The Power of Off-Site Adoptions

For years, Town Lake Animal Center, supported by the ASPCA's "Mission Orange" effort, has opposed bringing TLAC animals to off-site adoptions at high-foot-traffic areas throughout the City.

As recently as February 2007, "Mission Orange" released a statement to the Austin American-Statesman defending TLAC's "lack of an offsite adoption program" because, according to "Mission Orange," the animals being killed at TLAC are not "desirable and placeable."

Boy is the ASPCA wrong.

A wonderful new effort by Austin Pets Alive, led by Dr. Ellen Jefferson, is blowing the doors off of the blame-the-animals excuse for shelter killing. They have rescued over 100 dogs off the TLAC "kill list" (we assume the ASPCA would call this the "undesirable and unplaceable" list) in just a few short weeks.

Take a look at APA's awesome new off-site adoption program. Take a look at the "undesirable" puppies finding new homes. They look terrible, don't they?!?

To see FixAustin.org volunteers Ryan and Tom helping find homes for the "undesirable" pets saved from TLAC, click APA's photo site here.

Announcing FixAustin Fosters!

FixAustin.org is delighted to announce our new partnership with non-profit animal-adoption group Austin Pets Alive to help reduce the needless killing of homeless pets at Austin's Town Lake Animal Center. Like FixAustin.org, Austin Pets Alive is dedicated to reducing the killing of Austin's sheltered pets through the use of innovative programs and policies that are already working to reduce shelter killing in other communities.

Today, we're asking our supporters to volunteer to become foster parents for animals saved from the TLAC kill list. FixAustin Fosters would provide loving care for fostered homeless pets, and Austin Pets Alive would provide multiple weekly adoption events to give those great pets multiple opportunities every week to find a new loving home.

We believe that Austin Pets Alive's great work--- in proving that off-site adoption events can dramatically increase shelter adoptions--- will eventually help tear down the walls of bureaucratic resistance to reform at Austin's animal shelter. At the same time, we can help save the lives of dozens, if not hundreds, of wonderful pets every year. And if that were not enough to convince you, we're also giving away free FixAustin.org t-shirts to any of our supporters who fosters a homeless pet through Austin Pets Alive's foster program. Just tell them you're a FixAustin Foster to make sure you get a free t-shirt.

To learn more and sign up to become a FixAustin Foster through Austin Pets Alive, please click this link: http://www.austinpetsalive.org/get_involved/foster.php. Thanks, in advance, for helping save the lives of Austin's sheltered pets!

FixAustin on the Radio

We've been amazed by the attention that our Austin v. Reno report has received. The report has been downloaded more than 6,800 times from readers all across the country, it has been talked about on national animal-welfare blogs, and we've been contacted by animal-welfare advocates from California to Florida for advice on how to achieve shelter reform through public advocacy.

We've also been interviewed on local and national radio. The nationally syndicated radio show "Animal Wise Radio" interviewed FixAustin.org's Ryan Clinton on live national radio this Sunday to discuss FixAustin.org's efforts, its goals, and the Austin v. Reno report on shelter-reform efforts in each city. To listen to the roughly twenty-minute segment, just click this link: http://www.fixaustin.org/page/FixAustinRadio. To learn more about Animal Wise Radio, visit their website here.

Local radio station KUT also interviewed Ryan in a story about Austin's shelter adoptions. You can listen to their brief interview here: http://kut.org/items/show/13146.

You can help Austin's homeless pets too!

1. Listen to the radio segments and tell your friends about them.

2. Tell the City Council to implement the no-kill method at Austin's animal shelter by clicking here.

3. Donate to FixAustin.org's no-kill efforts by clicking here. All donations over $50 get a free FixAustin.org t-shirt!

Thanks and best regards!

The FixAustin.org Team