Austin Animal Center Asks Community For Temporary Fosters for Large Dogs

With many dogs being housed in crates in the conference room night after night, Austin Animal Center is urgently asking for help from the community.

The Austin Animal Center urgently needs temporary foster homes for large and medium dogs.

During a space crisis, the Center relies on help from the community to save animals. A culmination of events — including slower summer adoptions, higher intake, and the arrival of evacuated pets from the Gulf Coast — have resulted in the current overflowing shelter population.

With many dogs being housed in crates in the conference room night after night, Austin Animal Center is urgently asking for help from the community.

This is the perfect time to take home a medium or large dog for a temporary break of about two weeks. Not only will this be a great opportunity for the dogs who go to foster, it also opens up space for the dogs who will arrive as lost pets during the coming weekend.

Fosters will also have the chance to adopt their foster dog if they decide it’s a match, so this is a perfect opportunity for those families who would like a few weeks to make sure a dog is a good fit before adopting.

Citizens are encouraged to come to the shelter from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 17 and 18, to sign up as short-term foster families for medium and large dogs. All you need is your I.D. Dog food will be provided, and the Center can even provide a crate if needed. Please do not bring current pets to the shelter for meet and greets, as shelter staff will counsel new fosters on managing dog introductions at home.

To view a list of dogs that are currently eligible to go home with temporary fosters, CLICK HERE!

You also can help keep animals out of the crowded shelter by helping lost pets in your neighborhood. If you find a dog or cat and can safely keep the pet, call 3-1-1 to create a Found Pet Report. You can foster the pet while shelter staff work to reunite them with their owners. In addition to keeping pets out of the shelter during this busy period, it can be easier to reunite pets and owners if pets stay in the community where they were found.

Pet owners should make sure pets are properly contained during stormy weather. The safest way to ensure your animal doesn’t run off is to bring the pet inside during thunder and rain, and only take pets outside on leash.

The Austin Animal Center offers free I.D. tags and microchips to all pet owners in Austin and Travis County to help keep pets safe and out of the animal shelter system.

If a pet goes missing, owners should visit AustinAnimalCenter.org and click the Lost & Found button. There, owners can find a step by step listing of what to do to find a lost pet, which includes posting to the Facebook group Austin Lost and Found Pets, Nextdoor.com and Craigslist.

For additional information, visit the www.austinanimalcenter.org, call 3-1-1, or check Facebook for daily pet updates.