Williamson County shelter marks 14 years of 90%+ save rate, cites flood response and seeks expansion

The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter on Aug. 26 presented the court with a national ‘‘no kill’’ recognition and described a week in which the shelter helped evacuate and rehome hundreds of animals after regional flooding.

Misty Valenta, director of the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter, told the commissioners the shelter temporarily received animals from the Georgetown and Lampasas shelters during July flooding, fostered about 300 animals within days, and later transferred roughly 250 animals through national rescue networks. “Within 3 hours, that shelter was empty and all of their pets came to our shelter,” Valenta said.

The award cited the shelter’s save rate of 90 percent or higher — a common benchmark for ‘‘no kill’’ status —…