By Rachel N. Madison
Photography By Rachel N. Madison
Reporting Texas
Thanks to a large turnout seeking to shelter dogs during the cold spell, Austin Pets Alive helped foster dozens of dogs this week. Rachel N. Madison/Reporting Texas
On Thursday morning, 48 hours before a winter storm was forecast to bring dangerously low temperatures, Austin Pets Alive’s shelter was filled with over 100 dogs waiting for homes. By the end of the day, the shelter had fewer than a dozen as animal lovers heeded the shelter’s call for emergency help.
“It was almost an empty shelter last night,” said Luis Sanchez, communications director for Austin Pets Alive. “It could be the least amount of animals we’ve ever had.”
As closing approached Thursday evening, parking lots overflowed, lines went out the door, and wait times for meet-and-greets stretched to hours. The shelter called it a record-breaking turnout never before seen in its 30 years on Cesar Chavez Street, west of downtown.
The influx followed Austin Pets Alive’s announcement Tuesday urging Austinites to open their homes to shelter pups for the weekend ahead of a projected winter storm, which is expected to bring subfreezing temperatures to Central Texas starting Saturday.
Not all higher-needs animals can be housed in homes, but the shelter says it now has enough room in warmer areas to care for those who remain, Sanchez said.
On Wednesday, the center released 65 dogs to short-term foster homes. On Thursday, they secured weekend homes for another 50 dogs, successfully securing placement for all of their foster-eligible animals.
More than 25 of the animals that went into foster this week have been permanently adopted in the past two days.
On Friday afternoon, crowds still flooded the foster center and browsed available dogs amid rows of empty cages. These spaces, left vacant by foster animals, will soon be used to house new dogs transported from neighboring shelters that would otherwise be euthanized for space ahead of the storm.
More than 50 animals arrived Friday morning from neighboring shelters and counties with fewer resources and less space than Austin’s center. Austin Pets Alive is reaching out to more shelters to connect them with pet-seeking families.
“If it wasn’t for our partnership, they would have likely been euthanized,” Sanchez said.
Having a place like APA to transport animals in need is “extremely helpful,” said Helica Esquivel of Bastrop County Animal Services, who brought 27 dogs to the Austin shelter Friday morning.
“We are overrun in Bastrop,” she said. “If you guys can keep pulling, we can keep helping.”
Shelter staff and volunteers said they were amazed at this week’s turnout and grateful for how the Austin community has stepped up in their time of need.
“The response we’ve seen over the last two days is leaving us speechless,” read a post on Austin Pets Alive’s Instagram account Thursday evening. “We love this community and it is an honor to work with and alongside you to help pets in need.”
The shelter said it doesn’t need more fosters, as demand is still exceeding animal capacity, but it welcomes donations of blankets, sweaters and food. It also urges people looking to help to visit other local shelters like Austin Animal Shelter, the Austin Humane Society and Austin Animal Services.
One concern remains, though.
“A lot of these fosters are just fostering until Wednesday, or post-freeze,” Sanchez said, adding that he hopes that some will consider keeping their animals long-term.
Jaci Wylie of Austin went to the shelter Friday to pick up a dog after seeing an APA call for help on TikTok. She thinks her weekend foster experience could be a good “stepping stone” for something more permanent for her and her family, who have thought about fostering for years.
Around 800 of the nearly 1,000 animals in APA’s care are currently placed in long-term foster homes. Long-term placements house animals until they are adopted, allowing for the shelter to open up their cages for other animals.
“If people convert to a long-term foster home, that means we can open up that kennel and save another life,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez believes it is possible and has faith in the Austin community.
“When we put out our call, the community shows up constantly,” he said.
Sanchez said that this is exactly what allows APA to do what it was created to do: “help shelters when they’re faced with a decision to euthanize because they can’t care for them.”
“Euthananize for space isn’t a good enough reason to end a life,” he said.
The shelter will be processing foster applications as long as weather permits into the weekend, and hopes that people will keep their homes and hearts open after the ice melts.
Luca recieves an Austin Pets Alive collar from volunteers after being transported from a partner facility to Austin. He was met by a crowd of interested fosters once inside. Rachel N. Madison/Reporting Texas