Austin animal shelter employees are mourning the loss of one of their beloved dogs after a nightmare break-in late at night on Aug. 13. The suspect released numerous dogs from their kennels, leading to multiple dog injuries and one heartbreaking death.
Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) said on Aug. 14 that all the dogs that went missing were recovered, but one of the dogs died. The suspect has not been identified as of the time of this article’s publication.
Video Shows the Suspect Releasing Dogs from Their Kennels
The break-in occurred at the APA!’s Town Lake adoption center in Austin, Texas. According to APA!, the suspect damaged the keypad entry system in order to gain access to their facility. Once inside, they released most of the dogs from their kennels.
The incident happened around 1:20 a.m. on Aug. 14, KXAN reported. Austin Police responded around 5:19 a.m., KVUE reported.
A chilling video has been released from APA!’s security cameras showing the suspect calmly releasing the dogs one by one. The suspect goes from one kennel to the next, opening the doors and letting the dogs run free.
Men’s Journal has reached out to APA! for comment or additional videos.
A longer surveillance video has also been released by APA! and shared by CBS Austin. In the video, you can see the suspect walking through the parking lot with two of the dogs following close behind. In another clip, the suspect can be seen walking through the parking lot and motioning. Later, it appears that of the released dogs is wearing a cone.
The Missing Dogs Were Found Thanks to Alert Residents on Social Media
When staff responded to the incident, multiple dogs were still missing. Social media groups quickly sprang into action, posting photos and details about the missing dogs and relaying any information they heard about possible matches.
KVUE reported that according to APA!, the suspect went to a bar with two of the missing dogs (later identified as Fish Stick Jones and Lynette). Two people at the bar convinced him to give the dogs to them, and they posted about the dogs on a local Austin Facebook group for missing pets.
Men’s Journal located the posts on Facebook about the missing dogs, Fish Stick and Lynette. When the kind people who took in the dogs first posted about them, they didn’t realize they were the dogs that APA! was looking for. They posted in a Facebook group that they were “with a houseless individual” and needed to find homes for the two pups.
Multiple people realized the dogs in the photos were the same dogs on APA!’s missing flyers.
The person who found the dogs later updated the post, writing, “I’m with APA now!”
APA! has since reported that all their missing dogs have been recovered.
According to APA!’s website, Fish Stick Jones is a Lab pup available for adoption, described as a “wiggly, tail-wagging bundle of joy.”
None of the cats at APA! were harmed.
‘The Dog That Passed Was Surrounded by People Who Loved Him’
According to APA!, an on-site security officer tried to find and return the dogs, but could not locate all them. The APA! staff was notified at about 6 a.m.
Several dogs got into an altercation after they were released, APA! reported, and at least five were injured. One of the dogs died.
Dr. Ellen Jefferson, President & CEO of Austin Pets Alive!, said in a statement:
This is an incredibly difficult morning for our team. The dog that passed was surrounded by people who loved him, and we will be honoring his life in a separate internal announcement. 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.
According to KXAN, the security guard on duty sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was later released from the hospital.
APA! wrote on their website that anyone who wants to help can “come in person or email foster@austinpetsalive.org. We’d love help with both the dogs directly affected that could use a quieter place than the shelter to recover, and also our other areas busy right now for staff so they can be given some space (like our kitties with ringworm at our Tarrytown location.)”
If you have any information on what happened, please call APA! at 512-663-8643.
