AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) sees thousands of pets a year and plans to expand some of its services.
APA!'s current hospital and transport hub are in its 75-year-old facility. The animal shelter manages to help those pets using just a few rooms. They have a total of 46 staff members.
This summer, APA! will move out of its old facility and into a brand new $13 million hospital located in two buildings off U.S. 290 and Brodie Lane to double its capacity.
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"It’s super tight. Obviously, we have limited room. The whole facility, we are bumping into each other," Dr. Alexis Bardziniski said. "It’s hard to teach because there is a lot of noise everywhere."
According to Bardziniski, the process will become more efficient with separate rooms for the staff to work in. It will also be easier to clean.
A new transport hub is also on the way in Elgin that can house 100 dogs at time, which is double the capacity of its current one.
"So we can help the rest of Texas save lives by moving animals out of places where there are few resources and moving to places across the country that don't have enough animals for adoption," APA! CEO Dr. Ellen Jefferson said.
In the years to come, APA!'s facility off Cesar Chavez will be knocked down and rebuilt. Jefferson said the dogs will be in new kennels and not decades-old ones.
According to APA!, the projects are funded by donations and adoption fees.