Bless you Austin volunteer Brunie Drumond

Blackie is pictured in his new home with foster parent Brunie Drummond.

from: abcnews.com

Blackie, a 14-year-old blind dog, was days away from death when an Austin, Texas, animal shelter volunteer took him home.

His previous owners had brought him to the shelter when "they could no longer take care of him. Blackie had been an outdoor dog his entire life and he had never seen a vet," Kristen Auerbach, deputy chief animal services officer at Austin Animal Services, told ABC News. "The owners brought him in anticipating we would perform end-of-life euthanasia."

Blackie arrived with various health problems, including blindness from untreated Glaucomaand cataracts. He also had a large lump, presumably a tumor, on his chest.

Euthanasia was considered for Blackie but then "a holiday miracle occurred," said Auerbach.

Volunteer Brunie Drumond heard Blackie's story and decided to take him in to live out his final days. Drumond is also a volunteer at Austin Pets Alive! where she took Blackie for medical evaluation.

And then something interesting happened to Blackie. Though blind, he began following Drumond around by the sound of her voice, when previously he had struggled to walk.

"He seemed to take on a new life, loving every second of being a pet dog, surrounded by people and animals who loved him," said Auerbach.

Blackie celebrated his first Christmas in a home and even got a few Christmas presents. He'll ring in the new year cuddled up with Drumond on the couch -- his favorite place -- and the two will watch the ball drop together.

"In every animal shelter around the nation, there are senior and special needs pets waiting for a special family to come and save their life," Dr. Ellen Jefferson, the executive director of Austin Pets Alive!, told ABC News.

"Fostering or adopting a pet nearing the end of its life is one of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have. You will never come across a more grateful creature to be saved than a grey-muzzled cat or dog," she said.

"We don't know how long Blackie has to live, but we do know that he will never spend another night outdoors, cold and alone," Auerbach wrote in a Facebook post. "We know he'll get only the best love and care from Brunie while he is with us and most importantly, we know when Blackie passes away, he will be surrounded by people and animals who love him and who, at the very end, showed him what it's like to be a part of a family."

New Pet Memorial Center Coming to Austin

from: thepetlosscenter.com 

from: businesswire.com

The Pet Loss Center serves mourning pet parents and veterinary clinics

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Pet Loss Center, a pet memorial services company, announced its Texas launch today with the opening of two Dallas-area locations and one Austin location also serving the San Antonio and San Marcos markets. The Pet Loss Center offers pet owners and veterinary clinics final arrangement services including cremation, memorialization, ritual options and pet-loss grief support. Whether through a keepsake necklace, a Journey Urn that celebrates the chapter between pet and pet owner, or a memorial service in one of the viewing rooms, The Pet Loss Center offers a variety of options for pet owners to choose from.

Business partners Nick Padlo and Coleen Ellis, a nationally recognized pet loss expert, joined forces to bring The Pet Loss Center to Texas with plans to scale beyond.

“We saw a lack of consistent quality in the pet loss industry,” said Padlo, co-founder and CEO of The Pet Loss Center. “Coleen and I founded The Pet Loss Center on the principle of providing a seamless experience for pet parents and vets during a very emotional and difficult time. We want them to know they can trust us to respect their pets with the same dignity that is given to someone’s family member, because to us, our pets are our family.”

The Pet Loss Center developed Trusted Journey, a software system that tracks pets from their initial pickup from a veterinary clinic or pet parent’s home to their final goodbye. The Trusted Journey software system ensures pets are well taken care of along every step of the journey, giving pet owners and vets peace of mind knowing exactly where their pet is in the process.

“Honoring a pet after death is a natural way to mourn loss,” said Ellis. “We give pet parents the permission to mourn and memorialize their pet. We provide ways to celebrate the life of a pet while offering emotional guidance for pet parents and their families, including their children and other pets who are experiencing the loss of their beloved friend.”

Ellis, often referred to as the “Pet Loss Pioneer,” has extensive experience in the pet loss industry as an award-winning industry leader, author and founder of the first-ever stand-alone pet funeral home.

“I partnered with Nick because he brings so many unique aspects to the table that really help bring my vision to life,” said Ellis. “He is a decorated Army vet, a Stanford MBA grad, a millennial with a Silicon Valley background but, ultimately, he’s also a pet parent who is genuinely invested in seeing this industry become more sophisticated, better developed and more considerate to those affected by a pet’s death.”

The Pet Loss Center also equips vets with the training to address pet loss within their facility by providing Pet Loss and Grief Companioning classes as well as certification for grief counseling and tools for handling these difficult in-office experiences for their clients. The Pet Loss Center also offers personal counseling for vets and animal shelter employees as they often experience many losses over the course of their careers, which can result in “caregiver burnout.”

Mario Catalfamo, general manager of The Pet Loss Center in Austin, has more than nine years' experience in the customer service, healthcare and human service fields. Most recently, Catalfamo served as the hospital manager for BEEVET Animal Hospital where he and his team worked to ensure each client received top-quality care while being personable, sensitive and discreet – skills essential when aiding pet parents and veterinary clinics alike. Catalfamo graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Social Work from Rhode Island College.

“Austin loves its pets. We have everything from dog-treat bakeries and doggy yoga classes to pet parades. If it’s pet-friendly, we likely have it here,” said Catalfamo. “We want to give our pets the best life imaginable because we appreciate the value they bring into our own lives. It made sense to expand The Pet Loss Center into Austin, so we can provide dignity to our pets both in life and in death.”

To bring honor to K-9 officer dogs and other service dogs, The Pet Loss Center offers services free-of-charge for dogs that have died in service.

The Pet Loss Center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. For 24/7 emergency services, pet parents and veterinary clinics can call the Austin urgent line at (512) 836-7297 or the Dallas urgent line at (817) 283-7297. To learn more about The Pet Loss Center visit ThePetLossCenter.com.

About The Pet Loss Center

Founded in 2015, The Pet Loss Center offers pet memorial services including cremation, memorialization, ritual options and pet grief support to pet parents and veterinary clinics at their locations in Dallas and Austin, Texas. The Pet Loss Center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Pet Loss Center also owns Pet Heaven, a pet memorial services company, in Miami, Florida. To learn more, visit ThePetLossCenter.com.

Emancipet, Animal Trustees of Austin explore merger

from: emancipet.org

Emancipet and Animal Trustees of Austin are formally exploring a merger that will serve their complementary missions and ultimately serve more pets and the people who love them.

The boards of directors of Emancipet and Animal Trustees of Austin have signed letters of intent to merge, and are beginning due diligence to explore the feasibility of a full merger, which could be completed by the end of December.

To read more click here. 

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Apartment restrictions send adopted dog back to shelter

Elijah looking for a new home

from: kvue.com

AUSTIN – Eleven-year-old Elijah headed to a new home recently only to have to return to the Austin Animal Center he had previously called home. The reason behind his return highlights a problem many apartment renters face.

St. Edward’s University students Caitlin and Viviana returned their dog Elijah on Tuesday and said they were devastated.

"I was crying a lot yesterday," Caitlin said.

To read more click here. 

Best of 9/11 stories: Last living Ground Zero Search Dog is a Texan

from: nydailynews.com

Bretagne the golden retriever was just 2 years old when she traveled with her handler to New York after the World Trade Center attacks. Today, the 15-year-old pooch is officially retired from rescue duties, but she still works as a service dog in elementary schools, helping special needs students learn to read.

BY MEG WAGNER 
A heroic dog is heading back to the site where she earned her superpup status.

Bretagne the golden retriever is the last surviving rescue dog who searched Ground Zero after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

This week, the 15-year-old pooch returned to the Manhattan site for the first time since 2001, her fur now more white than golden. At her side was Denise Corliss, her longtime handler and owner.

"Seeing this kind of took my breath away a bit, similar to how the pile was the first time I saw it," Corliss, told the Today show. "It's so calm and peaceful now, unlike the chaos of before."

Bretagne and Corliss arrived in New York City about a week after the attack on the World Trade Center. The Texas-based duo was part of a group brought in to relieve the first wave of first responders from duty.

COURTESY DENISE CORLISSEnlarge

ANDREA BOOHER/FEMAEnlarge

Update: Texas vet who boasted about killing cat with bow and arrow found in violation by the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners

Dr. Kristen Lindsey lost her job as a veterinarian after killing a cat with a bow and arrow, then posing with the dead cat (covered up in the photo) in a Facebook post. (Photo: KBTX.com video) 

from: statesman.com

AUSTIN — Kristen Lindsey, the Texas veterinarian who outraged many for boasting about killing a cat with a bow and arrow, has been found in violation by the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.

>>Read the original report

KXAN reports that what the violation is was not revealed at the meeting. More details, and punishment, if any, is expected to be announced in October.

Animal rights advocates were outraged when Lindsey posted a photo on Facebook of herself, smiling, while holding a dead cat with an arrow through its head. The caption on the since-deleted post read, “My first bow kill, LOL. The only good feral tomcat is one with an arrow through its head! Vet of the Year Award…gladly accepted.”

At the time of the controversial Facebook post, she was working at the Washington Animal Clinic in Brenham. She was fired in April.

In June, a grand jury declined to indict Lindsey on animal cruelty charges.

According to KXAN, Lindsey believed the cat was a stray and had rabies. She claimed she shot the cat to protect her own animals. Local residents say the cat, named Tiger, was not a stray, but belonged to an older couple in the neighborhood.

A Change.org petition demanding that her veterinary license be revoked has over 28,000 signatures.

Austin: Capital of Cat Lovers too!

from: austin360.com

by: Catherine Alvarado

In Austin, we love our dogs, but we also have room in our hearts (and our homes) for cats.

According to a recent study by Apartment List, renting an apartment with a cat is no problem in Austin, or Texas. The apartment indexing website used their data to calculate which pads would allow you to bring a feline friend along, based on each place’s listing details.

Out of 200 cities, Austin came in at No. 74, with half of the Texas capital’s apartments allowing cats to room with their humans.

According to Apartment List’s numbers, only 40 percent of apartments in the U.S. allow cats. Despite that low number, Texas came out on top in terms of feline friendliness.

Ten Texas cities made it into the list’s top 25 spots, including Houston, where 64 percent of apartments allowed cats, and Irving, where 74 percent of apartments welcomed them.

The coveted No. 1 spot went to the Woodlands, where one hundred percent off apartment complexes allowed cats.

Soon Austinites will have one more cat-friendly place in town – the feline-loving (and somewhat controversial)Blue Cat Cafe will be opening soon in East Austin.