000 to replace.
In addition to needing to raise funds to pay for the heater, APA! is still looking for 10-15 foster homes that can take in a large dog for at least two weeks, preferably homes with no other pets, or where pets can be kept separated. We may also need three to five homes to care for puppies - and this would be a multi-week commitment.
One thing we don't need a lot more of is blankets. The community has been really generous in donating those and we are running out of room for them.