Volunteer group H.A.T.S. outlines no-kill initiatives, adoption and clinic results

Stephanie Westmoreland, president of Helping Animals to Survive (H.A.T.S.), briefed the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners on April 6 on the group's volunteer-run no-kill initiative and community services.

Westmoreland said H.A.T.S. formed a 501(c)(3) in 2025 to support Lincoln County Animal Services and to increase adoptions and access to basic veterinary care. She cited adoption work at Lincoln County PetSmart (74 adoptions referenced), expanded cat-adoption drives that yielded more than 300 adoptions in a recent period, and vaccine and microchip clinics that provided hundreds of vaccinations and dozens of microchips in 2025. She said the group operates a trap-neuter-vaccinate-release (TNVR/TNR) program to reduce feral cat populations, and maintains an emergency medical fund to assist animals with urgent needs.

Westmoreland described plans to stand up a low-cost spay/neuter day and to seek a local facility for TNVR events, noting that local costs for spay/neuter can range higher than many owners can afford. She said H.A.T.S. partners with other nonprofits and local businesses to deliver donations, pet houses, and volunteer-built dog houses.

Commissioners thanked the group for its volunteer work and asked procedural questions about funding and collaboration with county animal services.

Speakers quoted: "No animal is euthanized for space or length of stay. Euthanasia is for suffering animals or severe behavior and public safety," Westmoreland told the board, summarizing H.A.T.S.' no-kill approach.