“The variety of job assignments and flexible schedules lends itself for everyone to find an avenue to make a valuable contribution to our organization.”

“The variety of job assignments and flexible schedules lends itself for everyone to find an avenue to make a valuable contribution to our organization. The diverse listening population is a broad representation of the overall diversity of Austin, Texas and replicates the diversity of animals that we care for at Town Lake Animal Center.”

Town Lake Animal Center Mission Statement:
Working in partnership with the community to effectively protect and improve the health, safety and well-being of the local humane and animal populations by providing efficient, humane, quality field animal control, animal shelter and related public education and other services, consistent with legal mandates and within the limits of our material resources.

Major Activities and Services:
Our agency is the only open-admission shelter for all animals with an annual intake of approximately 24,000 animals. TLAC is a daily operation responsible for providing care to those animals without homes. Pet owners relinquish their pet to Town Lake Animal Center (TLAC) when they can no longer provide care ~ regardless of the situation. TLAC also receives animals from the public that are found wandering around and those animals that are brought in from Field Animal Control Officers. TLAC promotes responsible pet ownership by providing free Rabies Vaccination / Pet Registration Clinics; by providing free spay/neuter clinics; and by offering a Responsible Pet Ownership Class for first time offenders of the legal mandates enforced through the Animal Care, Control and Protection officers and at the shelter animals may be reclaimed by their owner, adopted to a new home, transferred to a partner organization or humanely euthanized.
TLAC offers Animal Care, Control and Protection, Adoptions, Lost and Found, Pet Registration, Pet Placement, Animal Sheltering, and many Veterinary Services.

Volunteer Opportunities:

There are opportunities for interacting directly with the animals and for more behind the scenes. Volunteers can work as individuals, families, or as a group. The minimum age for volunteering is 12 years old. Legal guardians are required to provide supervision for those youth under the age of 18. Potential volunteers are required to attend a general volunteer orientation, complete an interview with the Volunteer Services Coordinator (the specific job discussion and decision will be made during the interview based on interests and skills of the volunteer and the needs of the shelter), and attend established training for the job assignment.

TLAC Adoption Greeter: customer service representative to assist customers with completing their adoption application, learning the process, and directing customers to the adoption animals.

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Cat Behavior Volunteer: volunteers provide direct care and interaction with the adoption ready cats while getting to know their personalities for matching with potential adopters.

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Dog Manners Volunteer: volunteers provide specific interactions with the adoption ready dogs to reduce their stress and improve their behavior (teaching them sit, down, how to walk on a leash, etc) while also gathering information about the dog to share with a potential adopter.

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Photography Volunteer: volunteers take pictures of the animals available for adoption and post on the TLAC website.

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Outreach Team: volunteers working in the community to educate the public about responsible pet ownership and how they can help TLAC reduce the number of animals that must be provided housing.

Contact Information:
Joanna Johnson ( Joanna.Johnson@ci.austin.tx.us )
TLAC.volunteers@ci.austin.tx.us

For More Information about Town Lake Animal Shelter, visit their website at www.cityofaustin.org/tlac.

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— KUT Staff