Several shelters holding 'name your own price' adoptions, hoping to home pets before July 4

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AUSTIN (KXAN) — Several Austin-area pet shelters are trying to get pets into homes before July 4, which can be a traumatizing and stressful time for animals.

The shelters are hosting a two-day “name your own price” adoption event called “Keep Austin Adopting” this weekend to meet a goal of getting 250 animals adopted.

Austin Pets Alive! is partnering with Austin Animal Center, Austin Humane Society, Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter, Pflugerville Animal Welfare Services, TRAPRS, Jack Jack’s Pack and Love-A-Bull for the adoption event.

“We’re hosting this massive adoption event at this time because so many animal shelters are full and we want to get dogs and cats out of the shelters before the July 4th fireworks,” APA! said in a press release.

According to the Texas Humane Network, fireworks can cause anxiety and fear in animals due to their loud noises and sudden flashes. Dogs and cats are more susceptible to distress because of their acute hearing.

The Texas Humane Network has a list of firework safety tips for pets on its website. Some of those tips include keeping animals inside, providing distractions, taking pets for walks before fireworks begin, and updating pets’ ID tags.

“Unfortunately, animal shelters see the highest number of stray animals coming in on July 5 from animals that get spooked by the fireworks, you know, run out of yards within secure gates, stuff like that,” Sarah Hammel, with the Austin Humane Society explained. “And so we’ve learned over the years that it’s important to make space in our shelters ahead of that happening, so that we do have a safe space for those strays to land and get back with their families.”

Suzie Chase, Community Affairs Officer for APA!, said the event is one of the largest collaboration efforts ever among Central Texas shelters.

“We worked in tandem with all of the other shelters, knowing that so many shelters and rescues right now are full, and we all had the same need, and we all wanted to get the animals out of the shelters before the July 4 fireworks,” Chase said. “So we just came together and organized it.”

“To have eight organizations together just shows the cooperation and the understanding of the need to spread the word about adopting,” Hammel said.

Macie Sharpe, with Love-A-Bull, a rescue organization focused on pitbull and pitbull-type dogs, said the summertime is an especially dangerous time for stray pets because of the heat.

The shelter representatives also pointed out that the summertime lines up with “puppy season,” and “kitten season.” It’s exactly what it sounds like, the time of year when cats and dogs are most likely to breed.

If there are people who want to help support the shelters, but they’re not ready to be a pet parent, there are other options. Volunteering is a big one: shelters are always in need of foster homes. Each organization has different ways people can volunteer, from walking dogs to doing laundry. Many organizations also accept monetary donations.

There are eight organizations participating in this weekend’s adoption event, listed below.

Sharpe said if people are wondering why so many different organizations… “This is because we’re all in the community, so there is no difference. Foster, adopt for any one of us. We’re all friends. We all want to see dogs go to homes.”

Keep Austin Adopting participating shelters’ info, hours

Austin Pets Alive!
A nonprofit animal shelter in Austin, Texas, dedicated to saving animals at risk of euthanasia.
Locations: APA! has several shelter locations and thrift store locations. More info can be found on the organization’s website.
Main Location: 1156 West Cesar Chavez, Austin, TX 78703
Hours: 12-6 p.m. Monday – Sunday
Adoptable pets: www.austinpetsalive.org/adopt

Austin Animal Center
Austin Animal Center is the municipal shelter for the City of Austin and unincorporated Travis County.
Address: 7201 Levander Loop Bldg. A, Austin, TX
Hours: Walk-In Adoption/Reclaim: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. daily
Adoptable pets: adopt.adopets.com/shelter/austin-animal-center

Austin Humane Society
The Austin Humane Society (AHS) is the longest-standing no-kill, nonprofit pet shelter in Austin.
Address: 124 W. Anderson Lane, Austin, TX
Hours: Monday–Saturday: 12–7 p.m., Sunday: 12– 5 p.m.
Adoptable pets: austinhumanesociety.org/adopt/

Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter
WCRAS is the only shelter solely devoted to the lost and unhoused animals of Round Rock, Cedar Park, Hutto, Leander and Williamson County.
Address: 1855 SE Inner Loop, Georgetown, TX
Hours: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily
Adoptable pets: www.wilcotx.gov/164/Adopt

Pflugerville Animal Welfare Services
Pflugerville Animal Welfare Services (P.A.W.S.) provides shelter for the stray and homeless animal population in Pflugerville. P.A.W.S. also provides animal services and pet resources within the city of Pflugerville city limits.
Address: 1600 Waterbrook Drive, Pflugerville, TX
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday: 12-5 p.m.
Adoptable pets: www.pflugervilletx.gov/161/Animal-Shelter

TRAPRS
Trapping, Rescue and Pet Recovery Service serving the Greater Austin community. TRAPRS is a fully volunteer-run 501 (c)3 charity organization with a mission to help humanely trap, rescue and provide strategic consulting to lost or stray pet cases.
Address: 501c3 nonprofit PO Box 90531 Austin, TX
Adoptable pets: Listed online through petfinder.com

Jack Jack’s Pack
Nonprofit street dog rescue group based in Central Texas with a mission to help foster dogs, rescue dogs, rehab, and reunite/rehome lost, dumped, and abused dogs.
Adoptable pets: jackjackspack.org/adopt

Love-A-Bull
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit pit bull rescue and advocacy group that promotes responsible guardianship and improve the image and lives of pit bulls through community support, education, advocacy, and rescue.
Address: 2900 W Anderson Ln C-200 #304, Austin, TX
Adoptable pets: love-a-bull.org/adopt/

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