On February 1, 2024, the Austin City Council adopted an ordinance to amend the portion of the City Code related to Animal Services, incorporating new recommendations to improve public safety as well as conditions and outcomes at the Austin Animal Center (AAC) with a focus on continuing the City’s No Kill Policy.

What are the key changes to the ordinance adopted by the City Council?

  1. Include Dunbar Bite Scale in assessments: Allow the city to retain custody and decision-making power, up to and including humane euthanasia, for dogs who have a history of causing extreme injury to humans. This is now defined as a level 4 or higher on the nationally recognized Dunbar Bite Scale. 
  2. Adjust live release rate definitions: Specify that live outcome reporting is intended to count domestic animals, excluding animals like coyotes, raccoons, and bats which cannot legally be adopted by the general public. 
  3. Permit finder-to-foster: Allow a finder-to-foster program which allows individuals who find animals in the community to register them immediately as fosters in the shelter system, keeping the animal out of the physical shelter and in a loving temporary home. This also enables AAC to provide medical and adoption services to animals found and housed by community members.

Dunbar Bite Scale

What is the Dunbar Bite Scale?

The Dunbar Bite Scale is a 6-level scale designed by veterinary behaviorist Dr. Ian Dunbar and used by animal welfare experts across the United States. It measures the severity of dog-on-human bites through an objective medical lens, categorizing them based on the damage done to the human and what that damage indicates about the likelihood of rehabilitation for the animal. A level 4 bite is the worst category of non-lethal individual bite, with level 5 indicating more than one level 4 bite and level 6 indicating death of the victim. According to the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, an animal with a level 4 bite is assumed to be nearly certain to bite again at a similar level of damage.

When will the Dunbar Bite Scale be implemented?

Starting August 1, 2024. A delayed implementation period will allow Austin Animal Center staff time to train in classifying bites on the Dunbar Bite Scale and related data entry. It will also allow staff to gather data on how many dogs this would affect moving forward. 

Will this affect dogs owned by Austinites?

No. The ordinance changes only affect dogs legally owned by the City of Austin. Dogs become property of the City after a 72-hour stray hold, or immediately if officially surrendered by the legal owner. Animal owners have full rights to their own animals, and only a court order initiated through a lawsuit can override those rights. The City does not have or want the legal right to override an owner’s wishes regarding their own animal, and this ordinance has absolutely nothing to do with that legal process.

Did the shelter release dogs with a significant bite history into the public before this change?

Yes. The Austin Animal Center is subject to the Right to Rescue ordinance, which requires the City to allow any interested rescue organization to pull animals which would otherwise be subject to behavioral euthanasia. Once the animal is in the custody of the rescue organization, the City has no control over how much information a foster or adopter receives about the animal’s background, who adopts the animal, or what defensive measures the adopters put in place to protect themselves, their families, and their neighbors. This practice has led to several significant bites. 

Will all dogs with a level 4 bite be automatically euthanized?

No. Shelter staff will still consider all aspects of a bite, including circumstance, ownership, and other mitigating factors. Some dogs with a level 4 bite may still be made available to rescue partners. Euthanasia is and will remain a last resort for any animal.

Will dogs with a level 4 bite be euthanized immediately upon impound?

No. All hold requirements will be followed. This includes the 72-hour stray hold for found dogs, and the 7-day hold before euthanasia laid out in the ordinance. 

Why were the definitions of provoked and unprovoked biting removed from the ordinance?

The City of Austin decided to move to an objective measure of bite severity. Provocation will continue to be included in a dog’s assessment, but it will no longer be the only factor. Euthanasia will still be a last resort, and decisions will be made considering the totality of the animal's circumstances.

Will the ordinance change allow someone to misrepresent a dog’s background to get it euthanized?

No. Evidence including medical records and/or photos will be required for the determination of a level 4 bite, and animals will be evaluated based on their actual behavior rather than unverified reports. If the bites cannot be verified, the Right to Rescue process will be followed. Microchips will also be scanned on impound, as they currently are, and the shelter will attempt to contact the actual owner. 

Will the ordinance change lower the live outcome rate of Austin Animal Center?

No. The number of animals who enter the shelter with a Level 4 bite is very small, and AAC will continue to operate in line with national 90% no-kill standards as well as the City of Austin mandate of 95% live release rate.

Live Release Rate Definitions

Why will wildlife be excluded from the life release rate calculation?

Austin Animal Center does not impound healthy wildlife. AAC impounds wildlife that are sick, injured, or have potentially exposed a human to rabies. The only outcomes available for these animals are transfer to Austin Wildlife Rescue, or in cases of severe suffering or rabies risk, humane euthanasia. Because of these factors, the euthanasia rate for wildlife is disproportionately high. 

Will this affect transparency around euthanasia of wildlife?

No, all euthanasia information will still be available through the City’s Open Data Portal. 

Finder-to-Foster

What is finder-to-foster?

Finder-to-foster is a lifesaving program that allows community members who find a lost pet to register them with the shelter, receive intake vaccines, other necessary medical care, and a microchip, and be listed as a found pet in the shelter database. The pet will not have to stay at the shelter for the length of the 72-hour stray hold; the hold will still occur while in the finder’s home. If an owner does not come forward, the shelter is able to provide foster and adoption support. Without the finder-to-foster program, pets would have to be stay at the shelter during the hold period or community members would be fully responsible for the care and placement of the pet if no owner is found. 

Will finder-to-foster get rid of stray holds?

No. All regulations, medical attention, hold periods, and data reporting requirements will still apply to animals in the finder-to-foster program. Found pets will still be listed on AAC’s website. The sole difference will be that the animal is allowed to stay with their finder immediately after AAC checks for a microchip and provides intake vaccinations, as opposed to being forced to stay in a stressful shelter for 72 hours. Animals held in foster are healthier, happier, and see better outcomes than animals held in shelters for any length of time. 

If I find a pet, how can I become part of the program?

Learn more about Finder to Foster at www.austintexas.gov/page/finder-foster

When will the finder-to-foster program begin?

The program will begin March 1, 2024.