1/19 Update!
This past week’s extreme weather became the catalyst for an outpouring of love and support that offered huge wins for our organization, but more importantly, for the animals in our care! And it is YOU, our outstanding community, that we have to thank for that. Our hearts are full and our dogs and cats stayed warm, and now, many who went into warm homes “temporarily” are staying in those homes as either long term fosters or even getting families to call their very own!
Last week, ATX and beyond, you helped us completely clear out the post parvo puppies, as well as every single one of our barn cat enclosures! You took 225 dogs into your homes, including 2 mamas and their nursing pups and 7 orphaned puppies who require being fed via bottle! Of those dogs, 58 -- FIFTY EIGHT, were long stays, meaning they have been in our care for 300+ days!
Friends, you made the decision to make 75 cats part of your family, and opened your homes to 68 cats who needed a foster.
You joined us in our mission to help all Central Texas pets in need. Your monetary donations and gifts of supplies not only supported our needs right here at home, but also helped us drive over 1,000 miles to deliver supplies deeply needed to keep pets warm across Texas and even pick up 15+ at risk dogs who needed people to step up to foster them until adoption.
Even though we saw multiple days of temperatures below freezing, it was hard for us to feel cold because our community embraced our pets and our mission with the warmth of 1000 suns. You are the reason we are able to keep saving lives and there are no words to describe that gratitude.
WINS:
Cleared parvo of negative pups
225 dogs in homes
163 dogs left on s/o
2 moms and nursing pups
7 BBs
12 dogs adopted
58 Long stays (300+ days)
All barn cats adopted out
68 cats to foster
105 cat adoptions between 1/10 and 1/15
30 of those adoptions were Barn Cat Adoptions
17 of those adoptions were Medical Consult Adoptions
1500 emergency foster apps submitted
15+ pets pulled into safety
~1,000 miles to drop off supplies and pick up animals!
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1/15 Update!
Hundreds of pets woke up this morning in warm homes thanks to the amazing support of our community. Fosters and adopters stepped up and answered the call when our pets needed it the most. Over the last few days, all 30 of our barn cats were adopted and we've been able to find warm homes for 175 dogs that were housed in outdoor kennels, meaning just 55 remain at the shelter. Overnight, we bundled up our remaining dogs with additional blankets and coats, and turned on our heaters, heat lamps, monitored the temperature inside their bedrooms, and closed in our walls with windbreaker covers to keep in the warmth. Today, as we observe MLK day, we will be closed to the public but will have staff onsite providing continued care to our animals and have appointments to place additional dogs into homes.
As winter temps remain below freezing, our lifesaving work continues. We have received pleas from South Texas shelters needing to save animals from euthanasia. We currently have 26 dogs who need fosters by 1/18 who can care for them until adoption. By stepping up to foster one of these dogs, you immediately save their life. You will find a list of these dogs on our APA! Foster Needs Facebook post. These dogs' current shelters have shared most of them have been good with other dogs. We also continue to need your support with the donations list below.
We are proud of what we, together as a community, are able to accomplish for our pets in need. We sincerely thank you for your support, donations, and for opening up your hearts and homes.
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1/14 Update:
Thank you for your overwhelming support for our pets during this winter freeze. So far, we have placed over 184 animals, and counting, into homes, with only about 76 left at the shelter! Please continue to check out other needs below.
At this point, we are working through foster appointments today to find as many homes as possible by the end of today and are looking for those who can commit to fostering long term or live in a home without other pets or kids. Some of our dogs require special homes and extra care, so we appreciate your patience and commitment to help. So if you signed up to foster and do not have an appointment today, that means we are working on placing dogs with other applicants. As an emergency response foster, your willingness to help will prepare us for upcoming emergencies. Our team will contact you in the following weeks to get you fully signed up and ready for the next call.
Thank you again to our pet-loving community members. We are immensely grateful and humbled by all the people who signed up to foster, those who donated much-needed supplies and money, and our staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly to get our pets into homes.
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We need your help this week! The Austin and surrounding areas are expected to reach freezing temperatures this weekend so outdoor animals need help by this Sunday! Here’s how you can support them NOW.
If you can’t open your home to a pet, you can help us keep them safe
by donating to help with our operations and cold weather shelter
preparations. Make a monetary gift here or donate any of the following supplies:
Supplies needed for Austin Pets Alive! Town Lake campus (have the supplies shipped to us at 1156 W Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78703 or drop off in front of Building C any time this week):
puppy formula
medium and large popup crates
The following shelters also need help so we are extending their asks. Please have donations shipped directly too them or visit them in person/ask friends or family you know in the area to come help them too!
San Benito - 789 Garrison Drive, San Benito TX 78586
Needs: blankets, heat lamps, vaccines, dewormer, parvo tests
San Diego - 804 E. Juanita St., San Diego TX 78384
Needs: Dog adopters/fosters (URGENT as they will have to euthanize ahead of this weekend’s cold if not in homes), any cold weather supplies
Devine - 303 S. Teel Drive, Devine TX 78016
Needs: blankets, heaters; dog adopters/fosters
Dilley - City Hall, 116 East Miller Dilley, TX 78017 Omar Hernandez Animal Control
Needs: heating mats, heaters, tarps
Luling + Laurie's Rescue - Luling Animal Welfare Society 1800 E. Pierce St., Luling, TX 78648
Needs: Blankets, 1-2 large dog houses, sweatshirts for medium/large dogs
Palm Valley - 2501 west Trenton road, Edinburg, Tx 78539
Needs: dog adopters/fosters, heated mats and heating pads
Hondo - 407 Harper, Hondo TX 78861
Needs: tarps, blankets, heat lamps, heating pads, dog beds, 1-2 dog houses
Calvert - Justine VanMetre 808 pin oak st Calvert,TX 77837
Needs: dog jackets/sweaters, blankets, plastic dog houses or anything providing a border to avoid direct wind(only have roof), anything heat emitting.
Mission - Big Spring Shelter Dogs, C/O Montana Grey 600 Lamesa Hwy, Big Spring, TX 79720
Needs: blankets and food, mainly wet food
Gonzalez - Gonzales Dog Adoption, Keiko McCormick 204 County Road 442, Hardwood, TX, 78632
Needs: blankets, tarps
Read and share this checklist to protect pets where you are.
✔ Bring pets inside. The best thing you can do for your pet is to bring them inside with you. While some breeds of dogs are more tolerant of cold weather than others, and cats are known to have an easier time adjusting to extreme weather, no pet should be left outside for long periods of time when it is below freezing (32ºF). You know your pet best, so be vigilant about watching for signs of their cold tolerance and limit outdoor activities accordingly.
✔ Check your car for cats. Our feline friends like to hide from this weather in car engines and/or wheel wells, so thump the hood of your car a few times and check your wheels for stowaways before you start the engine and take off.
✔ Provide a makeshift enclosure for outdoor animals. If you’ve noticed outdoor cats or other animals in your community suffering from the cold (shaking, curled up, etc.) and you are worried about them, create a makeshift shelter for them to stay warm in. A closed box or Rubbermaid bin with a cut out in the side, with straw or mylar blankets (fabric can hold moisture and freeze over so we no longer recommend using towels or blankets), will help keep them safe in the frigid temperatures. Click here for example directions for cat shelters from Alley Cat Advocates and click here for more on what to do for dogs in the cold from Best Friends.
✔ Or consider opening your garage slightly (and leaving a heating pad or heat lamp on) to let cats in from the cold.
✔ Put a sweater on your pup. If you have a dog with a short coat, you can keep them a bit more insulated by putting a sweater or dog coat on them. Be sure the sweater and coat are completely dry for each outing, though, as damp or wet outerwear could actually make them chillier.
✔ Check paws. After outdoor activity, check your pet’s paws for any signs of cracking on the paw pads, redness between toes, or bleeding. Wipe them down after each outing, too, to remove any salt, ice, or chemicals.
For city information about cold weather shelters and warming centers, visit www.austintexas.gov/alerts.
Need help with a community pet? Email [email protected]. P.A.S.S. connects you to community member support for emergency pet food, pet resource assistance, and other emergency pet help.
