Austin Animal Center Reviews

Largest Municipal No kill animal shelter in the U.S.

Worked there and bolunetered there as well. They are awesome, and caring people working there for a great cause. Please support as much as you can!

Used to come here to volunteer to walk dogs. The employees really care and always do their best to provide the animals with proper care. The most humane/caring animal shelter I have been to! Please support the Austin Animal Shelter in any way you can

This facility is so nice. There are so many buildings to go through I recommend to come early if it's hot. And possibly take a lunch break. It's cool that you can take creation dogs or of the cages to walk. If your looking for a new buddy check them out

Very helpful and they do not euthanize animals. Dog/cat kennels that they housed the fur babies in were very clean.

My boyfriend and I adopted a puppy and brought him home, he had a cough since we got him that got worse so we took him in. If we hadn t taken him to the vet when we did they said he would ve died.

I went there yesterday to adopt a dog with my daughter. The dog was very skinny but a complete sweetheart so we decided we would go ahead an adopt her and give her the love she deserved. I was told that I would be able to pick her up today from 4pm-7pm as she needed to be spayed beforehand which was no big deal. I got a call as I was on the way to pick her up with my daughter that we could not get her as the vet said she was too unhealthy to be spayed at this time, and that we could not adopt her anymore. I asked if they could possibly hold her for me, and they could not because I did not live in Travis County.

Mind you, I had already bought $600 worth of new doggy stuff, and paid a $200 pet deposit AND a $200 pet fee at my residence.

I feel very upset because we had our hopes up very high to bring this sweet girl home, and they rejected us an hour before we were supposed to pick her up. If the dogs aren't healthy enough for vet care, you shouldn't be putting them up for adoption.

Very clean and spacious. Employees were super friendly and you can walk a dog if you want and are over 18

We have adopted a puppy and a kitten from here. It is the first shelter I have ever been to where the cat rooms smell like the cat food they were feeding. It was incredibly clean. The staff and volunteers are awesome. Our kitten was healthy, socialized and very friendly. And our puppy grew up to be just the best.

We walked in and they barely knew what we were talking about when we asked if a dog was up for adoption instead of fostering. We had to ask three people before we got an answer. We were told a dog we found on their website was only up for fostering and when we called previously we were told that we could take the dog home and adopt him, but he wasn't even at the location. We also witnessed multiple dogs in small portable crates laying in their own feces and urine. There were dogs that were heartworm positive and dogs with mange near dogs that were healthy and adoptable. The facility wasn't clean and we walked in urine when we were looking at dogs. To sum it up, conditions were less than humane.

Unparalleled animal shelter. Fantastic staff, great facility.

Clean facility, professional staff, well organized, knowledgable about dogs, and seem to really love animals. Austin is lucky to have AAC.

Great place but only suggestion is, when getting in line through your phone, you should be able to put the pet number that you're looking at. If someone adopts it before it's your turn you would get a text and you can look for another one.

Awesome treatment of animals here, and the receptionist was great!

I love coming! The best part is that it isn't a kill shelter

Rude people with no help to give, cute doggies though

Brought a mom and 2 pups to this center. All found on side of highway and in great need of medical attention. The woman who checked in the animals took a kitten that was ill immediately...no questions asked. For our crew...she asked over and over where we found the dogs...it was obvious they had been through a lot of trauma. She said she needed to know in case owners look for them. So we guessed because it was like 105 outside and our main concern was to get them helped. After her 20 min proding about the location...she said they could NOT take the dogs cause they were not found in Travis county! Can you belive the injustice of this staff member. She should be ashamed!!! We had to lug all back home and leave in hot back yard to go to work. Such a shame! Whatever you do...LIE!! Say you found the animal in Travis county!!!

I found my perfect pet here! Its kept clean and organized. A mellow comfortable atmosphere. Staff are very helpful.

They were nice. Not all the information needed was passed along before the adoption process was started. Example: positive test for heartworms. But at least the treatment will be free.

I tried calling this facility several times in regards to checking if a pet was available. No one answered and when I drove anhour and a half to try to find him they told me it turns out he is in foster. I am very upset I drove a total of 3 hours for them to tell me I have to come back later.

I have adopted 2 cats from this location and. Found the staff to be friendly and knowledgeable. The animals were clean and cared for. The entire experience was very pleasant.

Great operation.Huge undertaking and the staff is amazing. I waited in line this morning very cold for a pass to adopt. There they were baring the weather as we all are there for the same reason for quality of life for our 4 legged friends plus others. THANK YOU

The staff are very helpful and friendly. I'm very pleased with how smooth the process of adoption went, and I'm very happy with my new family member. Just want to say thanks to the Austin Animal Center for helping me find such a great companion and addition to the family.

We were only there to surrender two strays. Pretty efficient for an office that was only staffed with two people on a Sunday afternoon. Both staff members were very friendly, understanding, and helpful. Best to have a reservation as well as printing and filling out the forms before you arrive.

Editorial comment... don't go out and buy a cat or dog. Visit the Austin Animal Shelter, Austin Humane Society, Austin Pets Alive, or another shelter. There you'll find a loving pet who will be happy to go home with you.

Very helpful people. Didn't find my dog but they were very helpful as to what to do next.

The people were happy to help and took great interest in giving the best direction

My wife and I adopted a dog recently. They said they gave the dog an examination and everything was great. The next day the dog was coughing and hacking. We took her to the vet and they said she has pneumonia.

Picked up a new puppy last week and was impressed the whole facility. Much cleaner and better run than other animal shelters in the area. Only qualm was that our puppy had a umbilical hernia that was not fixed when she was fixed.

Good place to go and choose your next beautiful pet.

Great staff and resources for all your animal needs.

So many Littles looking for forever homes! The staff here is very helpful, Melody helped me last time I went and she is AMAZING with the dogs and knows so much about each dog's personality!

I found two dogs just outside my apartment complex and tried calling the animal shelter to ensure they wouldn't be turned away. My only complaint is that their automated system is a bit complex and it would have been easier talking to a human rather than navigating their strata of 'press one for "this"'. BUT, seeing as how they took both of the dogs without hesitation AND the fact that there were four other animals that people brought in as having been abandoned/found...I will say that's probably the reason the use an automated system. I did not get to see the entire facility, but if the remainder is as well managed and kept as the area where you remit lost animals, it means they are doing one hell of a job. I was surprised to see the two boys I found on their website almost a week later. I was sure they would require a quarantine period, but guess I was wrong. The younger of the two is no longer on their website so it means he has been adopted. They're doing a great job with limited means and an over abundance of animals continuously being admitted to their custody.

Be very careful signing paperwork here. You sign a document saying you will pay for all medical costs or return the dog immediately. Obviously, if you're getting a pet you need to be responsible and take care of it. We completely understand that and were ready for the responsibility/ expenses. However, I adopted a dog this weekend that had a severe UTI upon adoption (we noticed right away when we got home she had bloody urine and showed signs of UTI), but the shelter said that their staff did not notice and therefore were not responsible. Its impossible to develop a UTI in a matter of hours ironically right after she was in shelter care all month... They told me straight up "just drop her back off but you'll lose your rights". We love her and shes perfect so we are going to help her without their assistance; as I said, we saved for this but I hoped they would assist somewhat since it was preexisting. The paperwork doesnt address what happens if the medical care was necessary PRIOR to bringing her home, so you might be stuck with a sick animal without even knowing. The reason I gave 1 star instead of zero was the simple fact that I love my dog and the people I interacted with the day I got her were phenomenal. It's not their fault that the shelter policy is idiotic, so I'm not blaming shelter staff. A UTI is not easily detectable (although, you can smell her urine a mile away... sign number 1). I simply was just asking for their policy and I was told to return her--so they will care for her but only if I give her up. The vet found a mass in her bladder and said the previous owner likely gave her to the shelter due to costs and the shelter didnt do anything for her in the month she was there. It is so clear that she has urinary/ bathroom frequency issues and the shelter claims to have no idea... I should have known the level of attention to care was low when they said "oh shoot we never gave her a rabies vaccine" as we were walking out the door and pricked her real quick... I dont think a sick dog should be getting vaccinated anyways but they didnt care to check. Hopefully she gets better soon and I will not be adopting from here again.

Needs more holistic approach to dog nutrition, but nevertheless always a nice place to adopt dogs.

I don't appreciate being called a liar. I drove here all the way from killeen to drop off my rabbit. I called beforehand because I knew that it would be a long drive. Nobody discussed to me that I would need to make an appointment. I get here, get pushed away and the only exception they would make is if I had "proof" that I called earlier that morning. I offered to leave the cage, his food and hay, and they still turned me down even after being in tears. Train your employees to not rush while answering the phone and maybe you wouldn't have to waste time for the people who drive two hours to try and do the right thing.

Got my sweet baby Arrow here during an all fees waived event. I hope they have another soon, Arrow could use a brother or sister

Pound puppies are the best! We got this guy from AAC many years ago and he was the best dog in the whole world. We also fostered a young dog from AAC and she was very sweet and found her forever home after about a month. Most recently we have worked with AAC to spay cats in our area and while they could be more organized (AAC + Austin Humane Society), they are working hard to do everything they can.

It was so sad to walk in and see that they kept the big dogs (mainly pitbulls) all the way in the back. The small dogs were featured up front, and they were all chihuahuas. Some were even put together in a small cage to mate. I barely saw anyone who knew how to get to the big dogs.

It is a remarkable facility. They took in and opened 2 does that or friends found abandoned near enchanted Rock

Great collection of all sizes, colors, breeds and ages as well as long-timers who have not been adopted. Can walk thru all the kennels, walk or hold a pet of interest, and volunteers & staff to help select a forever family member.

Very friendly staff
Very informative
Always a curtious and welcoming staff...
Animals are treated nice fed properly...
I recommend adopting from them ...
I adopted a Rottweiler love at first sight...
No regrets here..
My granddaughter adopted a cat as well a yr before ...
Planning on adopting another Rottweiler in the future...

Great folk, needy beasts. Check out our Beau. We got him here. That's one high quality kitty.

Wonderful.Friendly, knowledgeable staff. Clean facility. Timely response to inquiry

Wonderful place. Excellent staff were friendly and helpful. When we visited they were pushing capacity. Help a good cause and adopt a pet.

A beautiful stray pitbull mix turned up in my yard and me being the animal lover and pitbull advocate that I am, I couldn't ignore her. She didn't have any tags on but, had a shock collar so, I decided to bring her here to have her scanned to see if she had a chip so I could return her to the family that loves her.

I walked in and they asked for my ID which I gave them and they took her in to check for a chip. She did have a chip but, it was out of date as they found out after they made a few phone calls. They didn't stop there though and found out who adopted her from the last place and were able to try to call them. They told me that I could leave her there for the owner to pick her up and that they would handle it but, I didn't feel right about that because I knew she was from the neighborhood and I would rather return her myself. She was so sweet I would have hated to leave her there.

I couldn't believe how polite and helpful the staff was but, I was grateful as was the owner when they got ahold of them. They asked them if it was ok to give their number to me and the dog (Bella) and I went on our way after I spoke to the owner.

Thanks to them I was able to return her to her family who had just left to go out of town but, turned around to collect her. Apparently she had gotten out of the neighbors yard who was supposed to be watching her. I couldn't have returned her without their help or at least not that quickly.

Nicer facility and much less crowded than APA location.

Folks try really hard to help out both the people and the pets

Lots of red tape before I could see dogs. The receptionist guessed at whether a dog I was interested in had been adopted. An adopted sign was placed on the crate after I spoke to her.

They take good care of their pups and kitties. NO KILL shelter!

The staff at AAC are very friendly! Michael, at the front, was absolutely awesome and helped us find our perfect match. He was very informative and very patient. I d definitely adopt from AAC again. Thank y all so much!

We adopted a dog. Be patient, its a long proccess, but its all volunteers. If we get another dog we will go here.

Beautiful Shelter! They are caring and very respecting! I visited here to do a Galveston County (Houston) Transfer to Austin!

Was a little difficult because of the virus but Amanda was outstanding and we went home with a kitty

Great people work here. There is always the bureaucracy of dealing with City stuff, but they do a great job within the system. Adrienne Clark and Erin herren and Erin Colman are just the best!

100s of dogs and cats , and even some rabbits here to choose from! They're all well cared for, to include vet care, volunteer help, and visitors. Some are free! They are the nation's top no-kill shelter, offering lost pet help, microchips, and vaccinations too. They're open every day, so come adopt an animal today!

I had a lot of help from some very friendly volunteers, and finally picked out Jemma, my new cat. She's the sweetest thing and an excellent decision!

i went to see if i could adopt a cat and a large dog, the out side of the shelter appeared to be nice, first i parked in the handicap zone, being i am bound to a manual wheel chair, i get out, wheel what seems to be about a 1/2 mile to the front door, which then the door had no electrical handy cap excess, some one leaving helped hold the door open. you get inside and the people were real friendly, and pointed out the way around.
i went to the cats, and they were all glassed in, so you get no physical contact with them and don't get a first response on there personality, you have to go back and forth to see more than one,
i then went to the large dogs. i wasn't prepared to go boon docking over gravel to get out to them.(why is it not attached to the main building) i got inside to see the dogs, but the bottom glass is frosted and could not see any of them.
who the architect was had no idea how to build a public building, he needs to go back to building children play houses. (but he sure got a lot of money from the city for the crap he did)

For your safety, do not adopt here.

There's no descriptions for any pets anywhere on the page. To find out any information, you have to make a profile, wait for it to be accepted, and message in the names of the dogs you'd like information on two at a time. Then you're given the foster's contact information and you have to email them from your personal email to ask about the dog, which can take up to 3 days.

I found out one dog was an owner surrender because it killed another dog and one was in quarantine because it got into a fight and the foster was bitten. This is important information that should be listed with the dog description rather than waste my time.

I finally found the perfect dog and was super excited. The foster (May Herzfeld) sent my info to the adoption team and we arranged a day to meet up and adopt. More than 24 hours after the adoption team was contacted, the foster's HUSBAND Mike emailed me (apparently fosters can give out your email at their whim) to say that he had decided he wanted to keep the dog now that it was being adopted.

And just like that, my adoption was cancelled. I told the fosters I was understandably disappointed and that I wished they had told me they wanted to keep him sooner, since I had already invested so much into him both financially and emotionally, but that the dog's happiness came first and I was glad he had a home. The foster and her husband then proceeded to contact me 5 ADDITIONAL TIMES to give self-righteous excuses as to why they were better for the dog than me, to angrily accuse me of "guilting" them, and they even had the audacity to tell me that I should look for my dog in another shelter in another city, as well as to try to insult me personally. I repeatedly told them that we didn't need to have continued contact.

When I messaged back the center to tell them the fosters were keeping the dog (literally all I said) and to ask if there was any way they could help me find a cat-friendly dog without me having to contact each foster individually, I received a lecture back on how fosters get ultimate say in who gets a dog and was told they "are not facilitating adoptions" so I could keep throwing out pet Id's and contacting fosters with my personal email if I wanted to find a dog.

After I reported to the animal center that the fosters had been harassing me, the center did not respond to my 4 messages until I told them I was going to get the law involved. They refused to take any action, and had the gall to send me a link to the city directory and tell me to find and serve them myself.

My husband reported everything to 311 and got the director's information. We attempted to contact her via email & phone and never heard from her. We finally got an email from the foster facilitator saying it was "rare" for there to be problems with fosters. That was the extent of the email. They did not say they were taking any action to ensure my safety or that this stopped, or taking any at all against the foster.

The fosters started criminally impersonating us to sign us up for pornography and spam with the email and information I'd been forced to provide to receive information about the dog. We got the police involved. The shelter was reluctant to give them the foster's information, and the police found the foster had a prior record. The director never returned a single email or phone call. Everyone on the directors board at that shelter needs to step down because they don't care about the safety of potential adopters.

I wish I could give this shelter 0 stars. The Austin Animal Center claiming to be a no kill shelter is a lie. I brought a dog in a month ago that I found on the side of the freeway. I was on my way to work and brought the dog with me to my boss's house. This sweet dog played with my boss's dogs and children. I brought the dog to the Austin Animal Center that afternoon.

If there was any way I could have kept this dog, I would have. But I already have five rescue dogs which is already way too many for one person. I received a call from the shelter yesterday letting me know that they were euthanizing the dog due to "behavioral issues, i.e. showing aggression to other dogs and people". I truly believe that the AAC is claiming this as an excuse to euthanize a perfectly healthy and gentle dog and to maintain their "no kill" farce. I feel totally betrayed. I entrusted AAC to do right by this dog and they in turn killed him. It seems like a coincidence that they decide to euthanize the dog exactly one month after I brought it there. I believe that because the dog hadn't been adopted within a month's time, they made the decision to kill him. They called me at 2:30 in the afternoon while I was at work. I returned their call but they don't answer the phone. I left a message and they did not call back until 5:30 when I was on the drive home and unable to answer the call. They gave me until 7 pm to claim the dog before they were going to kill him. I was unable to do so and they therefore killed the dog.

They really do the best they can for so many cast away fur babies. They often are busy and don't have enough staff or volunteers, but those that are there really care. Please consider donating items and/or money, if you are able.

I wanted to adopt a cat and she pulled me waiting for her to attend me almost 1h and it was supposed to be the next, then they passed me with the one who took the calls and started to rush us for a decision to adopt, obviously she wanted the cat, but she was pending on a call and rimmed us in a hurry.

Free adoption weekend, so very busy! Staff are nice and helpful. Lots to choose from. Thanks for being no kill! Didn't find a match for myself but haven't met the fosters I'm interested in yet.

I wanted to take them all home. Have my eye on a big guy named Goose. I think I'll go back tomorrow.

We had a great experience adopting our dog from AAC. Almost everyone was unbelievably friendly and helpful. One lady was just a regular sort of helpful. That's pretty amazing in my book.

Almost a year ago our son for his 9th birthday asked to adopt a dog. We went into the facility which was nice and clean and the staff was very friendly. Needless to say we adopted a dog named Sierra Blue. Sierra has been a great addition to our family and our children enjoy her everyday. Sierra is very loving,sweet, & smart. I like to come back to the site to see what other people have to say about their experiences. Every animal deserves a good home/ family that will fill thier hearts with love and hpoe. May you find what we have discovered.- The Castillo's

We adopted a puppy on Thursday. She was spayed the morning we picked her up. They used adhesive to close the incision. It was oozing and opening before she had been home for 3 days. A trip to the vet and was told that the abdominal wall had not been closed correctly and required surgery to be closed correctly. I contacted 311 for the animal center. I got a call after they had closed for the day, and then a call from someone the following day who told me they would send up my information up the chain and would be contacted again by a higher up. I have not yet heard from that person(s). Be wary. It cost us plenty and the puppy has only been home with us for 6 days.

The staff was friendly, helpful and very interested and concerned about the animals I rescued and brought to them. With a 97.7 save rate this is the first and only place to bring animals in need....

There are very good people who understand the problems of the animals in this place, my respects are dedicated and kind people that if you have problems with pets they can help you and to adopt one too

They gave me just what the Dr. Ordered in such a time as this. Someone to Love Zimba