SHELTER STORIES

2021 Tails from the WCRAS

The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter had another great year of life saving. Overall, the shelter took in almost 7,000 dogs, cats, parakeets, guinea pigs, lizards, rabbits, mice, hens, and roosters. Most of these were, of course, dogs and cats—2,819 and 3,872 respectively—taken in as of mid-December.

Despite having to close for eight days in February, this year has been another filled with many successes.

The positive outcomes—pets returned to their homes, adopted, or transferred to other agencies or areas of the country—are just as impressive. There were 1,426 dogs and 2,674 cats adopted into loving new homes, plus 825 pets were reunited with their families. Thanks to a new part-time employee spending much of her time posting to lost and found pet pages on social media, WCRAS celebrated an increase of almost 20 percent in reunions... that’s an awful lot of tail wags, slobbery kisses, purrs, and kitty biscuits happening all over Williamson County, Central Texas, and other parts of the state.

VOLUNTEER THANKS

The off-site team, a group of volunteers helps tackle kitten season each year by coordinating the placement of the hundreds of kittens, plus cats, in need of homes into off-site partner stores for adoption. This task is a logistical feat that takes a lot of communication and organization. This year, so far, the off-site team has been responsible for 389 cats and kittens finding forever homes. WCRAS is also grateful to partner stores and their off-site cat adoption team for their dedication.

The transport program is just as vital to the dogs’ positive outcomes as off-site is to the cats. Many areas of the country have few adoptable dogs, so our donation-based transport program sends dogs to those areas for adoption. The program has been a huge success, helping 438 dogs begin exciting new adventures.

Blu is January's dog of the month.

FOSTER FRIENDS

The foster program is an essential ingredient to the shelter's life-saving mission. Fosters provide extra space to house dogs and cats who come to the shelter.

Fosters, as individuals, step up and make it possible for us to continue to meet the needs of each and every animal when:

the facility is over capacity puppies or kittens are on the way or in need of a safe place to grow and learn dogs or cats need to heal from an illness or injury.

In 2021, the community took in an incredible 2,394 foster pets—even a duck and a lizard!

Every year the community steps up to support the efforts of the WCRAS staff, volunteers, and fosters. Adoptions, donations, social media shares and comments, volunteering and fostering add up to another year of life-saving and an incredible 94 percent save rate.

Scan the code above to learn more about how you can help continue the foster mission in 2022. Special note: The Shelter is currently experiencing staffing shortages and needs your help. If you enjoy working with animals, you can join their outstanding team? Go to Wilco.org/jobs to apply. Or take advantage of their many volunteer opportunity spots. Click the code to get started today...

Pets of the Month

DALI, 11 YEARS OLD, 66 POUNDS, MALE

Dali, with his classy white gloved paws and endearing brown eyes, has been aged to perfection! A staff and volunteer favorite, Dali gets to enjoy many perks here, but he's aching to make that connection with a new family to call his own. Dali is definitely a people person, preferring to live life in an exclusive relationship with you. He is a couch potato, laid-back and content to relax while you do whatever you like. This handsome fellow and gentle boy is house-trained, easy to take for walks, he's smart, but more than anything, he is loyal and loving. His Adoption Angel believes he's the goodest boy and paid his adoption fee, so all he needs now is for you to come meet him. Email adoption@wilco.org to set up a priority-service appointment and come see why he's won over everyone he's met.

EMILY, 5 YEARS OLD, 10 POUNDS, FEMALE

Meet sweetand-spicy Emily! Emily is a gorgeous gal that came into the shelter as a stray and she's searching for a cat-savvy family. Emily enjoys receiving attention, but only on her own terms and she will let you know when she's done. She'd love a home with her very own safe space to enjoy a comfy nap. Are you that cat-savvy family that would like to add Emily to your crew? Email adoption@ wilco.org to set up a time to meet her today.