Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Presenter:
Lucy Fernandez, Senior Intake Diversion (PASS) Program Manager, Austin Pets Alive!
With over 35% of pets coming into shelters labeled as owner surrender, ramping up on proactive strategies and resources in your organization can save more time, money, pets, and people! Originally launched in 2010 as one of the founding recommendations of making Austin, TX a no-kill city, the Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender program through Austin Pets Alive manages over 10,000 cases throughout Texas to help keep pets out of the shelter system. Lucy Fernandez, the Senior Intake Diversion (PASS) Program Manager, can guide you through the basics of getting started on community collaboration, data collection, and intake diversion.
Key Takeaways: Get to know your community ecosystem to more intentionally and strategically support pets with their families. More collaboration = less control
To access the full agenda and resources from this call or to ask questions of our speakers, visit https://maddies.fund/communityconversations11325
About Community Conversations, hosted by Maddie’s Fund: When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, animal sheltering transformed overnight. Foster-based sheltering, home-based employees and volunteers, along with collaboration galvanized our communities. The pandemic, along with social injustice, has motivated our industry to look at how we partner with our communities and confront our own biases. Shelter and rescue staff across the country began talking on a weekly basis, offering support and innovative ideas to do things differently. To learn more about these calls, visit forum.maddiesfund.org/communityconversations
00:00 Welcome + Question of the Day
00:50 December grant winners
03:37 National Updates
06:35 Presentation
Presenter:
Lucy Fernandez, Senior Intake Diversion (PASS) Program Manager, Austin Pets Alive!
With over 35% of pets coming into shelters labeled as owner surrender, ramping up on proactive strategies and resources in your organization can save more time, money, pets, and people! Originally launched in 2010 as one of the founding recommendations of making Austin, TX a no-kill city, the Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender program through Austin Pets Alive manages over 10,000 cases throughout Texas to help keep pets out of the shelter system. Lucy Fernandez, the Senior Intake Diversion (PASS) Program Manager, can guide you through the basics of getting started on community collaboration, data collection, and intake diversion.
Key Takeaways: Get to know your community ecosystem to more intentionally and strategically support pets with their families. More collaboration = less control
To access the full agenda and resources from this call or to ask questions of our speakers, visit https://maddies.fund/communityconversations11325
About Community Conversations, hosted by Maddie’s Fund: When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, animal sheltering transformed overnight. Foster-based sheltering, home-based employees and volunteers, along with collaboration galvanized our communities. The pandemic, along with social injustice, has motivated our industry to look at how we partner with our communities and confront our own biases. Shelter and rescue staff across the country began talking on a weekly basis, offering support and innovative ideas to do things differently. To learn more about these calls, visit forum.maddiesfund.org/communityconversations
00:00 Welcome + Question of the Day
00:50 December grant winners
03:37 National Updates
06:35 Presentation
