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  • As PAWS prepares to move to Dripping Springs, they've held several adoption events around town for their pups.

PAWS hopes to go No-Kill

ANIMAL SHELTER

PAWS of Central Texas has a dream, one where no dogs or cats are put to sleep because of overcrowding at shelters. Their new Hill Country Campus will open in October and area cities are being asked what community services they can offer to help limit and perhaps do away with euthanizing dogs and cats in Hays County.

“We have to have a new philosophy about how we treat animals and will get the cities on board. Both an Antonio and Austin have moved to no-kill. Austin had a 60% kill rate and went to zero. So it can be done in Hays County. The groundwork has already been done, we just need to implement programs to stop kills,” Melody Hilburn, Executive Director of PAWS Shelter of Central Texas said.

“In the first year we can be at 70-80% live, and at 90% live outcome in two years.

The new facility will definitely impact the kill rates. The new facility will have 7,200 sq. ft. They hope to be a “destination rescue facility for homeless animals on the 39 acre facility.”

The facility is scheduled to open in October and it received a huge donation, $300,00 from Miriam McCoy. The new facility will be located between Dripping Springs and Blanco, Texas. The new facility, in their estimation, will allow the shelter to save 1,200-1,500 animals each year.

Changing how people think is the first step in zero kill, changing the perspective, from city dogcatchers to animal protective services. The area, namely Central Texas including Hays County has experienced huge growth.

“If the citizens knew about the 50% kill rate, they’d be appalled…the new shelter will help Hays County to become no-kill in two years,” Hilburn said.

“PAWS envisions a full service facility to ultimately include a complete campus of services including walking trails, a spay and neuter clinic, individual dog runs, training fields, three community cat rooms and a memorial garden…each year bringing our annual lives saved to over 2,500 annually,” according to their press release.

On August 8 at 1 p.m. they will meet with city leaders from San Marcos, Dripping Springs, Johnson City, Blanco and Hays County along with local sheriffs departments for a tour of the facility and discussions of how the different departments can work together with PAWS to help keep animals alive and how the new shelter will help.

The new facility will be located at 2965 FM 165 South in Dripping Springs.

This is all without help from the any government entity, either local to federal. As a 501

(c) non-private organization, it is supported by private donors and is need of your help.

Donations can be made online at www.pawsfuturesite.orgor by mailing checks to PAWS Shelter, P.O. Box 695, Dripping Springs, TX 78620.

For more information about the capital campaign, contact PAWS Executive Director Melody Hilburn at [email protected].

Dripping Springs Century-News

P.O. Box 732
Dripping Springs, Texas 78620

Phone: (512) 858-4163
Fax: (512) 847-9054