The Austin Animal Center is currently at critical shelter capacity when it comes to medium and large dogs. As of Feb. 5, found and owned pet intake status for those animals is restricted to emergencies only.
The center’s capacity page shows that the facility has 27 more medium and large dogs than it has kennel space to house them. The center relies on foster homes and temporary kennel space set up in other parts of the shelter.
When this happens, center restricts the number of animals it can accept from the community as intake. Austin resident that find a medium or large dog are highly encouraged to attempt to connect with the owner before taking the animal in. The center still offers walk-up intake from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Friday, but that is for emergency situations only.
Pet owner looking to surrender a pet must first attempt to rehome the animal on their own, but can still make an appointment in emergency situations. It should be noted those appointments are limited.
Emergency situations include:
Animals in need of urgent medical careOwners facing eviction proceedingsOwners being hospitalized or incarceratedBites
The shelter is still able to accept small dogs and cats as intake. In the case of exotic pets, owners should contact the department’s Pet Resource Center from 11 a.m. through 6 p.m. It’s important to avoid releasing these animals into the wild.
Visit the Austin Animal Services page to browse the dogs, cats, and other animals up for adoption. Learn more about how to apply for the foster program here.