I'm proud to be a volunteer at an animal shelter that is truly achieving success when saving the animals in their care. The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter (WCRAS) is an open-admission shelter. This means that they take in any animal in our county without question, regardless of the reason for these animals coming in. We see strays, we see owner surrenders, we see neglect cases where the animals were seized from the owner.
If WCRAS took advice from the majority of animal shelters across the county, they might be saving just over 50% of these animals that are coming in... but that's not the case! Last year, in 2011, WCRAS saved nearly 95% of all dogs that came into their care and nearly 82% of all cats.
If WCRAS took advice from the majority of animal shelters across the county, they might be saving just over 50% of these animals that are coming in... but that's not the case! Last year, in 2011, WCRAS saved nearly 95% of all dogs that came into their care and nearly 82% of all cats.
In addition to an amazing shelter director, WCRAS has an outstanding group of volunteers. Volunteers range from foster parents to those that help with cleaning to those that just want to come in and play with the puppies...
One small part of my volunteer work, which might also be my favorite involves our local Petsmart location. I work with a small group of 7 individuals to ensure that our Petsmart Kitty Condos are properly maintained and always booked up with kitties awaiting their forever families.
One small part of my volunteer work, which might also be my favorite involves our local Petsmart location. I work with a small group of 7 individuals to ensure that our Petsmart Kitty Condos are properly maintained and always booked up with kitties awaiting their forever families.
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| The Petsmart Team, named volunteers of the month for February 2012! |
Our Petsmart adopted out over 395 cats and kittens this year and is one of the most successful locations in the region. This is not based on the store traffic, this location has average sales, but it is based on the care that this team puts into making sure the cats placed for adoption at Petsmart are great candidates. We spend time each day visiting with cats at our local shelter, evaluating temperament and holding meet and greets with the kitties to ensure that they will get along once at the Petsmart location. We spend time getting to know each cat, so we can give the Petsmart Staff a great overview of the kitties to help encourage potential adopters to adopt these sweet ones!
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| Several kittens available for adoption through our Petsmart Location! |
The Petsmart team consists of individuals that simply stop by to scoop kitty litter to those that are up at the shelter nearly every day. Personally, I volunteer with this team Monday thru Thursday and will typically pick up the kitties from the shelter and drive them to Petsmart. By offering my time as a volunteer about 6 hours a week, I know that I am helping to save lives while still being able to maintain my own schedule (which includes running No Kill Wilco as well as The Pet Studio.).
It might seem like a small job, but in the grand scheme of things, the small jobs, the volunteers that can offer 5-10 hours a week really do start to add up! If you can offer yourself even once a week, your shelter pets will appreciate it! Volunteers are priceless!!
Stephanie Conrad
It might seem like a small job, but in the grand scheme of things, the small jobs, the volunteers that can offer 5-10 hours a week really do start to add up! If you can offer yourself even once a week, your shelter pets will appreciate it! Volunteers are priceless!!
Stephanie Conrad
The Pet Studio | Owner | Artist
www.petstudioart.com
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