Give Them A Pass

Austin Pets Alive strengthens program to keep pets from crowded shelters

The P.A.S.S. Program tackels problems at their roots rather than jumping to rehoming.

Photo from APA! Website

Earlier this month, Austin Animal Center made a rather controversial announcement: They’d no longer be taking in any animals, unless they have life-threatening illnesses, injuries, or are a danger to the public. The facility is simply too crowded, receiving far more animals than they’re able to rehome.

This speaks to a larger problem in Austin, and even nationwide, according to Luis Sanchez, PR Director at Austin Pets Alive! (APA!). The organization is once again helping to lessen the load of responsibility on its city counterpart, this time with a new vaccine clinic this summer that's already having positive results.

“There are a number of factors attributing the space crisis that Austin, and shelters around the country are facing,” Sanchez says. “The shelter industry is at least 30 years behind the rest of veterinary medicine and needs major improvements in everything from government support to operations protocols.”

This plus rising costs of living and lower adoption rates (because of breeders), means there is “a national trend showing that a significant number of people are coming into the shelter with the intention of taking an animal home but leaving empty-handed.”

This is one reason APA!’s “Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender,” or P.A.S.S. Program, is so important. This program is designed to help Texas pet parents keep their animals whenever possible, by aiding them with emergency pet food, resources for affordable pet care and behavioral training, help raising pet deposits, referrals to outside social services and animal welfare, and as a last resort, pet rehoming assistance. The point is keeping the animals out of the already-crowded shelter system.

According to P.A.S.S. Program manager Lucy Fernandez, the program began in 2010, two years after Austin Animal Shelter’s live release rate was just 55 percent. “Back in 2008… Dr. Ellen Jefferson asked a volunteer, Patty Alexander, to sit outside of the shelter and ask people why they're needing to surrender and what support they might need to keep their pets.” Many people reported needing help with food and supplies, vaccines and medical bills, behavioral training, and more — so that’s just what APA! decided to create.

From the P.A.S.S. website:

“We urge you to exhaust all other resources and alternatives before surrendering your pet to an open-intake shelter. This helps shelters ensure resources are available for the pets that need it most – those who are lost, displaced, homeless, injured, or sick.”

The new vaccine clinic feature in the P.A.S.S. Program make it possible for people like Kristen to change their pets' circumstances with more flexibility. This is an early case study shared by APA!

In June, Austin Pets Alive! held the first-ever P.A.S.S. Program vaccine clinic in partnership with the Banfield Foundation. Kristen arrived with her two dogs, Amy and Zelda, because Zelda had a few new concerning lumps. Unfortunately with the rising cost of vet care, Kristen wasn’t able to get her dogs thorough exams at an animal hospital.

While Zelda got an exam from the Banfield Foundation, Fernandez got to talking with Kristen. As it turned out, Kristen was struggling financially and had been moving from home to home since the pandemic. At the time, she was living out of a rented U-Haul, finding it nearly impossible to land an affordable home that would allow for two large dogs.

PASS Program Vaccination Clinic Amy and Zelda at the PASS Vaccination Clinic.Photo courtesy APA! Director of Public Relations, Luis Sanchez

Fernandez urged Kristen to submit her case to the P.A.S.S. Program so that APA! could help in any way possible. Once the case was submitted, Fernandez got to work, contacting a local homeless assistance coalition, which helped put Kristen and her family into a hotel temporarily. A few short days later, enough funds were raised and Kristen’s family (including dogs, Amy and Zelda) found a safe place to stay, and Kristen could finally get Zelda the more thorough veterinary care she needed. Thanks to a medical grant from the Friends of Austin Animal Center and P.A.S.S. fundraising, all of Zelda’s vet bills will be covered.

Amy and Zelda in the hotel Amy and Zelda in their temporary hotel digs.Photo courtesy APA! Director of Public Relations, Luis Sanchez

“It's a humbling experience when you consider how easily things can fall apart for all of us,” says Fernandez. “How that impacts our housing, transportation, food, and, most importantly, our families. Pets are family — there's science and a million stories to back up that statement. By doing something as basic as listening without judgment, connecting problems with existing solutions is possible.

“It's not perfect and it doesn't always turn out the way we want, but we're able to make long lasting changes to support both ends of the leash.”

If you are struggling to take care of your pet(s) and considering surrendering them to a shelter, you may want to seek support from the P.A.S.S. Program. You can find resources for your pet through the P.A.S.S. website, or email pass@austinpetsalive.org with questions.

pets animals families

Red Light

San Antonio leads Texas on ending horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

Getty Images

Horses will no longer pull carriages on the streets of downtown San Antonio.

San Antonio has pulled off something that the rest of Texas has yet to do, but it didn't come without some contentious conversations. City Council has unanimously voted (with one abstention) to phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages over the next five years. That means by January 1, 2030, there will be none on the streets at all; instead, there will be electric carriages.

These plans have been in the making since 2022 — if not always at the same level of intensity — when District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran wrote up some concerns about the horses' wellbeing. A special session at the end of October 2024 hinted to San Antonians that the end for this practice was neigh — sorry, nigh — and the final vote was made on December 12. In addition to accepting the plan, it extended its timeframe by two years.

The initial proposal included worries about the horses' exposure to traffic and pollution, as well how their presence might exacerbate those issues for the environment at large by slowing traffic. It also raised concerns about the effects of standing or walking on hard surfaces for too long, or spending time in extreme weather.

At the December 12 meeting, San Antonians gave impassioned speeches about animal welfare — both to call attention to the need for better conditions and to defend the reputations and jobs of current horse drivers — but it wasn't the first time the council heard from the public about the issue.

In a prior city survey, 50,476 respondents weighed in. Of those respondents, 51.98 percent said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." There were alternative solutions listed, but respondents were less drawn to them.

A cultural divide emerged in the data and continued in the December meeting: some people avoided the carriages because they worried about the treatment of the horses, while others enjoyed them because of their historical echoes and living legacy. Many speakers in favor of the plan used this to form their argument, raising questions about history versus progress.

More tangible objections to the plan hinged on the businesses — specifically five companies — and jobs that would be lost, which was the main factor behind extending the adjustment period.

Discussions about the particulars of the electric vehicles are still to come, as confirmed in the discussion near the end of the meeting. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez addressed concerns about what would happen to the horses, mentioning the Brady Hunter Foundation as a future partner in finding them rescue homes.

Some council members also brought up rhetorical questions about animal exploitation by groups like Sea World, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, military and police forces, and even various groups in the Fiesta parade, although these did not come with a formal motion to pick the issues up.

This decision could have a ripple effect on other Texas cities. Dallas has recently considered a similar ban, but it appears to have stalled; Austin's attempts at a ban have been unsuccessful, but according to the Austin-American Statesman, only one operator is permitted to bring horses downtown. She declines to do so because the long hours are unfair to her and the horses. Houston does have horse-drawn carriages, and there seems to be little conversation about banning them.

Cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City have led the charge in the United States with some of the most prominent successful bans. Other cities around the world with bans include Brussels and Guadalajara, which both switched to electric models. Bans that have been around for years, like Guadalajara's and Prague's, still aren't out of the woods — people are still pushing back on the decision, so it sounds like San Antonio still has much work cut out for it.

animals downtown civic issues