Austin Animal Services uses two lists to show dogs in need of priority placement.
- Urgent Placement List (UPL): Dogs in need of urgent placement that may be adopted, fostered, or transferred to a rescue.
- Rescue Placement List (RPL): Dogs only available for placement with qualified rescue partners.
Urgent Placement List
Austin Animal Services uses this list to inform the public, rescue groups, stakeholders, and partner organizations about dogs in urgent need of placement.
The Urgent Placement List (UPL) shows which dogs are urgently in need of placement due to:
- behavioral concerns,
- bite histories that do not pose a public safety threat, and
- those that are experiencing a poor quality of life in the shelter system.
Being on this list gives these dogs more attention. We focus on promoting them with photos, bios, playgroups, outings, and other ways to help them find a home.
Rescue Placement List
The Rescue Placement List is the most serious placement category for dogs at the Austin Animal Center. This list is meant to clearly show which dogs need immediate help from specialized rescue groups.
Dogs on this list have a bite history and/or significant behavioral concerns that pose a threat to public safety if placed without specialized support.
Dogs on this list are only available to qualified rescue partners equipped to provide the behavioral rehabilitation and structure required for these animals to become safe in a community setting.
These dogs have been evaluated and worked with at the shelter. At this point, their only safe options are placement with a qualified rescue partner, or humane euthanasia if no placement is found.
Note: Some dogs may not appear on this list if they pose a significant safety risk to the community, such as having a serious bite history, or if they are suffering from an untreatable medical condition. In those cases, humane euthanasia may be the only option. This list is not the same as a euthanasia notice. Per Austin City Code 3-1-26, official notices must still be posted at least 48 hours before a dog is euthanized.
RPL process:
For more information about the RPL process, see the Memorandum to Mayor and City Council, subject: Updated process for Notification to Rescue Organizations.
Terminology
| Reason Added | Reason to Adopt | ||
| LOS |
Length of Stay Currently, any dog that has been in the shelter for at least a year is automatically added to this list. |
HT | Housetrained |
| QOL |
Quality of Life When we reach a level of animals that is beyond our shelter’s capacity for providing humane care, we see more pets whose quality of life starts to deteriorate in the shelter environment. Dogs who spend months in a shelter may begin deteriorating and/or medically suffering in the shelter (which can include refusal to eat, losing weight, panting/barking all day long, spinning in their kennels, vomiting and diarrhea, and other concerns), and we must evaluate whether it is humane to keep this animal in our care any longer. We provide medications to help ease their stress, but many animals are so stressed that medications only provide so much relief. |
EWOK | Experienced with older kids |
| JM | Jumpy/mouthy | EWYK | Experienced with young kids |
| RG | Resource guarding | EWD | Experienced with other dogs |
| D2D | Meet and greet required with any resident dog(s) | EWC | Experienced with cats |
| DR | Dog reactive | LLW | Loose leash walker |
| BR | Barrier reactive | TM | Treat motivated |
| TS | Touch sensitive | ||
Urgent Placement List
The Urgent Placement List is a living document that is updated by staff as the status of a dog changes.
Rescue Placement List (RPL)
| DOG NAME | ANIMAL ID | INTAKE DATE | RESCUE ONLY REASON | MATRIX | DUNBAR RATING |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Pollock | 6826 | 5/03/2025 | Bite history, Wariness of strangers, bite risk for restraint and re-kenneling |
50 | DB3 |
| Nikki | 6095 | 10/08/2024 | LOS, Bite history, no small dogs, no cats, D2D | 38 | DB3 |
| Shadow | A817322 - 5963 | 5/14/2025 | Bite history, D2D, Rescue Only | 38 | DB3 |