Austin Pets Alive! ends veterinary contract with Laredo Animal Care Services

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - An animal organization out of Austin has made its decision to end its contract with the City of Laredo Animal Shelter.

Last week, Austin Pets Alive decided to end its veterinary services contract with LACS.

The group said it was due to a lack of cooperation with the shelter’s leadership.

On Thursday, representatives with Austin Pets Alive said they were aware of the challenges the Laredo shelter has been facing but were able and willing to help.

However, eight months in, they say the city leadership notified them that they weren’t ready for some of the proposed changes.

“We did not make this decision overnight, we tried every way we know how this year to communicate with the shelter director,” Austin Pets Alive! Director of National Operations Clare Callison told us. “We continuously were met with resistance. The city leadership and council--we met with them as well--and, ultimately, our efforts were not only ignored, but they were met with increasing hostility and wildly false misinformation. So the resistance and the misalignment in the goals were ultimately--8 months later after our contract--the real reason we ended up putting our 30 days’ notice in.”

The contract will end the first week of October.

The City of Laredo released a statement on Austin Pets Alive’s decision:

The City of Laredo has received a formal notification from Austin Pets Alive on a 30-day release from the agreement with the Laredo Animal Care Services Department. The agreement was primarily for veterinarian services. While the City of Laredo is disappointed that we are losing a partner, we do appreciate their efforts while working in our facility.

The Laredo Animal Care Services department is preparing a plan for long-term and emergency veterinarian services and many local veterinarians have offered to help ensure our success. The City of Laredo is also preparing to focus on improving relations with rescue organizations and increasing the fostering program that complements the shelter to ensure there will be a strong focus on all animals being adopted or rescued.

Through every challenge, our services will become stronger and focused on serving the community. The City of Laredo wants to thank Austin Pets Alive for their service and wish them well as they return to being advocates for all homeless pets.

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