Monday, September 15, 2008

Dumped pups finding new homes!

Last week my friends arrived at their new home to discover that someone had dumped a litter of seven puppies on their property.  Rather than calling Animal Control, they got in touch with me and I sent them to the good people at AustinPetsAlive!, who were willing to take the pups into the adoption program.
 
Once we APA! signed on, I contacted a wonderful neighbor who does lots of dog rescue and she was happy to loan me a large crate so that these seven furballs could be transported from the Cedar Park area to my house.  My friends stopped by and picked up the large crate and hoped for the best for Wednesday.  I say hoped for the best because these puppies were terrified of humans.  So far my friends hadn't been able to wrangle these pups to put them anywhere, although they noted that the pups were very distracted when dining.  

Wednesday morning, my ingenious friend placed their food inside the crate that would carry them to my house.  All but six of the pups ran straight into the crate!   It was an easy catch to get number seven and they were on their way, with the enormous crate turned catawampus to fit in the back of a Cooper Mini.  

Once at my place, the pups
settled into my garage well. Another wonderful neighbor gave me two small crates so I was able to separate out a couple of the pups who were getting pushed away from the food dish.  Everyone was fed and drank a LOT of water, and a couple even romped around the garage briefly. (I considered this a pretty big accomplishment given their level of terror of humans.)  Everyone settled into a puppy pile and slept the night away.
            

Bright (okay dark) and early Thursday morning, I got everyone loaded up and taken to Emancipet where they would get spayed or neutered and microchipped.  I am pleased to report that they were taken to off-site adoptions Friday and Sunday, and it's my understanding that all but one of the pups has a new home!  Thanks to everyone who assisted in this effort to place these sweet puppies.

Friday, September 05, 2008

Save the Date: October 17th "Road to No Kill Austin" Featuring Nathan Winograd

Some of you may not know that Austin's pound currently kills more than 13,000 dogs and cats each year as it has for decades.  That's why we founded FixAustin.org with the goal of reducing Austin's shelter killing through the use of cost-effective, proven programs that have effectively and dramatically reduced shelter killing in other communities across the country.


So we're very, very pleased to announce that on Friday, October 17th from 6pm to 8:30pm, FixAustin.org is hosting a major event for those who care about Austin's homeless animals. That evening at Austin City Hall, we'll host "The Road to No Kill Austin," a public-policy forum on ways to dramatically reduce Austin's killing of companion animals.

The event will feature presentations from a few of Austin's brightest minds in animal welfare, and the keynote presentation will be delivered by national no-kill expert Nathan Winograd of the No Kill Advocacy Center.

Attendance is free and open to the public.  Donations are encouraged, and attendees are also encouraged to enjoy our silent auction to raise funds for homeless pets.

UPDATE:  Ready to reserve your free spot at the conference?  Please let us know you'll be attending by filing out our reservation form here.