Austin Animal Center (AAC) is facing critical capacity issues, with more animals arriving than being adopted. As a result, AAC has decided to temporarily close intake starting July 2, 2024. Intake will now be limited to emergencies, which include animals with life-threatening injuries or illnesses or those posing a clear public safety risk. Each case will be evaluated individually.
“Between June 24 and June 26, we took in 149 dogs and cats and only 124 left during that same timeframe,” said Chief Animal Services Officer Don Bland. “This has been an ongoing pattern that has led to us having more animals than we have kennels. We started this morning with 24 dogs and 5 cats without an appropriate kennel.”
Residents needing assistance with injured animals are asked to follow specific steps provided by AAC. Intake will resume when there is sufficient kennel space for all animals. For more information on fostering and adopting, residents can visit austinanimalcenter.org. The center is open for adoption and reclaim from Monday through Sunday between 11 am and 7 pm, with all adoption fees currently waived.
To address capacity issues in recent months, AAC has implemented several measures.
About Austin Animal Center:
Austin Animal Center serves as the municipal shelter for the City of Austin and unincorporated Travis County. In 2011, the Austin City Council passed a resolution to increase the shelter’s live outcome rate to the national no-kill standard of 90%. In 2019, the Council increased the mandated rate to 95%. The center has consistently met or exceeded this rate but has had to take measures such as restricting intake due to declining adoptions in recent years.
