Tag Archives: Animal Advisory Commission
Thursday, October 14, 2021 by Amy Smith
Texas State Legislature
Legislation addresses fire safety at kennels
A Williamson County lawmaker has filed a bill that would require all Texas kennel operators to have a fire-safety system in place to prevent another tragedy like the one that occurred last month at a Georgetown pet boarding facility. Seventy-five…
Wednesday, September 15, 2021 by Amy Smith
Uncategorized
Animal commission seeks to illuminate the city’s no-kill policy
The Animal Advisory Commission voted unanimously Monday to form a committee to monitor Austin’s no-kill policy, while maintaining the move was not a reflection on city leadership. But first, City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee will need to approve the…
Thursday, August 12, 2021 by Amy Smith
Police
APD Animal Cruelty Unit down to one detective
The Animal Advisory Commission may be philosophically divided on some issues, but commissioners were united Monday in calling for the restoration of recent staffing cuts made to the Austin Police Department’s Animal Cruelty Unit. Responding to queries from the Austin…
Wednesday, August 11, 2021 by Amy Smith
Austin
Animal commission asks Council to make changes at city-run shelter
The Animal Advisory Commission voted Monday to ask City Council to immediately implement a set of recommendations to alleviate logjams at the Austin Animal Center in an attempt to ward off the specter of animals being euthanized as a management…
Friday, July 16, 2021 by Sean Saldaña
Austin
Austin Animal Center contemplates ‘notifications for possible euthanasia’
In a memo last month, Chief Animal Services Officer Don Bland updated City Council and Mayor Steve Adler about the ongoing capacity issues at the Austin Animal Center. The memo included a few lines that made animal lovers around the…
Thursday, June 24, 2021 by Sean Saldaña
Environment
City begins blue-green algae mitigation at Red Bud Isle
Since 2019, dog-lovers in Austin have had to worry about cyanobacteria, more commonly known as blue-green algae, when stories came out of several dogs dying after swimming in Lady Bird Lake during the algae bloom. A particular area of concern…
Friday, June 18, 2021 by Sean Saldaña
Austin
Austin Animal Center continues to struggle with capacity
Earlier this week at the Animal Advisory Commission’s monthly meeting, commissioners discussed the reopening process of the Austin Animal Center as the risk of coronavirus continues to decline locally. In recent months, the shelter has been running out of kennel space for…
Wednesday, April 28, 2021 by Sumaiya Malik, Reporting Texas
Austin
Austin Pets Alive! provides neonatal care for kittens in kitten season
It’s kitten season, the time of year when the population of kittens explodes in communities across the country. Kitten season begins in the spring and peaks during the summer, lasting until the fall months. During this period, thousands of kittens are…
Tuesday, March 30, 2021 by Sumaiya Malik, Reporting Texas
Parks
Commissions plan joint work group to address off-leash dogs
The Parks and Recreation Board and the Animal Advisory Commission are expected to form a work group to address the growing issue of off-leash dogs in Austin. Both bodies have received complaints from Austin residents about off-leash dogs and noncompliant…
Tuesday, March 23, 2021 by Sumaiya Malik, Reporting Texas
Austin
Austin Animal Center offers free microchipping to help residents track their pets
In an effort to educate and encourage Austin residents to get their pets microchipped, the Austin Animal Center will offer a free drive-up clinic to pet owners on April 10. The process involves implanting a microchip, a tiny electronic device…
Thursday, March 18, 2021 by Sumaiya Malik, Reporting Texas
Austin
Shelter logged record-setting number of animal distress calls during ‘snowmageddon’
The weeklong winter “snowmageddon” that stretched from February 16 to 21 also affected the city’s ability to respond to animal distress calls. Pounding sleet, icy roads and temperatures as low as 10 degrees in Austin made the roads dangerous for…
Tuesday, March 16, 2021 by Sumaiya Malik, Reporting Texas
City Hall
Animal Advisory Commission recommends adopting ordinance to close bull hook loophole
The Animal Advisory Commission has made a unanimous recommendation to City Council to amend the city code in order to close a loophole created by the bull hook ban. “We are confident that enacting (the ordinance) accomplishes the most good…
Thursday, February 18, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Austin
Animal Advisory Commission fields outcry over Gracywoods guinea fowl
In Sub-Saharan Africa, where bloodthirsty predators abound, the guinea fowl’s large numbers, fast legs, and plucky dispositions help protect them from looming peril. But over 8,000 miles away, in the charming North Austin neighborhood of Gracywoods, the birds face a…
Thursday, January 14, 2021 by Sean Saldaña
Austin
Austin Animal Center’s December report looks bright
The Animal Advisory Commission convened on Jan. 11 to discuss, among other things, the accomplishments of the Austin Animal Center at the end of 2020. One recent highlight was the implementation of a new chatbot designed to field questions residents may…
Monday, October 19, 2020 by Jackson Barton
City Hall
Animal Advisory Commission votes down euthanasia code amendment
The city animal shelter must wait two business days before euthanizing a pet and must give other shelters or former owners the chance to claim the pet. A recent vote by the Animal Advisory Commission will ensure the rules stay…
Monday, September 28, 2020 by Jackson Barton
City Hall
Code revision could allow Austin shelters to euthanize dangerous animals without delay
The Animal Advisory Commission is considering a change to city code that could make it easier for city animal shelters to euthanize animals deemed too dangerous to be adopted by the public. Commission members discussed adding an exception to the…
Tuesday, September 22, 2020 by Savana Dunning
City Hall
Animal Advisory Commission tables HASS discussion for now
With the Animal Advisory Commission still in disagreement over the recommendation that Austin join a decentralized shelter pilot program, commissioners decided to push the decision to October. While commissioners were entirely in agreement over one item, voting unanimously to ask…
Monday, September 21, 2020 by Savana Dunning
City Hall
Animal Advisory Commission to vote for new animal shelter pilot program
The Animal Advisory Commission is voting on a recommendation Monday for Austin to adopt a decentralized, foster home-based approach to animal services. Although the Austin Animal Center is considered an essential service by city ordinance, the shelter has had difficulties…
Tuesday, September 15, 2020 by Savana Dunning
Budget
Animal Advisory Commission asks Council to unfreeze hiring for animal protection officers
The Animal Advisory Commission unanimously approved a recommendation for City Council to unfreeze hiring for certain Animal Services staff Monday. Currently, 12 full-time positions that had been budgeted for in the 2020 budget remain vacant in the Animal Services Department.…
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 by Nina Hernandez
Austin
Animal Advisory Commission has questions about potential new shelter model
At its meeting Friday, the Animal Advisory Commission considered whether the city should join Human Animal Support Services, an international coalition led by no-kill organization American Pets Alive! The program would use case management to keep most animals out of…
