AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Animal Center, which is primarily a no-kill facility, announced that it has closed intake effective Tuesday.

What You Need To Know

  • Austin Animal Center announced it has temporarily closed intake effective Tuesday

  • The shelter has struggled since the COVID-19 pandemic. Adoptions have slowed significantly, especially of dogs 

  • The shelter has taken numerous steps to encourage adoptions, including waiving fees 

  • If you find an injured animal, you are asked to call 311 and report it rather than taking it to the shelter

Previously scheduled appointments will be honored, but no further appointments will be scheduled for the time being.

Exceptions will be made for animals with life-threatening illnesses or injury or in cases that pose an obvious risk to public safety.

The move comes just ahead of the Fourth of July, when pets often get frightened by fireworks and run away. Those animals often end up in shelters.

Austin Animal Shelter, in a post on Facebook, said shelters everywhere have been struggling following the COVID-19 pandemic. Adoptions have slowed, particularly of dogs. The average length of stay for dogs has doubled nationally since 2019. The average stay for dogs at Austin Animal Center was 19 days in 2019. It’s now 37.8 days.

Austin Animal Shelter said it’s taken numerous steps to avoid shutting intake down. That includes waiving adoption fees, filling two temporary positions to help with its foster program, launching a find-to-foster program and launching a VIP adoption program.

The shelter said that if you find a sick or injured animal, call 311 and ask to speak with an animal protection officer. Do not bring the animal to Austin Animal Shelter. If you found an uninjured pet, visit the shelter’s Lost and Found Pet website.

On July 18, Austin Animal Center said, it will have an item in front of Austin City Council to approve a contract with an organization to provide more spay/neuter services.

Austin Animal Center said it needs help from the community in order to continue providing its current 95% live release rate.