Austin Animal Center takes in more than 40 dogs from eviction case
Austin Animal Center takes in more than 40 dogs from eviction case
AAC said the Travis County Constable's Office told them they were going to be issuing a writ of possession for a home and said they believed there were at least 20 dogs inside. They found 40.
AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Animal Center (AAC) took in more than 40 dogs that were taken from the home of a person that was being evicted over the weekend.
AAC said the Travis County Constable's Office told them they were going to be issuing a writ of possession for a home and said they believed there were at least 20 dogs inside. They found 40.
The owner surrendered all the dogs to the shelter.
The dogs were in good health and were either adopted or brought to shelters in Wisconsin and other parts of Texas. The Austin Animal Center has been operating at overcapacity for months.
Kelsey Cler, manager of marketing and communication at AAC, said unfortunately, they have been seeing similar situations.
"People reaching out saying, essentially, ‘I’ve got nowhere to go tomorrow, I need to give up my pet,'" she said. "We’re also seeing a lot of people that aren’t necessarily getting evicted but are getting to that point where they can’t afford it anymore."
Nationwide, adoptions are down and intake is up. Cler believes a combination of factors is at play.
"I think it’s the financial and housing insecurities that people are facing across the U.S., but really here in Austin, where we have the pet rent, pet deposit, pet fee and breed and weight restrictions," said Cler. "It’s just really difficult to find affordable housing with their pets."
Austin Pets Alive! offers the P.A.S.S. Program to help struggling pet owners.
"All of a sudden there’s a breed restriction implemented," said Lucy Fernandez, the program coordinator. "This new company goes in and buys out the property, and now they have pet rent and are like, ‘What am I going to do?’"
The program helps serve as the middle man, connecting pet owners with the specific resources they need: low-cost vaccines, discounted food or even help for the owner.
"A lot of time it’s not just a bag of food that’s needed, there’s something else going on, people are seeking employment, people are having other issues like mental health or PTSD," said Fernandez. "I’m not a counselor or therapist, but we partner with different organizations that help provide that support while we help take care of the animals."
To learn more about the P.A.S.S. Program, click here or visit the Facebook page.
If you’d like to help the Austin Animal Center by fostering or adopting, click here.