Seasons Greetings Austin!
At FixAustin.org, we're excited and hopeful about the important changes 2009 may bring for Austin's lost and homeless pets.
Why is change needed at Austin's pound? Austin's Town Lake Animal Center kills around 12,000 dogs and cats every year. That's 1000 every month, 34 each day, and about 1 every 12 minutes the pound has been open to the public this decade. In fact, since the current shelter director took over on November 5, 2000, Austin's pound has killed more than 100,000 dogs and cats.
Killing at this staggering level is not inevitable. San Francisco, California, has not killed a single healthy and adoptable pet since the mid-1990's, and open-admission animal shelters in Charlottesville, VA, Ithaca, NY, and Reno, NV, save nearly 90% of all animals impounded in their municipal shelters. What do these city pounds have in common? Each followed the No Kill Advocacy Center's 10-step plan (called the No Kill Equation) for ending shelter killing--- and it worked in dramatic fashion in each community. You can read about the No Kill Equation by clicking here.
How can we bring about positive change at Austin's pound? First, the most important and fastest way to decrease killing at a municipal shelter is to hire a shelter director who rejects excuses, and embraces the critical, life-saving programs of the No Kill Equation. Second, we can demand our elected City Council officials to effect pound policies that reflect the progressive values of our community, and we can help elect officials who embrace and champion our values. And specifically with respect to Austin's pound, we can demand that when Austin moves its primary animal shelter from downtown to the outskirts of the city, the City keeps its promise to keep open an effective adoption center on the shores of Town Lake.
You Can Help Us Save Homeless Pets Today:
1. Make a live-saving donation to FixAustin.org's advocacy efforts by clicking on this link: http://www.fixaustin.org/page/Donate.
2. Send an e-mail to Austin's City Council telling them that it is time to hire a new director at Austin's pound who embraces and implements all policies and programs of the No Kill Equation. You can e-mail the entire City Council at once by clicking on this link: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/groupemail.htm
3. Send an email to all of your friends, colleagues, and family members asking them to donate to FixAustin.org and to e-mail Austin's City Council. Together, we can make a difference for Austin's lost and homeless pets.
Best Wishes and Happy Holidays,
The FixAustin.org Team