Austin City Council to consider animal shelter manager’s proposal to remove No Kill safeguards and hide some euthanasias from the public

Austin’s Highly Criticized Animal Shelter Manager Don Bland Seeks Council Permission to Euthanize More Animals, Eliminate Hold Periods, and Exclude Euthanasias from Public Data reporting

In a move than many Austin animal lovers worried was coming, the Austin City Council will soon consider a proposal from highly criticized animal-shelter director Don Bland to eliminate No Kill safeguards for shelter dogs and to hide euthanasia figures for many pets. Long-time Austin animal advocates see the proposal as a request for permission to euthanize more animals, euthanize animals faster, and euthanize animals without publicly reporting their deaths.

The proposal is set to be considered by the Austin City Council in one week at the February 1, 2024 council meeting. It is agenda item number 2. The text of the proposal is available on the City Council’s website here. The public is encouraged to contact the City Council to weigh in against the proposal by sending a single message in this link.

The proposal makes two major changes. First, it removes from public “live release” calculations all animals that are not dogs or cats. If passed, the shelter will no longer publicly report in its live-release rate any and all euthanasias of other pets (like bunnies, ferrets, pet snakes, pet pigs, pet iguanas, etc.) or wildlife. This amends and reduces shelter transparency requirements adopted as part of Austin’s No Kill policies.

Second, the proposal significantly reduces safeguards for impounded dogs. Under current law, shelter animals have a seven-day hold period before they can be euthanized, and qualified rescue groups are able to rescue animals that the shelter otherwise intends to euthanize. Bland’s proposal eliminates both the hold period and rescue-group access to so-called “bite dogs,” and also changes the definition of “bite dogs” by removing requirements that a dog’s bite be unprovoked, documented, and severe. This change will allow domestic abusers and squabbling neighbors to have their victims’ dogs killed on demand; they need only claim the dog is their own and that it bit someone.

These proposals are a significant step backwards for Austin’s shelter animals and pet owners. In 2022, the Austin Animal Advisory Commission issued a vote of “no confidence” in Bland. And in 2023, the City Auditor issued a scathing report of conditions at the shelter under Bland’s leadership. Austin animal advocates find it shocking that the City Council would even consider Bland’s request to remove No Kill protections and hide shelter euthanasias.

Advocates ask the public to contact the Austin City Council and ask them to vote “no” on the proposed changes. All City Council members can be contacted in a single email through this link. Their contact information is also available by clicking on their names here.