9/27/07 - Humane Society of Williamson County Wins Top Prize in Poetry Competition

The Humane Society of Williamson County won the top prize for their submission in the second annual Community TechKnowledge 5-7-5 Haiku competition.  Winners were announced at an award party at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum on September 27, 2007. 

Local software company Community TechKnowledge Inc., (CTK) held its second annual “5-7-5” Haiku competition for local area non-profits.  The grant program is designed to spotlight the creativity and passion that Central Texas nonprofit service professionals bring to their work and to our community using a Japanese style poem.   This year there were four separate award categories:  Health & Humane Services, Animal Welfare or Environmental Concerns, Arts, and Current CTK Customers.

The Humane Society of Williamson County’s winning entry in the Animal Welfare or Environmental Concerns category was:

raining cats and dogs
our umbrella breaks their fall
shelter from the storm

 “Creating our Haiku was a fun, creative and collaborative project.  We bounced many different 5-7-5 syllable combinations around for weeks before settling on our final submission.  At times many of us found ourselves counting the number of syllables in all of our sentences.” says Janet Ott, Board President.   “I think our final Haiku combination really captures the heart of our mission, say Gretchen Guyer, Operations Director.  We are the umbrella or safety net for thousands of homeless cats and dogs in our community each year.”   

HSWC wishes to thank CTK and all the judges of the Haiku contest for this special award.  The $2,000 prize will be used towards preparing animals for our adoption program.  All animals in our adoption program receive a health exam, vaccinations, spay/neuter surgery and microchip prior to adoption.     

Humane Society Featured in Video Series

The Humane Society of Williamson County partners with Luis Caffesse and Clifford Wildman to produce Sheltered, a video series for OnNetworks.com.

Visit onnetworks.com to see former HSWC residents Velvet, Sweetie, Holiday and Frodo star in this video series.

3/24/07 – Capital One Grand Opening, Pancake Stacking Contest

Capital One invited area non-profits to participate in a Pancake Stacking Contest for their bank grand opening. Volunteers Tracy Herring and Kim Lutz proudly stepped up to the plate to represent the HSWC as Official Pancake Stackers and took home third place and a big check by stacking 22 pancakes in one minute. Way to go ladies!

3/17/07 – Girl Scout Troop 1609 Bronze Award Project

Girl Scouts from Troop 1609 spent a day working at the HSWC to earn their Bronze Awards. Their first task was to remove the brush underneath a group of our large live oaks to create a more landscaped, park-like setting and we love the results. Then they spent the afternoon brightening up our fencing by scraping off old paint and applying a new coat of fresh white. These girls had great attitudes and definitely earned their Bronze Awards with a full day of hard work!

3/3/07 – Shelter Transition Party

On March 3rd, HSWC staff and volunteer leads celebrated our new status as a no-kill shelter with a BBQ cookout.

3/07 – Dog Training and Agility

In addition to working on good doggie manners and leash skills with the HSWC canine friends, our volunteer trainer, John Donoghue, spends time with them practicing agility training. The dogs love the mental stimulation and exercise!

3/07 - Cattery Remodel: Part Two

Volunteers revamped the cattery again, this time installing six new communal living areas. These group homes are easier to clean than kennels and most importantly lead to happier, healthier, and less-stressed cats. In addition, the rooms allow for potential adopters and volunteers to easily interact with the cats in a more natural environment. The cats love it! A big thanks to volunteers Kim Lutz, John Alligood, Eloy Espinosa, Julia Whitley, Tracy Herring, and Kim Shepard who made this renovation happen!