Jan 30, 2024

Austin, we are able to do higher.

Final week, we shared a promise to assist our group higher perceive how Austin animal welfare is evolving as a result of it’s our obligation to guard what’s humane and proper and advocate for progress.

With that promise in thoughts, I’m writing in the present day to offer some latest updates a couple of decision that may have an effect on Austin animals. This decision is on the agenda for the February 1 metropolis council assembly. We’ve got been on high of this since we first heard mutterings of it over the vacations and have been gratefully working hand in hand with the town supervisor to assist mitigate any unintended penalties.

This decision tackles 4 important topics. You’ll be able to learn extra right here. Just one was probably dangerous, if not amended, however we consider the modification provided by the Mayor at in the present day’s work session is spot on. Right here’s a fast recap of the merchandise, what we’re protecting an in depth eye on and what it might imply for canine in Austin.

The decision seeks to vary the ordinance from the present legislation that enables the town to euthanize a canine with out giving discover to teams like APA! first:

• From a canine that causes extreme harm requiring stitches to a canine that causes punctures as deep as half the canine tooth of a canine.

• From requiring that the canine chew be unprovoked to incorporate all bites, provoked and unprovoked.

We wish to be clear that we’re not categorically opposed to those modifications. We strongly consider that our group deserves security, and we all know that not all canine are secure for folks and different animals to be round. We work exhausting to make sure security via our personal programming. And typically, we are going to humanely euthanize a canine that we can not make secure.

This can be a difficult topic for any metropolis to deal with. We all know that the Metropolis Council Members are in a troublesome place as a result of they wish to present effort towards serving to the individuals who have been bitten by canine in our group.

Nonetheless, we wish to make sure that the information getting used to find out whether or not or not a canine is secure is correct. Three elements give us robust cause to consider that there’s work wanted to be finished to make sure the town shall be working with appropriate data.

1. Taking a look at final yr’s information provides uncertainty. If this code had been enacted final yr, the information we acquired figuring out canine who got here to us as a part of the No Kill partnership and would have been euthanized with out our skill to take them, contained canine that didn’t meet the Degree 4 standards. There was solely ONE chew documented as deep as half of a canine tooth, and one canine didn’t have any bites on report in any respect.

2. The information they’re utilizing to justify the necessity for this ordinance change is probably not factually correct. About 18 months in the past, the town of Austin eliminated the class designated explicitly for lower-level bites, which implies many canine with any kind of habits ranking are being included within the reasonable or extreme rankings, even when they don’t have chew histories at stage 4 and above on the Dunbar scale. We wish to confirm that complete bites went up, not only a push of 1 class to the others.

3. The Metropolis of Austin’s Animal Providers underwent an Audit that lasted nicely over a yr. The auditors said, “We discovered it (the AAC) usually has conflicting or inaccurate data, or no data in any respect.” This has not been rectified but.

We’re grateful that our considerations outlined above have been
heard and that an modification for the six-month extension has been made.
And we hope it passes on Thursday. If it had been as much as us, here’s what we
would suggest occur over these six months to essentially perceive any
enhance and mitigate it:

• Get into the group:
  Create a focused plan for the areas the place canine that chew stay and do an
  training plan on neutering, applicable pet socialization and chew
  consciousness. On the identical time, provide fencing help for homeowners of canine
  that repeatedly get unfastened and prioritize canine consumption into the shelter
  from these areas. This would offer sources to areas in Austin that
  are in want, create safer canine and restrict reactive punitive measures.

• Verification of information
  introduced by metropolis workers at Council Work Session. It’s important that
  any information introduced, particularly yr to yr, is actually apples to apples.

Bottomline: We assist the idea of
utilizing a scientific strategy to eradicating canine which might be actually harmful
from our group. We simply need the town to make use of correct and thoroughly
examined information when making life-and-death selections.

We’ve got watched our metropolis animal providers battle to care
for our group, look after sheltered animals and maintain No Kill over the
final three years. We aren’t seeking to blame. We simply need ahead
momentum. If this had gone into impact with out the six-month pilot part
that the mayor requested for, we consider that our metropolis would have taken
one other step backward.

The muse of No Kill is constructed on transparency,
accountability and treating each animal as a person, and we must always
attempt to keep up that.

Proper now, we don’t want emails or talking on the council assembly however please fill out this survey. We plan to share the information with council places of work to allow them to see higher what our group wants.

Thanks,

Dr. Ellen Jefferson