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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 may be a lot work to be completed within the subsequent six months and past with a view 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 canines who’ve chew histories with out first giving discover to teams like APA!, who supply rehabilitation alternatives. There’s a six-month delay to this alteration, which might apply to a canine whose chew causes extreme damage, requiring stitches that trigger punctures as deep as half the canine tooth of a canine. This may also apply to each provoked and unprovoked bites.
As we’ve got persistently stated, APA! just isn’t against humanely euthanizing canines who will not be protected to be locally. The protection of the group and our pets is a foundational side of No Kill; “having a habits program is not only about saving canines; 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 might probably imply demise for a canine who has truly not bitten in any respect.
We’re hopeful that having six months earlier than this alteration goes into impact will permit for time for the town to gather and provide correct knowledge pertaining to the canines with chew histories. If, in six months, our metropolis adopts this decision with out correct suggestions, knowledge, and coaching, this will probably 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 save lots of the lives of even half of the pets who entered their care. In the present day in Austin, the battle for animals’ lives is not 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 just isn’t distinctive on this regard; this previous 12 months has been enormously difficult for shelters and communities throughout the nation. We all know it might probably typically be laborious to save lots of 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 need to 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’ve got nonetheless to do, we’re advocating to verify the important lifesaving features all of us worth so extremely won’t be undone, and that we are able to hold shifting ahead. We will probably be combating for No Kill, for security, and for transparency each step of the way in which. For No Kill just isn’t a vacation spot. It’s a journey.
If we need to reside in a metropolis that not solely values progress and being the most effective, however demonstrates it, we’ve got to collectively voice that, and combat 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 accountability 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 protected and humane circumstances for pets who enter the shelter system and a protected group.
You probably have not already completed 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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