Animal Services
Town Lake Animal Center is the largest animal shelter in Central Texas, providing shelter to more than 23,000 animals each year and animal control services to all of Austin and Travis County. A division of the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department, the shelter is an open-intake facility - no animal will be turned away.
Hours of Operation
Shelter:
Monday - Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Closed City Holidays
Stray or unwanted animals can be safely dropped off at the shelter before or after hours in one of our overnight holding pens.
Animal Protection and Control:
Monday - Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
City Holidays, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Officers on-call overnight to respond to emergencies
Administrative Offices:
Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Closed City Holidays
Location
1156 W. Cesar Chavez St
Austin, TX 78703
Click here for directions.
Mailing address:
Town Lake Animal Center
PO Box 1088
Austin, TX 78767
What's New
Animal Cruelty Prevention Classes Gaining Attention.
The Best Friends Network online community posted an article on the City of Austin's Town Lake Animal Center's Animal Cruelty Prevention classes.
Click here to read the article.
Help Stop Animal Cruelty in Austin!
Take the City’s Animal Cruelty Identification and Reporting class.
PURPOSE: Developed in conjunction with the ASPCA, this Austin based Animal Cruelty Training is designed to teach participants how to identify and report animal cruelty.
WHO: All citizens are encouraged to take this class.
RELEVANCE: There’s a link between animal cruelty, domestic violence and other serious crimes. People who hurt animals often move on to hurt human beings. If you’re able to recognize and report animal abuse, you can help prevent cruelty from spreading throughout your community.
HOW TO REGISTER: Registration is required to attend the class. Register here for the classes and complete the on-line registration form.
Help make Austin a Humane community for its animals and its people, join other concerned citizens in learning what you can do to help prevent animal cruelty.
Programs
Town Lake Animal Center provides a number of animal-related services to Austin and Travis County, including Animal Protection & Control, a Pet Lost & Found, Pet Adoptions, Pet Registration , and Rabies Quarantine.
Because the shelter accepts accept all animals, regardless of health or behavior, and because there is a significant problem of pet overpopulation in our community, the shelter does euthanize animals that have no other humane option for lifetime care.
