The PAWS Shelter of Central Texas has opened its second campus near the Blanco County line at 2965 FM 165.

The no-kill shelter has operated in Kyle for 33 years and its Building Committee has been raising funds for its second operation for years, according to Executive Director Melody Hilburn. PAWS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The shelter has worked with city and law enforcement officials in Blanco and Johnson City to take in stray animals.

“This shelter is divided into two wings with cats and dogs separated in Kitty City and Dog Town,” she said. “The shelter’s design is unique and allows for ‘catios’ or outdoor access for the cats outside their rooms. And the same for the dogs at the other end of the building.”

Each kennel includes a door to a fenced-in shaded run for the animals.

Cats are housed up to eight per room, and capacity will eventually reach 50, according to Hilburn. Kitty City includes self-contained intake and quarantine areas, laundry and supply rooms, all separate from the comparable rooms in Dog Town. Each wing also has its own separate ventilation system.

The wing for dogs also includes a grooming area and three separate kennels for dogs based on size, with a total capacity for 70 dogs.

“The colors for the dog kennels (lilac and mint green) where selected based on research that purple reduces aggression,” she said, “and green is a soothing Zen color.”

The new shelter includes office and a conference room that Hilburn says will be used for volunteer training and to meet with foster applicants.

“We’re really excited to have large play yards at this facility,” she said. “It means all the animals get exercise and play time.”

Staffing includes veteran senior staff moving over from the Kyle facility along with new faces to total six staff members. The shelter is open seven days a week.

“We’ve just hired a volunteer coordinator,” Hilburn said, “and we’re ramping up to accept volunteers here.”

The shelter includes a surgical suite, with a separate entrance, intake and quarantine areas for patients.

“We will have two medical staff in the office Monday through Wednesday, with Dr. Amanda Bruce from Austin eventually working here two days a week,” Hilburn said. “This will make sure every animal in our care gets the medical attention it needs. We’ll be able to have prescriptions written here.”

She describes a marquee sign outside the Kyle facility where items needed are listed.

“We’ve been so lucky to survive on donations of food, cleaning and office supplies,” Hilburn said. “We post what we need and the community rallies to help provide what we need.”

The supply room in Dog Town was filled with blankets, treats and toys provided by Amazon Smile as a welcome gift to the shelter.

“We look forward to serving our sister cities, which is what we call Blanco and Johnson City,” Hilburn said.

The PAWS Shelter is putting the finishing touches on the facility and plans a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony in the next few weeks.

Information on adoption, fostering and volunteering is available at PAWSshelter.org.