Austin Pets Alive! to begin coordinating
HAYS COUNTY — The county is one step closer to being able to save the lives of thousands of pets in the community.
During the March 28 meeting, the Hays County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a Professional Service Agreement with Austin Pets Alive! (APA) to be the project coordinator for the county’s upcoming Pet Resource Center. APA will aid in the overall creation and development of, as well as operate and manage, the future center and its field services and veterinary clinic.
The cost of the professional service agreement is $300,000 annually and of that, $150,000 will come from the Fiscal Year 2023 budget. As such, the commissioners agreed to split funding for the agreement for the remainder of the fiscal year from countywide contingencies and the Tobacco Settlement Fund.
A potential Pet Resource Center has long been discussed in and out of the courtroom. The push for one has heavily stemmed from seeking to provide relief to the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter (SMRAS), which is currently the only intake animal shelter in the county.
SMRAS has experienced overcrowding, expensive operational costs, volunteer staffing issues and more for years. During the week of March 20, the shelter had 138 dogs and 35 cats in its shelter. While there were several adoptions, reclaims and rescue transfers, a total of 59 pets were brought into the shelter that week alone, ranging from strays and owner surrenders to returns and seized pets.
A feasibility study on a new shelter was conducted by Team Shelter USA and Animal Arts last year, which estimated the cost of a new shelter to be around $23.3 million in a space totaling nearly 24,000 square feet. It was also recommended that the shelter be located in a more centralized and urbanized area of the county, such as Kyle, and have a capacity for 58 canines and 47 felines.
APA’s planning phase for the new center will begin on April 3.
For one year, APA will yield recommendations for budgets, policies and operations and will research land options and guide the county to find a location that is accessible and centrally located in order to serve the most people and pets. The center is expected to be completed within a three-year timeframe.
Hays County Animal Advocate Advisor Sharri Boyett noted that discussion on this center began back in 2006 when the commissioners first recognized the need for a county regional facility.
“I just want to congratulate the entire Hays County community of pet lovers and all of the community. This is an amazing accomplishment, and as Commissioner Ingalsbe said, has been years in the making just to get to this planning stage,” Boyett said. “This Pet Resource Center will help so many people and their pets … We really, really are overdue for this facility. It’s time to implement a new model of no-kill animal sheltering and a management style based upon human-animal support services and fully incorporating our community’s values and unity in our community participation.”
Services that the resource will provide include pet retention assistance, lost pet reunification assistance, adoption and holding for dogs and cats when no other alternatives can be identified. Additionally, community cats will enter the center for sterilization and vaccination through a trap/neuter/return (TNR) or shelter/neuter/return (SNR) program.
“This [type of center] is the first in the country. This is truly a leader, not just in Texas, but on a national scale, which we will see,” said Clare Callison said, APA’s director of national operations. “It’s truly a shelter model that is serving the community and keeping pets with their families.”
