I'm afraid I must agree with many who have reviewe...

I'm afraid I must agree with many who have reviewed about the bureaucracy. I was sent a photo of a Bichon Mix and told that he was at the Austin Animal Center. I went down there. I've adopted over a dozen pets in the past 30 years from the Humane society and I went down there and walked out with my dog. Not at THIS place.

No wonder they have so many to care for.. Honestly it is as hard as adopting a baby. I had had a hip replacement about a month before I went down there. Their handicap parking is NOT ADA compliant. It was 40 yards from the front of the building. I had to stop and sit three times before getting in to the building. Beautiful lobby (I can see what lots of "donations" paid for). I was there 20 minutes before anyone would tell me the protocol. She sent me to the next room to stand in line for 30 minutes. When I got to the counter, I showed the email they sent me with the photo of the dog on it. They looked him up and gave me his ID number. Sent me back to the room where I started. I was the only one at the counter and the two employees, volunteers or whatever were carrying on a conversation and could see me standing there but ignored me. I finally said, "Excuse me" and they turned around. One of them waited on me VERY SLOWLY. Finally she went in another room to do some research on him. The place was crowded as it was Sunday. The entire time I was there, I only saw THREE people actually leave with an animal. No wonder they are so overcrowded.

After 30 more minutes she came back and informed me that the dog was not up for adoption. She said he was at the vet having kidney surgery. and that after that, he would have to go to a foster home to recuperate, and after that he would be available to adopt. They told me to go online and fill out a form and also giving the ID # for the dog. I told her that I wanted to put a "hold" or something so he would not be adopted out. She told me to put it on the form, So I did it.

So I called a week later. The ONLY number you can call is 311 and get in the queue and wait 15 minutes to talk to an operator, THEN all they do is take a message and pass it on to the Austin Animal Center. So they returned my call a couple of days later and said he was still in foster care recuperating. Again I was EMPHATIC about being notified once he was available for adoption. She said she would try, but if the foster care person brings him to the shelter to be adopted, that they put him in an enclosure with his number. They said they could call me, but if a person walking thru the center at the time we were on the phone wanted to adopt him, it would be first come first served.

Due to my handicap I could not run down and spend every day at the shelter walking the runs looking for the dog. Two days later I called to see if he was available. She came back and said, "He was released from foster care yesterday morning and was adopted yesterday afternoon." No one had called me.

I will never donate a dime to that place. I have a feeling it won't go to help the animals, but for building a lavish structure on very expensive real estate (which they could sell for megabucks) and move further out and have more funds to work with. This was physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing for me. They are choked with bureaucracy. They told me I could come down and look at some of the smaller dogs. I told them no thanks. I only adopt pure bred dogs. Their temperament is know as well as strengths and weaknesses of the breed. I got one Afghan from the pound, another Afghan Hound from Austin Afghan rescue and my Bichon was from a lady who had gone into hospice and could no longer care for her. With mixed breed dogs, you can never be sure about behavioral issues. I'll be adopting elsewhere and no, I do NOT want to adopt one of your Chihuahuas, like the girl suggested. I informed her that I'd been bitten twice by dogs. Once by a Doberman and once by a Chihuahua.