Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter, the only shelter solely devoted to the lost and homeless pets of Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, Hutto and the unincorporated areas of Williamson County, maintained a no-kill status in 2022, according to Best Friends Animal Society’s annual data report https://bestfriends.org/no-kill-2025/animal-shelter-statistics. This means the shelter saved more than 90% of the dogs and cats that entered the shelter last year.
“It is only with the continued support from the community that we have been able to maintain our no-kill status. With the county growing rapidly, the community continues to make it clear that life-saving is a mission they believe in. We need them now more than ever,” said Misty Valenta, animal services director.
To celebrate their achievement, the shelter is offering Name Your Price adoptions for all adoptable animals all weekend. Beginning on Friday, July 7, and running through Sunday, July 9, adopters can choose their adoption fee by naming the price they think is fair for adopting their new best friend. This special applies to all adoptable pets at the shelter, and adopters can preview those pets at wilcopets.org. Fosters are also encouraged to come celebrate by selecting a dog to foster, whether through the Doggy Day Out program or for a Weekend Getaway or longer.
Highlights of programming and steps taken for the shelter to achieve its no-kill status include the adoption program, which proves the connection between the shelter and the community is exceptional. People stepping up to adopt, foster, and volunteer are how life-saving is accomplished each and every day. Additionally, the shelter has reached out to other areas of the country in order to grow the life-saving community that it relies on, now offering out-of-state adoptions as well as transporting adoptable dogs to other areas.
Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters by 2025, recognizes this achievement as a positive step forward and one that can be replicated by other shelters in Central Texas.
To learn more about Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter, visit wilcopets.org.
*A 90 percent save rate is the nationally recognized benchmark to be considered “no-kill,” factoring that approximately 10 percent of pets who enter shelters have medical or behavioral circumstances that warrant humane euthanasia rather than killing for lack of space.