Paw Pals Pet Calendar for 2012 is available

The 2012 Pet Calendar is available and you can order one online. Just click here to start your order

A video preview of the 2012 Pet Calendar can be viewed by clicking on the picture below.

Latest Wish List for the Pet Adoption Center (PAC)

Here is an update on our latest "wish" list for the PAC. Most of the items are needed for our on-going PAC operations. Our "miscellaneous" column covers a couple of "dream" items.

Donate-a-Bed Program at Kuranda Dog Beds is a great way to help Hill County Paw Pals

Paw Pals 8^th Annual County-wide Garage Sale

You may call it what you like—AMAZING, UNBELIEVABLE, AWSOME, but we at Paw Pals will just call it a grand success!  The 8^th annual Paw Pals garage sale brought a gross profit of $13,042.33.  This comes at a time when the Paw Pals’ adoption center has been operating for 7 months and is housing almost 30 adoptable dogs and cats where over 100 pets have already been adopted.  The profits of the garage sale will be utilized to provide care for the animals and promote adoptions, and also to maintain the upkeep of the adoption center building at 1500 South Abbott Street in Hillsboro.  Paw Pals adoption center is operated solely by volunteer staff.  (read more...)

Cans for Paw Pals

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Autumn is a beautiful time of year that marks the transition from summer into winter. As the season associated with the primary harvest, celebrations abound this time of year. One autumn celebration particularly important to many Christians is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals. To coincide with the feast, it has become custom to honor St. Francis and to celebrate the lives of our animal friends in a ritual known as the “Blessing of the Animals”. It is not uncommon to see a procession of dogs, cats, hamsters, snakes, birds, turtles, iguanas, fish, guinea pigs, ferrets, hedge hogs, geckos, gerbils and more at the event. Each animal is blessed for a long life, good health and a happy home. Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) was an Italian Catholic friar who founded the Franciscan Order. He taught that the world was created good and beautiful by God, but that it suffers a need for redemption because of the primordial sin of man. He taught that it was man’s duty to protect and respect nature. Legend has it that on his deathbed, St. Francis thanked his donkey for carrying him throughout his life, and the donkey wept.

Paw Pals is pleased to announce that Reverend Mo Lewis from St. Mary’s National Episcopal Church in Hillsboro will visit our Pet Adoption Center (PAC) to bless all sheltered animals at 1:00pm Sunday, October 2. Reverend Lewis invites the public to bring their pets to join this annual blessing. The PAC is located at 1500 South Abbott Avenue (SH-81) just next door to Texas Highway Department Maintenance Facility or north of Hillsboro High School. Come join us for this wonderful event. For more information about Paw Pals, please visit www.hcpawpals.org.

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The flyer says it all.

Sponsorships go quickly, so act now if you want your pets featured in the 2012 Paw Pals Pet Calendar by calling us at (254) 580-0679 or emailing hcpawpals@yahoo.com with your sponsorship requests.

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Jocelyn Kolar recently celebrated her 6th birthday with the theme of charity.

Andrew Carnegie spent the first half of his life making a fortune and the second half giving it away. He set up libraries across the country and benefited numerous charitable organizations.

But Jocelyn decided not to wait to become a Carnegie, a Ford, or a Rockefeller, to become a philanthropist. For her birthday, Jocelyn and her friends celebrated at Flips Gymnastics in Waco and she asked that all gifts be directed to the animals being cared for by Hill County Paw Pals.  Some of the gifts included dog food, leashes, collars, bowls, toys, and money.

Jocelyn is the daughter of Jennifer and Jeremy Kolar of Abbott and she attends Abbott Elementary School.

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Black-eyed Pea Restaurant of Hillsboro Presents Check for $125.00 to Hill County Paw Pals.

Hill County Paw Pals was recently presented a $125 check from Black-eyed Pea Restaurant of Hillsboro in support of their attainable goals of correcting pet overpopulation. A raffle for free lunches was administered to raise the funds. Pictured are Debra Woodman, General Manger, and Fatima Creamer, Assistant General Manager, presenting the gift to Mike Hendricks of Paw Pals. For more information about Paw Pals’ goals, please visit www.hcpawpals.org. “We remain most grateful to the employees of Black-eyed Pea for supporting our mission to make our community a better and safer place to live,” says Hendricks.

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Walmart Grant of $1000.00 to Hill County Paw Pals.

Pictured are Susie Davis, Walmart Office Associate presenting a Walmart Foundation grant award of $1,000 as a local community contribution to Loraine Easterling, Hill County Paw Pals director, to support their mission towards animal welfare. The purpose of Walmart Foundation grants is to meet unmet needs of underserved populations and support organizations that reach to make their communities a better place to live. Wal-Mart involves their associates in determining how Walmart Foundation dollars are used to support causes that important to them. “Walmart has been a continued supporter of Paw Pals’ mission to facilitate a proactive animal control program that includes an animal shelter for its support and our community is most appreciative,” says Easterling. For more information about Paw Pals, please visit www.hcpawpals.org or call (254) 580-0679.

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Hill County Paw Pal's 2nd Annual pet calendar is ready. Get yours while supplies last.

The Paw Pals 2011 Calendar is available and can be ordered online via a transaction with our partner PayPal. Order and payment through PayPal is easy and quick even if you don't have a PayPal account. Complete instructions are provided on the "Order Calendar" link below.

You can view a video of the calendar here.

To order your calendar online, please click the "Order Calendar" link. Order Calendar .

If you do not wish to order online, you may purchase the Hill County Paws Pals 2011 Calender at the following locations:

Ace Academy 121 South Waco St, Hillsboro	Antique Village 126 West Elm, Hillsboro	Expressions Photography 121 East Elm, Hillsboro
Herring Properties 85 North Waco St, Hillsboro	Hillsboro Veterinary Hospital 203 Old Brandon Rd, Hillsboro	Tangles & Tans 212 West Elm, Hillsboro
Janet's Beauty Barn 104 West Main St, Itasca	Hair Cuts, Etc. 9843 SH 171, Osceola	Gwen & Bears Grooming SH-22, Peoria
Mid-Tex Veterinary Clinic 20557 North IH-35, West	The Island 201 North Colorado St, Whitney	Lakeshore Lumber 4355 FM 933, Whitney
Whitney HS Paw Pals Club Whitney High School	Hillsboro JHS Wee-Paws Hillsboro Jr High School	David Kasner Freeman Center, Waco

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3rd Annual Waggin’ Trail Bike Ride this Saturday, September 25

On Saturday, September 25, two of Hill County’s finest community oriented organizations, Hill County Paw Pals and Hillsboro Police Department Community Outreach Programs, have joined together to launch their third annual “Waggin’ Trail Bike Ride” (waggintrailbikeride.com). Five routes are planned to meet the needs of avid cyclists to the casual rider which include 66, 54, 40, 26, and 10 mile routes. Registration ($15-$30) begins at 7:30pm with the help of Hillsboro Lions Club and Hill County Boys and Girls Club. Staggered starts will begin at 9:00am at 126 West Elm Street (Antique Village) in Hillsboro, Texas. This cycling event is in conjunction with Go Texan Cotton Pickin’ Fair and Roadside America Elm Street Rod Run (car show) for a full day fun!

Required operating expense for this event were needed for printed t-shirts, food and drinks, advertisement, printing, and rest area portable lavatories. These expenses were covered with valued sponsorships from our generous community’s businesses. Our platinum group of supporters (in alphabetical order) that provided $250 or equivalent support include: Antique Village, Citizens National Bank, Christi Pevehouse’s T-Shirts, Expressions Photography, HILCO Electric Cooperative, Hill Regional Hospital, Hillsboro Lions Club, Hog Wild Graphics, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Road ID, and Walmart. Our gold sponsors that provided $100 or equivalent support include: Ace Hardware & Fleming Lumber Company, Amanda L. Scarborough, DDS-Hill County Dental, Brookshire’s, Cain Amusements, Days Inn, D. L. Williams Wood Products, First National Bank of Central Texas, H-E-B, Hill County Dental, Hill County Insurance Agency, Hometown Pride Car Care & Storage, Jim Hart’s Printing, Julie Siddons Realty, Marshall & Marshall Funeral Home, R & R Health & Fitness Center, Sims Moore Hill Gannon & Crain, Thunderbird Motel, Tipton International, Tucker Lumber Company, and White Bluffers Motorcycle Club. Our silver group of supports that provided $50 or equivalent support include: Citizens State Bank, Dwight Carmichael Law Office, Hill County Title Company, Kaddatz Auctioneering & Farm Equipment Sales, Patillo Brown & Hill, Paula Beers Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, Polansky’s Body Shop, Town Hall Estates-Hillsboro, and Triple H Feed Store. Area newspapers that continue their support are: Hubbard City News, Reporter Newspaper, Paw Print Press, and Whitney Lakelander. Our community also remains grateful to Hill County law enforcement officials and area volunteer fire departments for their support service in making this event safe and enjoyable.

This year’s event planning committee (in alphabetical order) are: Detective Israel Abrego (HPD), Chief Tony Cain (HPD), Vivian Caldwell (HCBGC), Lana Crow (HCPP), Barbara Diltz (HCPP), Dana Fuchs (HCPP), Mike Hendricks (HCPP),Carol Knight (HCPP), John Knight (HCPP), Warren Smith (HCPP), and Greg Solomon (HCC).

For further information about the Waggin Trail Bike Ride or to sign-up online for the ride, please go to Waggin Trail Bike Ride

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Spooky Pooch Costume Contest, Sunday October 31st at Outlets at Hillsboro

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Sponsor the Paw Pals 2011 Pet Calendar

The flyer says it all. Help support Paw Pals by showing off your pets in the Paw Pals 2011 Pet Calendar.

Amanda, at Expressions Photography, did a wonderful job last year for our inaugral 2010 calendar and we're sure this year the calendar will be just spectacular.

 The calendar pages (months) are going fast, so act soon.

If you would like to download a flyer, print it off, and display it around town, or wherever,
just click the "Get Flyer" button.   

 

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Hill County Paw Pals is on Facebook.

We have facebook "Like" button and a link directly to the Hill County Paw Pals Facebook page at the bottom of the Navigation panel on the left, so please visit the Hill County Paw Pals facebook page and recommend it to your friends.

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Wilkerson Feed and Seed in Whitney supports Hill County Paw Pals

During the month of July, Wilkerson Feed and Seed will donate $1.00 to Hill County Paw Pals for every bay of dog food you purchase from them.

You can help support this issue by buying your pet food from Wilkerson during the month of July. You can also help by downloading the flyer and displaying it at area business, etc.

To download the flyer click the "download Flyer" button    

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Buy-A-Brick online order form

Construction of "your" animal shelter will begin soon at 1500 South Abbott Ave., in Hillsboro.

You can support the construction by purchasing an "engraved" brick. Your engraved brick will be placed in a landscaped walkway that will lead to the animal exercise/walking park.

To make ordering your engraved brick easy and convenient there is an online order form. Once you complete your "Brick Engraving" you can review your engraved brick (see a sample engraved brick below) as well as pay for it in one of several ways: via a debit or credit card through an online transaction with PayPal or with a personal check.

Either way it is quickly and easily done online. To access the Buy-A-Brick online form, click here.

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Dine for the Paws (Hill County Paw Pals, that is)

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3rd Annual Chihuahua Dog Races & Pet Fashion Show Saturday, May 1st

Please mark your calendar for Saturday, May 1st. Outlets at Hillsboro teams with Tractor Supply Co. to sponsor the 3rd Annual Chihuahua Dog Races and Pet Fashion Show. Click here to view and/or print a flyer for the event. Help us spread the word by printing some flyers and distributing them wherever you can.

This Event is Saturday, May 1st from 12pm-4pm. Online registration is opened for the first 150 Chihuahua's at www.outletsathillsboro.com. The $10.00 entry fee benefits Hill County Paw Pals! The Fashion show starts 12pm and races start at 2pm. Tractor Supply Co. gift certificates will be awarded for 1st Place - $250; 2nd Place - $100; and 3rd Place - $50. Bounce Houses, Live Entertainment, and 92.1 FM County Legends Radio will also be featured. So, bring the family and come on out and enjoy the day!

Paw Pals thanks Rebecca Galuppo, Outlets at Hillsboro Marketing Director, and the following Paw Pals event volunteers: Holly Holland and Paris (9 year old granddaughter), Dennis & Joyce Dutton, Barb Diltz, Cheryl Greene, and Jim Hart.

Citizen Editorial

Dear Paw Pals:

congratulations on finally getting to the "beginning" of your journey.. It has taken a long time and a lot of hard work by you and all the volunteers and donors to get to this point... It is also a sad day that to reach this culmination of joint effort was without the aid of our city or our county.. It is more than sad, it is embarrassing. Would they allow the constables office, the street or water department or fire department to be organized and run by individuals.?? Absolutely not!! Why the powers that be would turn their backs on this need both shocks and amazes me.. I have lived in the town/county for 64 years and I have seen many strange things happen.. I have seen many worthwhile projects including a large shopping center to be located besides the old Walmart store, blocked by naysayers in this community.. so, maybe this is not so strange after all.. It is just a pity, as hard as you have all worked and shown in fact a great need that has not been met, all you got from the officials was a cold stone wall.. Keep up the good work, you guys are all to be commended..

Mike Leatherwood

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Paw Pals Reaches Milestone with Purchase of Property to Build Animal Shelter

Hill County Paw Pals achieved a major breakthrough on the last day of 2009. Paw Pals purchased a three acre property at 1500 Abbott Avenue in Hillsboro. This property includes a 6,000 square foot warehouse that will be renovated to become a pet adoption shelter. Paw Pals appreciates all who never lost the faith that the vision for a shelter would become reality (read complete article...).

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Paw Pals 2010 Pet Calendar is now available on the web through Pay Pal

Our 2010 Paw Pals Pet Calendar can now be puchased on the web through our account with Pay Pal. This make it easy to purchase the calendar and have it shipped to your family and friends as gift items for the holidays.

To purchase the 2010 Paw Pals Pet Calendar just click on the "Buy Now" button below. That will take you to the Pay Pal web site where you can purchase the calendar with either you Pay Pal account (if you have one), or just by using your personal credit card.

While on the Pay Pal site you can adjust the quantites you want to order, and specify the address where you want the order shipped. Your shipping address defaults to your billing address for you credit card, but you can change that to any address on the final transaction review screen at Pay Pal.

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Paw Pals’ Success Stems From Our Community Working Together

When one witnesses the magnitude of each of our county-wide garage sales where thousands of donated goods flow in from generous citizens, I am often asked how is Paw Pals able to sort the mountain of goods prior to the weekend sale? Besides early planning meetings to lay the ground work that sets the successful path, the key to our success is when dozens of volunteers show the week prior and roll up their sleeves to work. This year, 53 volunteers came to our call. Representing Whitney High School Paw Pals Club: Kam Cook (teacher sponsor), Robin Wright (President), Abby Atchley, Hannah Boyd, Kati Huggins, Justin Johnson, Brittany Jones, Kirsten Martin, Deejay Reid, Andrea Rojas, and Balaine Tull. From Paw Pals volunteer support group: Lois Beeney, Jackie Chance, Randy Chance, Bobby Crawford, Shelby Crawford, Susan Crawford, Lana Crow, Lew Crow, Cleo Davis, Rene Dendy, Loraine Easterling, Holly Holland, Dana Fuch, Betty Hendricks, Mike Hendricks, Mary Ann Johnson, Seth Jones, Tom Kennedy, George Kerr, Marilyn Kerr, Jean Landis, J.D. Landis, Andree Lewallen, Pat Loveless, Cherie Luttrell, Jillian Luttrell, Nicole Luttrell, Bob Treadwell, Becky Sanders, Vicki Swain, Casey Martin, Terry Martin, Kathy Moore, Lea Slocum, Lonnie Tilson, Maureen Werr, Scott Werr, and six community service workers from Hillsboro Municipal Court.

Although the dollar amount from each of our county-wide garage sales is extraordinary, the most priceless gift has been the support of “our” community. The message of our community wanting positive change in how we treat our unwanted dogs and cats is reflected every year with these annual sales: 2004 brought in $10,000; 2005 brought in $8,600; 2006 brought in $9,800; 2007 brought in $12,700; 2008 brought in $19,000; and this year brought in nearly $14,000.

“Never doubt that a group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”—Margaret Mead. Again, thanks for everyone’s continued support and belief in our endeavors to facilitate the installation of a needed animal shelter. To become part of our successful movement, please call (254) 580-0679; email hcpawpals@yahoo.com; or visit www.helphillcountyanimals.com.

Month of September Dedicated as Pet Food and Supply Donation Drive for Hill County Paw Pals at “maurices” (located at Outlets at Hillsboro)

Maurices, located at Outlets at Hillsboro, has designated Hill County Paw Pals as the recipient of donations from their inaugural pet food and supplies donation drive. The event is named “Rescues & Runways” and will run throughout the month of September.

Maurices is calling on local residents to participate by dropping off donations of pet food and/or supplies at the local store. A fashion show is scheduled September 19 at maurices and Paw Pals representatives will operate an information booth to further educate the community about the mission of our organization. Maurices was started in 1931 as a small women’s fashion shop in Duluth, Minnesota and has grown to over 700 stores in 43 states and today they specialize in fashion with a “twenty-something attitude”. Paw Pals is greatly honored by this recognition and by the opportunity to improve awareness of ways to improve the plight of unwanted companion animals. Please help "get the word out" about this project by downloading, printing, and distributing the flyer for this event here.

(read complete article...)

Take a look at this really neat banner – Community involvement – That’s what I’m talk’n bout!!

Just wanted everyone to see all the sponsors for the Waggin’ Trail Bike Ride 2009 last Saturday, May 2nd.

And a very special thanks to Hillsboro Hog Wild Graphics for donating the banner and the hours spent in putting it together so well. Thank you Hog Wild.

“Waggin Trail Bike Ride 2009” Gives Public Thanks to Our Community

Hill County Paw Pals and Hillsboro Police Department Community Outreach Programs successfully concluded their joint fund raiser—“Waggin’ Trails Bike Ride 2009”. Designed routes of 10, 28, 40, 58, and 70 miles were provided to challenge cyclists of all levels. The success of this event stemmed from a supporting community, volunteers, sponsors and the outstanding professional support providing by our area Emergency Response Agencies—Woodbury Volunteer Fire Department, Bynum Volunteer Fire Department, and Hillsboro Community Emergency Response (CERT). Hill County Sheriff Jeff Lyon also represented the Hill County Sheriff Office in the command communications center. We are blessed to have a community willing to support two important causes: A group facilitating the installation of a county animal shelter and a program organized to reduce crime by increasing community involvement.

The main event sponsor was Outlets at Hillsboro. The following businesses (in alphabetical order) were our diamond sponsors: Brookshire Grocery Company, Citizens National Bank, Dixie LP-Gas, Expressions Photography, HILCO, Hill Regional Hospital, Hillsboro Lions Club, Hog Wild Graphics, Jackson Insurance and Financial Services, Tipton International Inc., and Tucker Lumber. The following (in alphabetical order) were our valued sponsors: B & G Tire, Days Inn, First National Bank of Central Texas, H-E-B, Hill College, Hill County Insurance Agency—Siddons, Hill Family Dental, Julie Siddons Realtors, KHBR 1560 AM Radio, Marshall & Marshall Funeral Directors, Rick’s Quick Lube, and Starbucks Corporation. Sincere thanks to our area newspapers for providing space to help advertise with our related news articles: Hubbard City News, Itasca Paw Print Press, The Reporter Newspaper and Whitney LakeLander. (read complete article...)

Paw Pals 2010 Pet Calendar Fund Raising Project Begins

Paw Pals is creating a Pet Calendar for 2010 and your pets get to be the stars. Amanda Bacon from Expressions Photography is doing the photography and here is how it works:

• Get your pets all "prettied up" and ready to have their picture taken
• Call Expressions Photography at 254.205.4833 or visit 126 E. Elm Street, Hillsboro to make an appointment
• Calendar pages are $225.00 each - call soon cause they are going fast
• Cover page is $400.00.
• July 31, 2009 is the cut-off for photography
• Calendars go on sale in October 2009

Hill County’s "Dog Whisperer"

Dog owners surrender over two million dogs each year to animal shelters across our nation because of perceived uncorrectable behavior issues with these pets. In Hill County, because an animal shelter is not available, many of these unwanted pets are criminally abandoned (Class A Misdemeanor; $4,000 fine and/or year in jail—Texas Animal Cruelty Law Penal Code 42.09). The main reasons cited for dog surrenders is that owners fail to obedience train or have unrealistic expectations of their pet(s). Studies show that dogs at highest risk of surrender are those acquired at low or no cost, and especially at risk are those that do not get regular veterinarian checks. An obedient dog is simply enjoyable. If your dog is having “behavioral” issues, Paw Pals is pleased to announce Beth Downing as a Paw Pals endorsed dog trainer. Beth has already successfully rehabilitated several Paw Pals’ dogs thus helping to make them more ready to go to a permanent home and live with a loving family...(read complete article)

Hill County Paw Pals Cherie, Jillian, and Nicole Luttrel provide unique education program

Hill County Paw Pals volunteers Cherie, Jillian, and Nicole Luttrell along with their five pound Chihuahua named “Piper” and 260 pound Giant Mastiff named “Beau” provided an educational program to Wesley Academy of First United Methodist Church in Hillsboro.

The preschoolers were taught that pets come in all sizes and colors and need love and care. Pictured with the preschoolers were teachers Nicole Burkett, Kasey Watson, Anna Wines, Ruth Burkett, Marilyn Hill, Paw Pals volunteer Mike Hendricks and presenter Cherie Luttrell. Kneeling with the Chihuahua “Piper” is Jillian Luttrell. Not pictured is Nicole Luttrell.

 

 

The separate picture of the young girl standing alone with “Beau”, the Giant Mastiff, is Saige Brown.

TCAP announces online pet sterilization scheduling through their new website.

It is with great fanfare that TCAP announces online pet sterilization scheduling through our website. This new online feature should result in faster appointment scheduling at each of our locations. To access this feature, simply click this link: http://www.texasforthem.org/info.html.

We appreciate your support of our efforts to provide low cost pet sterilization and vaccination services to Texas residents and their pets.

Stacey Taylor, Texas Coalition for Animal Protection
Executive Director, Texas Coalition for Animal Protection
www.texasforthem.org

Denton Low Cost Spay and Neuter Program
713 Sunset Street Denton, TX 76201
940-566-5551

Fort Worth Low Cost Spay and Neuter Program
2421 Westport Parkway, Suite 400 Fort Worth, TX 76177
817-837-4500

“Waggin Trail Bike Ride” Scheduled May 2nd (first Saturday)along with Outlets at Hillsboro’s Cinco de Mayo Fiesta

Two of Hill County’s finest community oriented organizations, Hill County Paw Pals and Hillsboro Police Department Community Outreach Programs, have joined together to launch the second annual “Waggin Trail Bike Ride” which has been scheduled on the first Saturday of May (May 2nd). The event is planned with five routes to meet the needs of avid cyclists to the casual rider to include 70, 58, 40, 26, and 10 mile routes. Hillsboro Lions Club has once again volunteered to manage the registration for this event which will start at 6:30am. We are proud to announce Outlets at Hillsboro as the event sponsor where planned activities from 11-7pm will include Cinco de Mayo Fiesta and Tractor Supply’s 2nd annual Chihuahua Dog Races. The Cinco de Mayo Fiesta will offer live music and activities for children to include face paintings and a bounce house and admission will be free.

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for fifth of May) commemorates the Mexican army’s unpredicted defeat of the French army where the Mexicans were outnumbered two-to-one and up against a force much better-equipped and had known no defeat for 50 years. Since this victory, no army from another continent has again invaded the Americas.

The planned routes of Waggin Trail Bike Ride will offer cyclists a unique tour of rural Central Texas. Hill County is 986 square miles of rural area that is joined together with miles and miles of splendid paved farm to market roads. With a combined county population of only 33,000, Hill County offers plenty of wide open spaces. On many areas of the bike ride, one can see for miles around—the splendid beauty of open land—flowing creeks, pastures with cattle and horses grazing, farmers’ cultivated fields, and proud, rural communities. ...(read complete article)

Hill County Paw Pals Animal Shelter

Many communities across our country have eliminated the burden of pet overpopulation for citizens. These communities embraced proactive measures to overcome the problem; and a key component in these neighborhoods is a functioning animal shelter that serves as a foundation to operate supporting integral programs. Hill County Paw Pals has actively pursued and evaluated designs of animal shelter facilities across the state and even beyond the state of Texas. Our vision is of a shelter that will be a welcome component within the community. Animal shelters can be built so they emanate a source of pride from the citizens. A shelter should not have offensive odors or loud noises that deter volunteers and potential adopting families from visiting the shelter. Hill County Paw Pals has reviewed numerous shelter designs and the prime selection is a state-of-the-art 6,260 square feet facility that can easily handle our community’s needs. The estimated cost would be $350,000. The facility is designed to have a unique plumbing system to enable frequent cleaning to keep the animals safe and healthy, avoid disease, and also avoid build-up of odor. The facility is planned with three air conditioned zones for efficient exchange of air. The exterior insulated walls are four inches thick and a masonry exterior would make it virtually quiet from the outside...(read complete article)

Hill County Paw Pals 5th Annual County-Wide Garage Sale Tops Over $19,000

It is so amazing to think about what a wonderful community this is and the many compassionate, giving people who live in this county. You would all think so too if you went to the Hill County Paw Pals’ Fifth County-wide Annual Garage Sale and viewed the Hillsboro Convention Center Building. The building was overflowing with donations from people throughout the county as a symbol of a community uniting towards one specific goal—installing an animal shelter to help bring correction to the horrific state of pet overpopulation in our county. We thank everyone for their valued donations and your generosity is greatly appreciated. The proceeds from this event broke all previous records. The first day of sales alone brought in $12,238.59. The total for the garage sale provided “your” animal shelter building fund with an unprecedented $16,916.21. With the future sale of our donated 1982 Chevrolet van (From Mr. and Mrs. Don Mayfield of Osceola), mahogany dining room set with silverware (from Mr. and Mrs. Paul Harvey, Jr. of Hillsboro), and Professional Universal Gym Set (from Marilyn and George Kerr of Hillsboro) this figure will top over $19,000. ....(read complete article)

Outlet at Hillsboro “Citizen of the Month” for July 2008 nomination for Kathy Moore

Three years ago, while Hill County Paw Pals was in its first year of existence, Kathy Moore of Hillsboro, collaborated with Texas Coalition for Animal Protection, a Denton based non-profit organization, and founded Hill County’s first ever Low Cost Sterilization and Vaccination Clinic. During the service days, Kathy spends a minimum of 14 hours while managing 8-10 volunteers. Since the inception of this needed clinic, Kathy has volunteered over 600 hours. Kathy motivates and manages from 6-10 volunteers during these service days. These hours do not include the hundreds of hours that Kathy spends in coordination and preparation between the clinic dates. ....(read complete article)

Honoring One of Paw Pals’ Best—Dianna Prince

This article is written specifically to honor Dianna Prince who will be moving from Hillsboro this summer. Perhaps one of the most valued contributions one can make to their community is to volunteer valued personal time in an endeavor to improve lives of all citizens. Dianna accomplished this over and over in her volunteer work with Hill County Paw Pals—she is an embodiment of everything a community needs in a citizen. Dianna’s main passion has been focused on the correction of our county’s pet overpopulation issue. Dianna became heavily involved with Paw Pals’ sponsored Low Cost Sterilization and Vaccination Clinic where she worked up to 12 hour days during each of her 41 service days. Working in the recovery area of the clinic became Dianna’s niche and her nursing background proved to be an invaluable asset. Last month, this clinic reached a major milestone with over 1,500 pet sterilizations—thus directly preventing some 12,000 unwanted pets in our county. Dianna’s commitment and devotion to this cause will continue to be far reaching for years to come....(read complete article)

Homeless Hill County Dogs Airlifted by Private Jet to Aspen, Colorado

Cheryl Wyly, notable philanthropist from Dallas, who recently donated $200,000 to Hill County Paw Pals’ animal shelter building fund, came to the rescue of 18 young dogs from R & J Rescue by providing her family’s Gulfstream jet so that they could be airlifted to Aspen/Pitkin County Animal Shelter in Aspen, Colorado. Aspen is the second home of Cheryl and her husband, Sam, and they are directly involved in supporting the needs of unwanted dogs and cats in the Aspen area through their work with Friends of the Aspen Animal Shelter (FAAS). The Aspen/Pitkin County Animal Shelter proudly displays the Wyly’s names on the entrance wall to honor their love and respect for animals and to acknowledge their generosity that was vital to the construction of the shelter. (For more information on the no-kill Aspen/Pitkin County Animal Shelter visit their website at www.dogsaspen.com)...(read complete article)

PetFinder.com sponsors two day learning event in Fort Worth, Texas on July 1^st and 2^nd, 2008

Have you checked out the schedule for the Texas Animal Shelter Coalition Conference? Petfinder.com is sponsoring this two day learning event in Fort Worth, TX on July 1-2. Visit http://www.sheltercoalition.com for details and registration. Workshops include Successful Transfer Programs, Working Together to Place Pets in Your Community, Using Statistics to Enhance Your Goals, Legislating for Animals and more. We look forward to seeing you there!

Hill County Paw Pals Celebrates 4^th Anniversary—Appeals for County Animal Shelter

Hill County Paw Pals commemorates its fourth anniversary this month. Paw Pals formed as a group of 38 citizens concerned about the worsening pet overpopulation problem in Hill County and the effect this has on the general living standards for our residents. They united with the core purpose of facilitating the building of an animal shelter for county use and an aim to correct pet overpopulation in order to make this a better place to live for all our citizens. The group has now swollen to 1300 individual supporters and 60 businesses from every area of the county. In celebrating our successes over the past four years, it would be beneficial to take a look at how we got to where we are now.....(read complete article)

Cheryl Wyly Celebrates her Mother by Presenting $200,000 to Hill County Paw Pals

Sunday, May 11th, is designated as Mother’s Day this year. Across America, mothers will be honored with flowers and dinner, special cards and gifts. An extraordinary Hill County mother is being honored by her daughter, Cheryl Wyly in a most unique and commendable way. Cheryl is the daughter of Carole Huens of Whitney. While growing up, her mother instilled in her a respect and compassion for both her fellow man and for animals. Cheryl decided to honor her mother by supporting Carole’s dedication to make Hill County a better place for all residents and their four legged companions. After completing the 40 mile route of the recent “Waggin Trail” bike ride with her sister, Lisa Dunham, Cheryl presented Hill County Paw Pals with a generous check of $200,000, and noted this gift was in honor of her mother and her mother’s passion in working to bring an end to the tragedies resulting from pet overpopulation....(read complete article)

Compassion Overcomes Potential Tragedy

Pictured with two rescued Labrador Retrievers is See Vorderlandwehr of Hillsboro. See and her husband, Bobby, have long established family ties with Hillsboro. This is the story of a timely rescue by kind, caring citizens. It is presumed that a callous owner felt he had no options and dumped these dogs within Hillsboro City limits along Brandon Road. For 2 weeks, the pair of dogs stayed together and roamed the neighborhood, probably hoping to find their former master and return home. The loyalty a dog has for his master is unconditional and lasts forever; a trait not shared by their former human owners. The dogs were reverting back to becoming wild animals as their experiences of hunger, fear, and near death drove their existence. However, concerned citizens began to reach out...(read complete article)

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Paw Pals Receives $500 Gift from Volunteer Lonnie Tilson

Lonnie Tilson, of Whitney, is pictured presenting a $500 gift to Hill County Paw Pals board member, Lana Crow. The gift is from the family’s Charity Gift Fund in memory of Mr. Tilson’s parents. The total amount has been directed to the building of a much needed animal shelter and will become a working memorial. The Tilson’s have lived in Whitney since 1995. He is all too aware of the worsening pet overpopulation problems that exist in Hill County. Mr. Tilson chose to become an active involved citizen and a working advocate to correct the problem. He has been involved in Lake Whitney Humane Society and Hill County Paw Pals. Last year Mr. Tilson donated pet carriers and crates to Paw Pals that were valued at $800. (read complete article)

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Hill County Paw Pals Harvests $790 by Recycling Aluminum Cans

Hundreds of conscientious Hill County citizens have leaned towards “green” in recycling aluminum cans by directing their aluminum cans to Hill County Paw Pals recycling effort. Last week a load was harvested which filled our 16 foot special-designed trailer with 1,000 pounds of aluminum cans which brought in $790.40. The trailer was donated by Ronnie & Dana Fuchs, proprietors of Cen-Tex Trailers of Hillsboro, some two years ago. This recent harvest was doubled to $1,580.80 because of the matching contribution of up to $40,000 from philanthropists Cheryl and Sam Wyly. This matching fund campaign ends May 16 and has been named “Take the Willie Nelson Challenge” because of his personal endorsement. To date, during the past 10 months, Paw Pals has raised over $32,000 towards this $40,000 matching goal. Since the inception of collecting aluminum cans on the first Tuesday of each month during our Low Cost Spay/Neuter and Vaccination Clinics, over $1,500 has been harvested—working towards the correction of pet overpopulation in our great county. (read complete article)

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“Waggin Trail Bike Ride” Planned for May 3rd

Two of Hill County’s finest community oriented non-profit organizations, Hill County Paw Pals and Boys and Girls Club of Hill County, have joined together to launch their inaugural annual fund raiser—“Waggin Trail Bike Ride”—scheduled on the first Saturday of May (May 3rd). The event will cater to the avid cyclists with 70 and 51 mile routes, a 36 miler for the casual rider, and a 10 mile route for fun-seekers that will involve a traffic-controlled tour of Hillsboro. The planned routes of Waggin Trail Bike Ride will offer cyclists a unique tour of rural Central Texas. Hill County is 986 square miles of rural area that is joined together with miles and miles of splendid paved farm to market roads. With a combined county population of only 33,000, Hill County offers plenty of wide open spaces. On many areas of the bike ride, one can see for miles around—the splendid beauty of open land—flowing creeks, pastures with cattle and horses grazing, farmers’ cultivated fields, and proud, rural communities. (read complete article)

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Lone Star Yoga (of Whitney) Presents Hill County Paw Pals Spay/Neuter Director, Kathy Moore, with Gift to Help Recognize Her Dedicated Work to Bring Correction to Pet Overpopulation

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Shooting a Dog or Cat Can Lead to a Felony Offense

Any person who shoots a non-livestock animal, which includes any stray or feral cat or dog, and a wild living creature previously captured, can be charged with a felony offense. Penal Code 42.092 of the State of Texas law states that a person must have the owner’s consent to kill the animal (exceptions to prosecution are provided in Section 42.092(e)(1)). It is clear that a “stray” dog or cat either has no owner or that the person who shoots the animal did not get the owner’s consent. So what do we as citizens, law enforcement, or a community as a whole do without a place to take a “stray”? The answer lies with your proactive action—as a citizen, become directly involved—let your elected representative know you want positive change in how our county and your community deals with (or in some cases won’t deal with) animal control. Doing nothing is simply inviting undesirable consequences because of the liabilities inherent in pet overpopulation—health, economics, legal, and safety (HELS)....(read complete article...)

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Spay/Neuter Grant Awarded to Animal Birth Control Clinic of Waco

We are excited about a new opportunity to partner with Hill County Paw Pals to provide spay/neuter services for pets of qualifying low-income pet owners. The bilingual poster is attached. We appreciate your help in getting this information to Hill County residents. For more information about our spay/neuter and wellness services please visit our website at www.animalbirthconrol.org. We are grateful for the Texas Department of State Health Services and drivers that purchased the Animal Friendly license plates, which funded the grant. These funds allow the Animal Birth Control Clinic to subsidize spay and neuter surgeries to improve the lives of our animal friends and taxpayers in Hill County.

To download a bilingual flyer to distribute in your neighbor please click this button.

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Volunteerism—an Important Part in Bringing Positive Change

“Never doubt that a group of committed people can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”—Margaret Mead.  It is so amazing to think about what a wonderful community this is and the many compassionate, giving people who live in this county.  You would all think so too if you went to the Hill County Paw Pals fourth annual garage sale and viewed the Hillsboro Convention Center Building.  The building was overflowing with donations from people throughout the county with loving hearts and compassion for the animals God put here and entrusted in our care.  Hill County Paw Pals wants to thank each of you again even though we don’t know the names of most of the folks who brought donations.  Your generosity is greatly appreciated.  Although the real garage sale’s success was uniting the community towards the goal of building an animal shelter for Hill County, the proceeds from the event totaled $25,441.08 with the matching fund offered by gracious philanthropists Cheryl and Sam Wyly–of which 100% will be directed towards building of an animal shelter.... (read complete article...)

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Hill County Paw Pals Sets Monthly Meeting On The First Thursday Of Each Month

Please mark your calenders...we will gear up our previous monthly pubic meetings. The meetings will always be on the first Thursday of each month starting December 6th. The meetings will start at 6:30pm and end promptly at 7:30pm. They will always be held in the Bullock Room of Hill College Cafeteria (on the far west side of campus). If you have an item you would like to discuss please let me know. I will print an agenda a week prior to the event. Only items on the agenda will be discussed to prevent endless emotional based "war stories". It is necessary to structure our public meetings with an agenda to respect each of our busy lives and have productive one-hour meetings. See news article here.

See you on the first Thursdays of every month.

PawPal Mike

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Message From Rural County Citizens: "4th Annual Paw Pals Garage Sale A Resounding Success"

What message is being sent when citizens from a rural county in Central Texas bring in over $55,000.00 from four annual garage sales while expending thousands of volunteer hours in its preparation and execution? The message is absolutely clear—the citizens of Hill County have united and want positive change to our county’s absence of basic animal control that would include an animal shelter as its nucleus—basic core service that tax payers expect. Proactive involvement is needed to correct our county’s pet overpopulation issue—the status quo of doing nothing will only allow pet overpopulation to continue to worsen along with its prolongation of serious liabilities—health, economic, legal, and safety... (read complete article...)

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Deadly Rabies Virus—Clear and Present Danger in Hill County

Hill County has been designated a “rabies quarantine” county because the rabies virus exists in our area. Rabies is the most dangerous zoonotic disease (animal to human) known to man. Rabies is nearly 100% fatal in humans and can be transmitted from contact with unvaccinated cats and dogs or any infected warm blooded animal. Based on a formula provided by the Humane Society of the United States some 11,325 dogs and 16,912 cats live... (read complete article...)

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Fund Raising Continues Towards Building of County Animal Shelter

Hill County Paw Pals was formed three years ago and has grown to over 1,100 concerned citizens and over 110 businesses wanting to bring positive change to our great county by correcting our potentially dangerous unchecked pet overpopulation issue which burdens our communities with health, economic, safety, and legal liabilities (H.E.L.S). Pet overpopulation can simply be corrected... (read complete article...)