Tag Archives: Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter

Be a Foster Family for the Holidays

animalLogoDecember 11, 2013 (Williamson County, TX) – The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter (WCRAS) is offering an opportunity for families to foster healthy animals over the Christmas holiday.

Any family or individual desiring to foster a dog or cat from December 22 to January 2 can apply to be a foster parent through the shelter’s website at www.wilcopets.org. The Christmas fostering program’s goal is to have all the shelter’s 350 dogs and cats in a foster home over the Christmas holidays. The program gives both animals and staff a needed break.

“It is good for the animals to have a break from shelter life and spend time socializing with people, and it is good for the staff that still have to come in, clean up and feed the animals that are here…even on Christmas Day,” says Cheryl Schneider, Williamson County Regional Animal Services director. “The fewer animals we have, the less time staff members spend away from their families. It is also a great opportunity for families to have a trial run if they are considering a dog or cat as a companion animal.”

Foster family applications must be completed by Friday, December 20. Families can specify if they want to take a dog or cat and the approximate size animal their home will accommodate. Animals are then matched with a family and must be picked up before the shelter closes at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve and returned between December 26 and January 2.

The shelter is open Monday through Friday from noon to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Adjusted holiday hours for the shelter include closures on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, as well as closing at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve, December 24 and New Year’s Eve, December 31. The shelter is located at 1855 S.E. Inner Loop in Georgetown. To reach the shelter from IH-35, take Exit 259 and go east two miles. The shelter is located on the north side of the road just east of FM 1460. For more information, call Cheryl Schneider at 943-3322.

Animal Shelter – Black is Beautiful, Baby!

Regional Animal Shelter promotes black dogs and cats through

special adoption promotion during month of November 

Supported by Best Friends Animal Society®

November 4, 2013 (Williamson County, TX) — Anyone who has ever shared their life with a black cat or dog has personal stories about what wonderful pets they can be. And yet, even though they’re gorgeous, charming and as devoted as any other pet, dogs and cats in black often wait longer for homes than their lighter colored pals.

For the third year in a row, national animal welfare organization Best Friends Animal Society® will support more than 175 local animal rescue groups and municipal shelters across the country including the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter (WCRAS) in showcasing beautiful black cats and dogs.

A Black Cat Lying On A Black Dog

Can you spot the cat?

From November 1 through 30, WCRAS will hold a “Back in Black,” promotion and offer special reduced adoption fees on all adorable, adoptable black dogs, cats, puppies and kittens.

“All of us in animal rescue know this is true, that black cats and black dogs routinely get overlooked by potential adopters,” said Cheryl Schneider, WCRAS director.  “And yet, famous leaders favored black pets. For instance during World War II, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had a black dog and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had a black cat. Both pets actually sat in on strategic meetings.

Was it something I said?

Was it something I said?

Then there are the positive legends, such as the Gurt Dog of Somerset, England who protected children, and the tale of fishermen’s wives who kept black cats because they believed they protected their husbands at sea.

“Come meet our black dogs and cats and create a legend of your own,” said Schneider.

Last year through the Back in Black nation-wide adoption event, more than 1,250 pets found homes nationwide.

And the participating groups saw how the Back in Black promotion really helped animals go home.

You want to adopt me. You can't wait to adopt me. You love black cats.

You want to adopt me. You can’t wait to adopt me. You love black cats.

Judy Haywood of HSMC (Humane Society of McCormick County, S.C.) said, “The Back in Black promotion reminded us that some dogs and cats need to be shown in a different way in order for people to appreciate all that they have to offer.”

Stray Cat Adoptions of Texas provided the following feedback: “The event really worked without much effort. We just so happened to have several litters of all black kittens at the time which was very timely. Event was great success for us and we will look forward to Back in Black 3.”

Back in Black is part of Best Friends Animal Society’s mission to stop the killing of animals in the nation’s animal shelters. Every day, approximately 9,000 pets are killed because they don’t have a home. Best Friends and the No More Homeless Pets® Network Partners’ commitment is summed up in Best Friends’ new call to action: “Save Them All™.”

WCRAS is a participating member of the No More Homeless Pets® Network, a program of Best Friends Animal Society that offers help and support to animal rescue groups that save lives in their communities.

###

Best Friends Animal Society is the only national animal welfare organization focused exclusively on ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters. An authority and leader in the no-kill movement since its founding in 1984, Best Friends runs the nation’s largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals, as well as life-saving programs in partnership with rescue groups and shelters across the country. Since its founding, Best Friends has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from 17 million per year to around 4 million. Best Friends has the knowledge, technical expertise and on-the-ground network to end the killing and Save Them All™.

About Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter:

The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter is a collaborative effort between Williamson County and the cities of Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, and Hutto. It provides a safe environment for the lost, abandoned, and homeless animals of these jurisdictions and places them in good homes whenever possible. Its vision is to save every healthy and behaviorally sound companion animal and to save all dogs and cats that can be medically treated and behaviorally rehabilitated and do not pose a public health and safety risk.

1855 SE Inner Loop

Georgetown, Texas 78626

(512) 943-3322

Open 7 days a week from 12:00 – 6:00 p.m.