The American Pets Alive! Conference is Changing the Outlook for Shelter Pets in Texas and Beyond

AUSTIN, Texas - Jan. 29, 2019 - PRLog -- A critical group of animal sheltering leaders will gather for the "Maddie's^® Intensive for Shelter Leadership" hosted Feb. 5, 2019, at Austin Pets Alive!. The all-day Intensive occurs at the tail end of the American Pets Alive! Conference, a 3-day conference taking place Feb. 2-4 at the AT&T Executive Hotel and Conference Center. The American Pets Alive! Conference is the nation's premier No Kill gathering and showcases the proven solutions developed by Austin Pets Alive! and Austin Animal Center to create the largest No Kill city in the nation.

The goal of the "Maddie's^® Intensive for Shelter Leadership" is to gather animal sheltering leaders, who are predominantly from Texas, the state that kills the most shelter pets followed by California, with the specific focus of implementing change in communities where shelter animals die at high rates and collaborate on solutions that stop unnecessary deaths. The Intensive is a unique opportunity for committed community leaders to receive customized instruction from national No Kill leaders and staff at Austin Pets Alive! and Austin Animal Center who have first-hand experience implementing tactics that move communities forward in their journey toward No Kill.

"We've seen amazing, lifesaving results from offering this opportunity to learn from a proven model. Our goal for the Maddie's^® Intensive for Shelter Leadership is to make sure participants go home with a tangible plan to increase live release rates in their community," says Austin Pets Alive! Executive Director and national No Kill leader Dr. Ellen Jefferson, DVM. "It's truly exceptional to see a group like this come together to create change for homeless pets in our country."

The Austin No Kill Model, the methodology taught throughout the American Pets Alive! Conference and the Maddie's^® Intensive for Shelter Leadership, is composed of the data-driven protocols, programs, and tools developed by Austin Pets Alive! and Austin Animal Center. These methods have saved more than 60,000 pets since 2008 at Austin Pets Alive! alone.

"Every city that attends the American Pets Alive! Conference will be positioned to make changes in their communities that result in more lives saved. This is especially exciting for cities where the save rates are less than 50% and that are actively working hard to change that," says Dr. Jefferson.

The American Pets Alive! Conference and associated Maddie's^® Intensive for Shelter Leadership is just a portion of the educational initiatives championed by Austin Pets Alive! through its educational arm, American Pets Alive!. The nonprofit offers year-round educational opportunities through Maddie's^® Lifesaving Academy, for which Austin Pets Alive! received a $4M grant from Maddie's Fund^® in 2017. Maddie's^® Lifesaving Academy offers 13 apprenticeship opportunities at no cost to students and includes travel stipends to Austin.

"The City of Austin is a model for animal lifesaving in Texas and across the country," said Mary Ippoliti-Smith, Executive Leadership Team at Maddie's Fund. "We expect the ripple effect of this type of collaboration to spread exponentially to communities across the U.S. This is just one more step in our goal to help ensure all of the dogs and cats in America find a loving home or habitat."

Animal Shelter and Rescue Organization staff from the following communities will travel to Austin to attend the American Pets Alive! Conference and the Maddie's^® Intensive for Shelter Leadership:

Maricopa County, AZ

San Jacinto, CA

Los Angeles, CA

Hesperia, CA

Kern County, CA

Tulare, CA

Kailua Kona, HI

Chicago, IL

Kansas City, MO

Cincinnati, OH

Dallas, TX

El Paso, TX

Hidalgo County, TX

Harris County, TX

Abilene, TX

Amarillo, TX

Corpus Christi, TX

Fort Worth, TX

Harlingen, TX

Lubbock, TX

San Marcos, TX

Cedar Hill, TX

Odessa, TX

Wichita Falls, TX

Fairfax County, VA

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About Austin Pets Alive! 


Austin Pets Alive! is a 501(c) 3 (nonprofit) organization that is focused on helping the healthy and/or treatable pets at risk of euthanasia in other shelters. Our mission is to promote and provide the resources, education, and programs needed to eliminate the killing of companion animals. Since 2008, we've saved the lives of over 50,000 pets and have helped Austin be the largest No Kill city in the country for over seven years. For more, head to austinpetsalive.org .

About Maddie's Fund^®

Maddie's Fund^® (https://www.maddiesfund.org/about-maddies-fund.htm) is a family foundation created in 1994 by Workday^® co-founder Dave Duffield and his wife, Cheryl, who have endowed the Foundation with more than $300 million. Since then, the Foundation has awarded more than $225.7 million in grants toward increased community lifesaving, shelter management leadership, shelter medicine education, and foster care across the U.S. The Duffields named Maddie's Fund after their Miniature Schnauzer Maddie, who always made them laugh and gave them much joy. Maddie was with Dave and Cheryl for ten years and continues to inspire them today.

Maddie's Fund is the fulfillment of a promise (http://www.maddiesfund.org/about-maddie.htm) to an inspirational dog, investing its resources to create a no-kill nation where every dog and cat is guaranteed a healthy home or habitat. #ThanksToMaddie.

About Austin Animal Center - City of Austin

The Austin Animal Services Office operates the Austin Animal Center, the largest No Kill municipal animal shelter in the United States. We provide shelter to more than 16,000 animals annually. Their goal is to provide a safe place for lost and homeless animals and to educate the community in order to prevent animal homelessness and promote compassionate treatment of animals and responsible pet ownership.