AUSTIN — The Hays County Commissioners Court finalized a contract with Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) in November 2024. Since the contract was finalized, APA! received a grant to aid in jumpstarting the Hays County Pet Resource Center (PRC).
APA! was founded as an animal advocacy group in 1997, focusing on advocacy for the city of Austin to adopt a no-kill policy in their animal shelters. In 2008, its directive shifted and the members of APA! decided to work as a rescue group and partner with Austin Animal Center.
“We were the first organization to make a community no-kill,” said Maggie Lynch, senior director for research and development with APA!. “An entire community has a no-kill [policy] and because of that, a lot of other shelters look to us for guidance on how to improve their life saving [techniques]. We created a branch, a national education and outreach branch, called American Pets Alive!, which has been operating since about 2010.”
