Press Room

(Alameda-June 28, 2001) Maddie's Fund, the pet rescue foundation whose goal is to help animal shelters throughout the nation establish community-wide adoption guarantees for healthy dogs and cats, announced today that it will award $430,000 to support the first year of Maddie's Pet Project in Austin, Texas. The Project's goal is to end the killing of healthy, adoptable dogs and cats in Austin and the surrounding Travis County, Texas within five years. As goals are achieved, Maddie's Fund will make a total of $3.9 million available to the Project.

The no-kill Humane Society of Austin & Travis County is Maddie's Pet Project's lead agency. The other partners include the animal control facility, Town Lake Animal Center, and forty-four private veterinary hospitals.

The Project's first year goals are to increase the number of adoptions by 876 over the same period last year and to increase the number of spay/neuter surgeries by 4,380 to radically reduce shelter deaths. By the end of year five, shelter deaths of adoptable animals should be down to zero.

The community has been on a life-saving crusade since 1997 when a resolution to end the killing of adoptable animals was presented to the Austin City Council by a coalition of animal welfare organizations. The resolution passed unanimously and the coalition went on to develop a comprehensive community-wide plan to achieve the resolution's objectives.

"Austin is a city that has all the pieces in place," says Maddie's Fund President, Rich Avanzino. "In addition to Maddie's Pet Project, Austin's dogs and cats have the backing of city and county officials, the nearby School of Veterinary Medicine (Texas A&M), and local rescue, advocacy and spay/neuter groups. It's a real plus for Maddie's Fund to be involved in a community that has demonstrated such a huge commitment to saving pet lives."