Posted: Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:30 AM - 14,682 Readers

By: KXAN

Pet rescue professionals from other communities and states are in Austin Monday and Tuesday taking part in a "no-kill" workshop sponsored by the newly-formed organization, American Pets Alive.

Speakers include Austin Pets Alive 's director, Dr. Ellen Jefferson, Austin City Council member Laura Morrison and Austin's chief of animal services, Abigail Smith.

APA! formed American Pets Alive (AmPA) to help spread the grassroots no-kill movement throughout the country, according to spokeswoman Melissa Miller.

Eighty-five participants will learn how programs in place have enabled Austin's APA! to save more than 10,000 dogs and cats who were on the 10,000 dogs and cats who were on the euthanasia list within a three-year period.

Cities represented at the workshop include San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix and Tallahasee, Fla.

Speakers will share information on a variety of topics, from political advocacy and how to save animals from within a city's shelter, medical issues and how to build a strong volunteer base and marketing program.

AmPA will act as a central, national resource for other communities to obtain hands-on training material designed to help them successfully decrease the kill rates at their local city animal shelters, working towards obtaining a no-kill status.

"No-kill" is defined as saving at least 90 percent of the animals that come into all of the shelters - including open-intake facilities - in each community.

While AmPA is currently a subset of Austin Pets Alive!, it is expected to grow and evolve into its own nonprofit organization, according to Miller.

The workshop is being held at Abel's on the Lake, 3825 Lake Austin Blvd. from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.