However, the overwhelming number of dogs the shelter is dealing with from evictions in Austin remains a serious problem, she said.
On July 27, 10 new dogs came in from eviction cases.
“No one will call and tell us, ‘We’re being evicted; please come get our dogs.’ Then, all of a sudden, animal control shows up with a large number of dogs from a single home, and we have to scramble to find space for them,” Cler said in an interview with Community Impact Newspaper.
Most of the dogs from the group of 40 were a terrier mix and small, so they were easier to adopt out, she said.
In a press release for the AAC, Chief Animal Services Officer Don Bland said when his office gets notified about an impending eviction, they have no choice but to find somewhere to put the dogs.
“We’ve been operating overcapacity for months now, and we’re starting to see an increase in people needing to surrender,” he said.
AAC is a no-kill facility, so animals are not euthanized, and staff either has to find space at the shelter or send animals to another facility.
Cler said it is common for a large group of dogs, usually between six and 10, to be taken from a single owner at least once a year. However, cases have been picking up recently with larger groups of dogs coming in every few months.
“We are currently operating at 142% capacity for dogs,” she said. “Ideally, we would only be utilizing 80% of kennels to provide the best-quality care for the animals.”
In addition to the staggering number of dogs the center has, not including cats, rabbits and other animals, the shelter is short staffed. It has been dealing with hiring challenges just like every other organization, Cler said. This affects the animals as well.
Since there are so many dogs and so little staff, many of them do not get much attention, according to Cler. The staff tries to walk and play with them as often as possible, but that still means most of the dogs will spend around 23 1/2 hours a day in their kennel.
When it is harder to take care of them, it is harder to get them adopted out, she added.
During the interview, many of the staff emphasized to Community Impact Newspaper that the best way to help them was to foster or adopt and consider spaying and neutering pets.
“Also, if you know you are going to be evicted, please contact us about your pets ASAP,” Cler said.
More information about fostering or adopting can be found at www.austinanimalcenter.org.
The shelter is located at 7201 Levander Loop, Austin, and is open for adoptions Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays by appointment.
