Residents and volunteers say gaps in Austin Animal Services emergency care leave injured animals at risk

Dozens of residents, volunteers and a veteran police animal‑cruelty investigator told the Austin Animal Advisory Commission on Dec. 8 that the city's system for responding to sick and injured animals is failing and leaving animals to suffer on streets and in neighborhoods.

"Pets are dying horrible, painful deaths because of this terrible decision," Beverly Luna, an organizer with Austin Lost & Found Pets, said during public comment, summarizing recent posts and calls where finders said the city or its contracted emergency clinic would not accept injured animals. Police officer Andrea Gregg, who investigates animal attacks and cruelty, said she and other officers have had to turn residents away and that smaller jurisdictions cannot absorb those calls when Austin declines service.

The crowd's complaints focused on two related problems: apparent breakdowns in 311/911 handoffs and the loss or reduction of an emergency veterinary pathway for animals found outside normal shelter hours. "I was told that Central Texas [Emergency Vet] no longer takes in strays," Luna said; other speakers described cases in which finders or rescue volunteers paid for emergency care because the clinic or the shelter would not accept the animal.

City staff acknowledged changes to how emergency care is handled. Interim Chief Animal Services Officer Rolando Fernandez said the prior arrangement with an emergency clinic was not a formal city contract. The department has identified $100,000 to seed a new, competitive contract for community emergency care and said it has finalized a scope of services for procurement. Fernandez said the interim practice will be: community members may bring injured animals to an emergency clinic at their own expense, APOs (Animal Protection Officers) may transport animals to an emergency clinic after hours, and officers will retrieve animals the following morning when feasible.

"We were able to identify a $100,000 for what we're going to be procuring as a new contract," Fernandez said. "It exceeds the manager's authority, so we have to compete the service and ensure quality and pricing."

Speakers and commissioners pressed staff about the practical effects of that approach. Several commenters said the reality they encounter is that finders are told to return animals to the place they were found or that it can take many hours — sometimes days — for APOs to arrive. "When I bring an injured dog to the Animal Center, I'm routinely turned away," said Amy Perez, a nurse who volunteers and fosters; she said being directed to re‑abandon an animal could violate Texas law and place citizens at legal risk.

Fernandez said the department has been meeting with 311 to improve call‑taking scripts and to triage calls better. He also described three parallel efforts to reduce the gap: (1) budget advocacy to prioritize emergency veterinary funding in future years; (2) adding APO positions and adjusting schedules so officers can be deployed where and when calls are highest; and (3) improved data collection and IT support to match staffing and service levels with community needs.

Public commenters urged faster vendor selection and clearer public guidance in the interim. Several asked the commission to recommend that the city not shift responsibility for urgent medical care to members of the public.

What happens next: staff said the procurement process is underway and that the department will share the scope and vendor responses with stakeholders as proposals come in. The commission did not take formal action on policy or funding at the Dec. 8 meeting.