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Feb 02, 2024
February 1st was a giant day within the Metropolis of Austin — a possible butterfly impact within the historical past of No Kill. Whereas our metropolis management is working to search out options, there’s a lot work to be accomplished within the subsequent six months and past with the intention to assist us proceed our ahead motion as leaders in animal advocacy.
This week, the Austin Metropolis Council handed a decision to permit the town to euthanize canine who’ve chunk histories with out first giving discover to teams like APA!, who supply rehabilitation alternatives. There’s a six-month delay to this transformation, which might apply to a canine whose chunk causes extreme damage, requiring stitches that trigger punctures as deep as half the canine tooth of a canine. This can even apply to each provoked and unprovoked bites.
As we now have constantly stated, APA! shouldn’t be against humanely euthanizing canine who aren’t secure to be locally. The protection of the group and our pets is a foundational facet of No Kill; “having a habits program isn’t just about saving canine; it’s about guaranteeing the security of our group,” explains APA!’s Chelsea Riseman, Director of the Canine Habits Program. Our opposition to yesterday’s decision lies in that the town data include many errors and are unreliable, which may doubtlessly imply dying for a canine who has truly not bitten in any respect.
We’re hopeful that having six months earlier than this transformation goes into impact will permit for time for the town to gather and provide correct knowledge pertaining to the canine with chunk histories. If, in six months, our metropolis adopts this decision with out correct suggestions, knowledge, and coaching, this might be nothing wanting a giant step backward in seeing animals as people.
The Austin of yesteryear discovered great delight in main the nation in No Kill throughout a time when shelters struggled to avoid wasting the lives of even half of the pets who entered their care. Right now in Austin, the battle for animals’ lives isn’t any much less pressing. Our metropolis should proceed to take the lead in fashionable, data-backed, lifesaving options.
We all know and intimately perceive the challenges that Austin is going through. Our metropolis shouldn’t be distinctive on this regard; this previous 12 months has been enormously difficult for shelters and communities throughout the nation. We all know it may typically be exhausting to avoid wasting lives, and simple to backslide.
Particular person animals’ lives are on the road, and every of them is worthy of all our efforts. They’ve intrinsic worth. They should be seen as people, for us to offer them our all, and that’s what we’re doing.
To protect and defend what we have achieved, and what we now have nonetheless to do, we’re advocating to ensure the vital lifesaving good points all of us worth so extremely is not going to be undone, and that we will preserve transferring ahead. We might be preventing for No Kill, for security, and for transparency each step of the best way. For No Kill shouldn’t be a vacation spot. It’s a journey.
If we wish to reside in a metropolis that not solely values progress and being the most effective, however demonstrates it, we now have to collectively voice that, and battle to not solely keep No Kill in Austin however to enhance on it. As Chelsea Riseman pled, “Let’s work collectively to implement humane, efficient options that uphold our shared values of compassion and duty to our group.”
APA! will proceed to supply options and be a associate to the town and group. We ask you to make use of your voices to make it clear that we don’t want to decide on between secure and humane circumstances for pets who enter the shelter system and a secure group.
When you have not already accomplished so, please full this survey and share it with members of your group.
Everybody needs our group to do higher. Thanks to our animal-loving group for all you do!
Dr. Ellen Jefferson
President and CEO, Austin Pets Alive!
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