Friends of WCAC Receives Grant to Start Program that will Keep Pets and People Together
Minnie is a lovely girl who simply adores people, even if it does take a little while for her to warm up when meeting someone for the first time. We know for certain that she cannot be in a home with cats and though she has not shown food aggression or resource guarding, a meeting with a resident dog is required before she can be adopted. Minnie knows sit and down and has willingly responded to corrections made by staff or volunteers while in playgroup. Like all of our adoptable cats and dogs, Minnie is spayed, microchipped and current with vaccinations so, stop by today to meet her and all of our adorable adoptables at WCAC!
Funding from PEDIGREE Foundation enables multiple middle Tennessee organizations to team up to create and facilitate a behavioral training program that prevents unnecessary surrendering of dogs
Friends of Williamson County Animal Center has been awarded $50,000 to launch a canine behavior training class designed to divert the surrender of family dogs in Cheatham, Maury and Williamson counties. Multiple statistical resources show that shelters and rescues across the U.S. are experiencing over crowdedness and increased length of stay due to insufficient adoption rates. As such, these organizations are increasingly investing in resources that keep animals out of their care to begin with.
According to Williamson County Animal Center (WCAC) Director, Ondrea Johnson, “Nearly one- quarter of the dogs brought to us in 2023 for surrender that had an explanation of why were due to behavioral or other issues that may have been resolved with proper training.” Johnson surmised that the vast majority of those who surrender their pets do not truly want to.
The PEDIGREE Foundation Collaborative Grant award supports a collective effort between WCAC, Cheatham County Animal Control (CCAC), Maury County Animal Shelter (MCAS) and Snooty Giggles Dog Rescue (SGDR) to provide training for 400 at-risk dogs. Both group classes and one-on-one sessions are backed by funding. However, classes and sessions are not open to public registration. Participating organizations will instead invite selected pet owners based on interactions they have had with families considering surrender.
PEDIGREE Foundation recently announced that it has awarded more than $1.2M in grants throughout 2024, including its annual grants, collaborative grants and disaster relief grants. These grants were awarded to 96 animal shelters and rescue organizations across the U.S. and Canada, helping more than 77,000 dogs.
WCAC (www.adoptwcac.org) is open to the public Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.; Saturday 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.; and closed Sunday. Located at 1006 Grigsby Hayes Court in Franklin, hours may vary due to holidays. Phone: (615) 790-5590
CCAC (www.ccactn.org) is open to the public 9:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; closed Wednesdays and Sundays. Hours may vary due to holidays. The shelter is located at 2797 Sam’s Creek Road in Pegram. Phone: (615) 792-3647
MCAS (www.friendsofmcas.com) is open to the public every day, 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday until 5:00 p.m. Located at 1233 Mapleash Avenue in Columbia, hours may vary due to holidays. Phone: (931) 375-1406
SGDR is a foster-based rescue in Thompson’s Station. Anyone interested in adopting from Snooty should visit their website to submit an application.
About Friends of WCAC
Our mission is to promote quality of life for all animals and the humans who care about them by supporting a compassionate environment and humane treatment for the animals of Williamson County and to advocate for animals throughout our region. We are committed to maintaining a best-in-class Animal Center and a community where animals are valued and live in harmony with an enlightened and responsive government and citizenry.
Our mission focuses on three general areas:
- Provide support to Williamson County Animal Center
- Increase awareness and educate the community regarding animal welfare
- Support policies that provide for compassionate treatment of animals and educate community leaders and state and local officials regarding animal welfare initiatives and best practices
See how you can help at FriendsofWCAC.org.
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