Volunteers and residents urge Austin Animal Center to halt short-notice euthanasia notices and improve transparency

Volunteers and community members told the Austin Animal Advisory Commission on June 16 that Austin Animal Center (AAC) issued four euthanasia notices earlier that day and that the notices gave too little time and too little behavior context for rescue partners to respond.

The most direct comments came from Heather Myers, an attorney and AAC volunteer, who said AAC’s buildings were struggling to stay cool and that the shelter’s “urgent placement list” transparency commitment has not been fulfilled. Myers said at least four euthanasia notices were issued that day and that two of the dogs singled out — Sage and “Billy Girl” — were on the list as public-safety risks despite single-bite records that, she said, occurred while volunteers or staff were breaking up dog fights.

Myers: “We need more time, more transparency, and more humane decision making based on actual facts and common sense.”

Several other volunteers described the same concern. Julie Oliver, who said she volunteers about 20 hours a week at AAC, named the four dogs receiving notices as Fondue, Billy Girl, Sage and Dudley and said the dogs’ bite histories were months old and that, since those…