September 5, 2023 - Volunteers working towards bringing Center and Shelby County a variety of small animal welfare programs have set a pair of public informational meetings to take public input and share initial plans on Thursday, Sept. 14.
“We look forward to sharing our mission with our Shelby County communities,” said Stephanie Elswick, president of Happy Tails Adoption Center HTAC.
“And, getting input from our communities as we move forward towards our short- and long-term goals is vital,” she said. “Happy Tails wants to meet the needs of Shelby County’s animal welfare issues”.
The Fannie Brown Booth Library will be the location for a lunch session at 12:10 p.m. and an evening session at 5:30 p.m. Both sessions are expected to last about 30 minutes with question-and-answer time afterwards, according to Stephanie Elswick, president of Happy Tails Adoption Center (HTAC) Shelby County Animal Shelter.
Both sessions will be in the Redditt Room community space at the library, 619 Tehaha Street in Center.
The 501©3 non-profit has tentative plans to establish a spay-and-neuter program and pet pantry in the short term, she said. Over the coming months, Happy Tails volunteers are also planning to establish a pet foster program for dogs and cats while continuing to raise funds for the long-term goal of establishing a first-class animal shelter.
Happy Tails volunteers hosted its first public event in May when Bark-A-Rama was held on the downtown Center square. Over the summer the group hosted an online fundraiser and a pop-up event in late August at White Cottage Mercantile.
In October, Happy Tails volunteers are planning to host a fun dog-oriented event, HOWL-O-Ween. Details of the event will be released soon. The organization also plans on being at Boo’s on the Square and Halloween in the Hole.
In addition, Elswick said the group has used their social media Facebook page to attempt to unite lost or unwanted pets with prospective owners. The group’s website is happytailstexas.org while more information can also be found at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091480996592.
