Break-in at Austin Pets Alive!: 1 dog dies, other dogs injured after being released
Break-in at Austin Pets Alive!
Austin Pets Alive! has released surveillance video hoping to identify a person who broke in and let dogs out of their kennels. 1 dog died, others were injured and a search was conducted for missing pets.
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin Pets Alive! has released surveillance video hoping to identify a person who broke in and let dogs out of their kennels.
Break-in at Austin Pets Alive!
Austin Pets Alive! has released surveillance video after someone broke into its facility and released dogs from their kennels leading to dog injuries, a dog's death and a search for missing dogs. APA says all the missing dogs have been found safe.
The backstory:
APA! says that a person forcibly entered its facility by damaging the keypad entry system overnight of August 13.
Once inside, the person released the majority of the dogs from their kennels. APA! says that an overnight security officer tried to contain the dogs but that staff wasn't notified about the incident until 6 a.m. this (8/14) morning.
The incident resulted in several dog altercations, with at least five dogs being injured and one dog's death.
The injured dogs are being treated.
All cats at the facility are safe and unharmed.
Gates between the parking lot and the kennels were left open, so many dogs went missing, but they have all been located.
What they're saying:
"This is an incredibly difficult morning for our team," said Dr. Ellen Jefferson, President & CEO of Austin Pets Alive!. "The dog that passed was surrounded by people who loved him, and we will be honoring his life in a separate internal announcement."
Dr. Jefferson says that "right now, our priority is the safety of the remaining dogs…and moving terrified dogs to foster homes as fast as we can, where they can recover."
What's next:
The Austin Police Department says this remains an open and active investigation.
No suspect has been identified and arrests have been made.
What you can do:
To learn more about APA!, visit austinpetsalive.org.
The Source: Information from Austin Pets Alive! news release and Austin Police Department.