Kennels at Austin Pets Alive! remain full after the the shelter has since stepped in to take care of more than 2,500 animals that have been affected by the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. Nearly one month after the storm, the effects of this huge multi-location undertaking are still being felt. In fact, capacity has expanded so much that temporary assistance had to be brought in so that animals could be cared for.
Generally, Austin Pets Alive! has approximately 160 dogs at their shelter; however, that number has now increased to 240, which is a 50% rise. They have tripled the number of dogs that they have in foster, as well as gone over double the number of cats. Normally, the shelter will have 200 dogs and cats in foster.
Even before Harvey, the shelter worked with other area animal shelters that were in the path of the storm in order to help them evacuate animals. It costs $100 to process an animal’s intake. These costs do not account for food, staffing, medicine, or bedding. The recovery effort is long-term in nature, and the staff is working every single day to find each animal a home.
One employee said that when the hurricane hit, they were already dealing with a shelter that was pretty full, yet there wasn’t really any other option for them to take advantage of. They want to make sure every animal has a great chance at life.
The shelter will also be hosting various adoption events at places such as Petco, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, El Chilito, and Blenders and Bowls. If you have every considered fostering before now is a good time to try!
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