AUSTIN (KXAN) — Leaders of Austin’s Animal Services Office, or ASO, continue to work through updates to how the city notifies its partners, and the public, about animals at risk of euthanasia, according to a memo from the city’s deputy animal services officer.
Right now, ASO is required to give 48 hours notice of euthanasia “to interested stakeholders, volunteers, and rescue groups who have opted in to a distribution list.” ASO said it extends that required 48-hour notice up to five days to give stakeholders more time.
The city also has an Urgent Placement List, or UPL, which shows animals with a bite history and “challenging behaviors.” Those animals are evaluated through a risk assessment matrix.
Now, the city said it is working to improve how it notifies the public of these animals to make sure messaging is consistent and everyone kept safe, according to the memo.
“ASO acknowledges that current practices have resulted in inconsistent messaging with ASO’s euthanasia notifications based on public safety reasons. For example, animals with bite histories and that pose public safety risks have been listed as available for adoption on the UPL,” the memo said.
The city is considering changes to the ULP “to clearly identify dogs that have behavioral challenges that are available for adoptions and foster care, and those whose bite history and behavioral challenges are best suited for placement with rescue organizations only to ensure public safety.”
The city may also create separate lists to avoid that confusion, the memo said.
“Moving forward, ASO will commit to process improvements that 1) identify animals earlier in the process for rescue only options with proper notifications, and 2) identify public safety risk animals sooner and move forward with the necessary steps to identify an appropriate outcome with proper notifications.”