Adopt A Pet This National Adopt Day With Austin Pets Alive

Calling all furry friend lovers: this one’s for you! Well you and anyone’s who’s really looking to add a dog or cat to your fam.

On April 30, we are celebrating National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day! We highly encourage you to adopt and not shop, so there’s no better time than to start thinking about making a trip out to Austin Pets Alive!

We took a tour of the shelter and wow, can we take them all home? We fell in love with each and every one of them, especially our Pet of the Month, Kayla, who will be featured in ourWeekend Guide in May. Read on to learn more about APA!, what they do to help homeless pets, and how you can get involved!

Adopt a Furry Friend with Austin Pets Alive!

If you’ve been an Austinite for quite some time, chances are you’ve heard of APA!. They started in 1997 as an advocacy organization, and then started rescuing in 2008! “Austin Pets Alive! is not your average animal shelter. We rescue the pets most at-risk of euthanasia in their original shelters, through innovative programs that we created around those specific demographics of pets. This includes saving orphaned neonatal kittens, pets with medical conditions or injuries, big dogs who need behavior management, and more,” their PR Manager, Katera Berent, shared with us.

That’s a lot to take in, right? It’s a lot of work for them but that’s a part of their mission. They want to be able to save homeless and at-risk animals because they all deserve a chance at life. And since being found when the kill-rate in Austin was 87 percent, APA! now has a 97 percent save-rate!

That means you have way more pets to choose from at APA! and if you’re not ready to adopt, you can also foster or volunteer. Here’s a little something about all the ways you can get involved.

Adopting at APA!

Like we said, adopt and don’t shop! That basically means you get to pick out a dog or cat at APA! and take him/her home with you.

“We require adopters to be 18 years or older, spend at least 30 minutes with the pet they are looking to adopt, and often ask that our adopters live in Central Texas so that we can continue behavior management, medical care, or anything else as needed. This also helps so that should something happen in our adopters’ lives and they can no longer keep their pet, they’re easily able to return them to us,” Berent said. Due to Covid, you have to first inquire through their website. They’ll be happy to set up an appointment for you, and while you wait to go, you can view their dogs and cats on their page so that it’ll make your visit a little easier.

Fostering at APA!

Fostering a pet is a great way to help an animal in need. At the end of the day, it’s tough for these pets to be in any kind of shelter. To be given an opportunity to be in a temporary home full of love, is a blessing and will bring them so much happiness.

Through fostering, the pet gets to go through a home life transition on their way to their forever home. They find comfort in companionship and healing. Not to mention, some pets are too young to be adopted so this gives them a chance at a home, even if it’s for a short amount of time.

If you’re interested in fostering a dog or cat, the APA! website has an area where you can fill out an application. You may even end up falling so in love that you’ll want to adopt the pet. It’s a win-win for everyone!

Volunteering at APA!

Okay, so maybe you aren’t equipped to take in a pet just yet. But you love the doggos and kitties, so what do you? Volunteer at APA!’s facility. We tried it out and took the dogs around their in-house playground and let us tell you- the dogs were so happy!

There are some requirements to becoming an APA! volunteer. It first starts with an application and onboarding. If accepted and matched to the right program (they have tons of opportunities!), you’ll be required to volunteer once a month. If it were up to us, we’d come in all the time.

Austin Pet's Alive! is Waiting for You!

What are you waiting for, check out Austin Pets Alive! right now! We can’t wait to see what pets you adopt! Be sure to share pics with us @stufftodoinaustin on Instagram and Facebook!

For more stuff to do in Austin, check out our latest feature guides or download our app to access our helpful guides on the go. Don’t forget to read our Weekend Guide to see which pet we feature!

Adopt a Furry Friend with Austin Pets Alive!

Adopting at APA!

Fostering at APA!

Volunteering at APA!

Austin Pet's Alive! is Waiting for You!

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Curated by

Poonam Patel

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Adopt a Furry Friend with Austin Pets Alive!

Adopting at APA!

Fostering at APA!

Volunteering at APA!

Austin Pet's Alive! is Waiting for You!

Follow us

Curated by

Poonam Patel