Volunteers and speakers press Austin Animal Services on rescue-pull, urgent-placement lists and euthanasia notices

Speakers at the Oct. 13 Bridal Advisory Commission meeting pressed Austin Animal Services (AAS) for more transparency and expert oversight after a flurry of recent rescue-pull and euthanasia notices.

Several volunteers and former AAS staffers described individual animals placed on a rescue-only or euthanasia list and urged the commission to require that behavioral and euthanasia decisions be made or reviewed by qualified animal behavior professionals.

Public testimony: Max Oliver and Julie Oliver, volunteers, described dogs they said were placed on rescue-pull or euthanasia lists after incidents they characterized as provoked or minor. Julie Oliver provided comparative historical intake and budget figures and criticized the shelter's current "rescue pull only" memo; she said behavioral and euthanasia determinations were being made without outside expert consultation and that some euthanasia notices were driven by space pressures rather than public-safety risk. "These are life-and-death decisions being made without professional expertise," she said.

Staff response and process: Rolando Fernandez, interim chief of AAS, described the mechanics of the urgent placement list (UPL) and rescue placement list (RPL). He said AAS publishes the RPL within the first five business days of each month; after publication there is a five-business-day "commitment period" during which rescue organizations may state intent to take an animal; if no commitment is received, a second notification provides a 48-business-hour (per city code) additional window before the department may proceed with humane euthanasia. Fernandez said the department is working to re-establish a weekly review process in which rescue partners, including Austin Pets Alive (APA), meet with AAS staff to review animals on the lists.

Rescue partner activity: Stephanie Bilbrough, director of operations for Austin Pets Alive, told commissioners APA pulled 1,720 animals from Austin Animal Center in the prior fiscal year, above APA's contract target, and that APA continues to accept medically compromised puppies, parvo-positive animals and behavior dogs that are at risk.

Questions from commissioners focused on counts and clarity. Commissioners asked staff to post clearer matrices and contact instructions on the website for rescue groups and to explain how scores or "matrix" values are interpreted. Commissioner Linder suggested clearer labeling and context so rescues understand what a matrix score means.

Why it matters: The RPL/UPL procedures determine which at-risk animals are publicly offered to rescue partners and which may be euthanized; volunteers and rescues say greater transparency and trained behavioral input would reduce unintended deaths and improve placements. Staff say they are revising procedures and posting clearer information on the AAS website, while also restoring weekly rescue-review meetings.

Ending: Staff said they will continue monthly RPL publication and the five-business-day commitment process, will post clearer contact information on the website and have invited rescue partners to weekly case reviews. APA and volunteers said they will continue to pull at-risk animals while pressing for more expert behavioral oversight and for review of the "rescue pull only" memo.