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Shelter Continues Lifesaving Mission
Twenty-twenty-three was both challenging and rewarding for the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter. “We maintained our no-kill status, which means we saved at least 90 percent of the animals that come to the shelter. That is an accomplishment and the challenge,” Community Programs Coordinator April Peiffer says. “Dogs have been the main focus for the year as we’ve seen an increase in animals coming in, without an increase in adoptions, which has in turn increased the number of dogs we’re caring for on a daily basis.”
WAYS TO WAGS
She is grateful for several programs the shelter launched this year that have helped with the shelter’s overcrowding issue — Doggy Day Out and the Best Match Program.
“Doggy Day Out was launched in March and was a big success from the start. With people coming to take dogs on outings to their favorite parks, grabbing pup cups, walking around local gems like the Georgetown Square, and more.” This new program was responsible for a number of adoptions, happily, by people who came in thinking they were just going to take a dog out for the day, and others who found their match due to the valuable information gathered by these daytime fosters about the dog they took out. “The Doggy Day Out program is running strong and is a great way to support the shelter in their lifesaving efforts,” April says.
The Best Match Program is designed to highlight dogs with unique features people may be interested in when looking for a new companion, and to market those dogs to people in other areas of the United States where there are waiting lists to adopt. Rave was the program’s first success story. “He was adopted to someone in Connecticut and sent off to his new home with much fanfare (above). Reports tell us he is doing very well in his new home, and we are pleased as can be about it all!”
One unique adoption initiative ended up being the highlight of the year for April. As part of the Pies for Paws Challenge in November, Shelter Director Misty Valenta agreed to take a pie to the face for every dog who left the shelter during the challenge, then shared that challenge with other shelters. On December 1, she took 16 pies to the face.
SUSTAINING SUCCESS
In 2024, “We hope to continue our lifesaving mission of providing care to the lost and unwanted animals of our jurisdiction,” April says. “With the support of our local community adopters, fosters, donors, volunteers, and partner organizations we can continue to do this work. It’s hard and it’s sometimes tiring, but worth every moment.”
