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Local animal shelter participates in 'No Place Like Home Challenge'

By FOX 7 Austin Digital Team
Published  March 22, 2021 1:46pm CDT
Georgetown
FOX 7 Austin

GEORGETOWN, Texas - The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter (WCRAS) is participating in the nationwide Maddie’s Fund No Place Like Home Challenge. The animal shelter is aiming to help more pets return to their homes before they even make it to the shelter by participating in this challenge.

The goal of the challenge is to make return to home (RTH) part of our community's culture, according to Maddie's Fund. Shelters participating in this challenge will work to actively reunite the animal with their owner in the field or before adoption, transfer, or other outcomes.

WCRAS has a chance to win $150,000 in grant prizes by participating in this challenge. "Follow the shelter’s progress in this challenge on our Facebook page," WCRAS said in a press release. "Residents also are encouraged to search for the hashtags #NPLHC and #GetLostPetsHome."

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In its effort to help more pets return to their homes before they even make it to the shelter, WCRAS is now offering free microchipping and microchip registration for pets located within the shelter’s jurisdiction. WCRAS says pets from outside the jurisdiction can also be microchipped and registered for $15 a chip. 

The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter also noted that it is offering the following resources to help animals in need get back home without ever coming to visit the shelter. 

  • Upload a photo of the found pet to Finding Rover using the link at the top of this page. Finding Rover is a cutting-edge website that uses facial recognition technology to match lost pets to found pets!
  • Scan the found animal for a microchip. Animals can be scanned for a microchip at: the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter (call 512-639-6569 for curbside service), Veterinarian clinics, and Tomlinson’s Feed Pet Stores. You can enter the microchip number into http://www.petmicrochiplookup.org/ and call the company that populates from the search. They may have the owner’s information!
  • Make an Effective Flyer for your area and local vets. At any typical intersection, you only have 5 seconds and 5 words to get your message across to drivers who are passing through the area where the animal was found.

Click here for a full list of the shelter's resources.

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In addition to offering resources for members of the community who find lost pets, the shelter is offering tips for pet owners as well. WCRAS is encouraging pet owners to place a collar and ID tag on their pets, as well as keeping current photos of them for use in case they become lost.  

"Small steps lead to big results!" WCRAS said in the press release. "WCRAS has helped 51 pets return home in the month of March, and the number continues to climb with focused efforts to ensure that each pet’s family is searched for through the use of every tool at our disposal."