Come visit and Tour the Hill Country SPCA

The Hill Country SPCA offers fun and educational field trips & tours that provide the opportunity to see our facility, furry friends, and learn all about the programs and services we offer!
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Program Information:

• We offer different types of tours depending on the students age, and learning focus. (please see below)
• We do ask there be 1 chaperone per 15-20 students.
• Permission slips and photo release must be signed for each student.
• Students with severe animal allergies should not attend.
• We also offer tours to youth groups, scout clubs, 4H Clubs, as well as adult organizations looking to learn more about our mission. 

Sign-Up Form available at the bottom of the page

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 *Due to the unknown temperaments of shelter dogs, most interactions are done with staff owned animals known as ambassadors, who have been adopted from the shelter, or temperament approved dogs. Not every animal will be available for interaction. 

Shelter Tour

Students take a tour of the shelter to see how we operate, the type of animals the shelter takes in, and how the animals are cared for every day. Students get to learn all about responsible pet ownership, and the many different programs the shelter offers. 

Ages: 5 and up
Time: 20 - 45 minutes depending on needs

Interactive Shelter Tour

Students take a tour of the shelter to see how we operate, and how the animals are cared for every day. Students also get to work hands on with a shelter ambassador which may include dogs, cats, or small animals. Students also learn how to approach an unknown animal, as well as basic safety tips around new animals. 

Ages: 5 and up
Time: 45 minutes - 1 hour

Animal Welfare Tour

Students take a tour of the shelter to see how we operate, how the animals are cared for every day, and focus on the types of shelters and limited amount of space every shelter offers. Student are taught about animal welfare, pet overpopulation, and more. They are then challenged to come up with creative solutions to help promote compassionate pet ownership, as well as ways to end pet over population. At the end of the tour students are given the opportunity to work hands on with a shelter ambassador which may include dogs, cats or small animals. 
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Ages: 4th Grade and up
Time: 1 hour 

Shelter Animal Medical Tour

Students take a tour of the shelter to see how we operate, how the animals are cared for every day, and learn about the intake medical and examinations we provide to each animal entering our care. Students will learn the basics of common canine and feline diseases and ways to prevent them and keep vulnerable populations, like puppies and kittens, healthy. They will get to practice their hand at vaccinating "Patients". (No worries it's a saline solution into fruits!). Students also learn all about heartworms in dogs, and get to learn with another hands on activity how deadly they can be! 

Please note this program can be tailored to cover a wide variety of topics, and in some cases, can be shortened to allow for shorter visits. ​

Ages: 6th Grade and up
Time: 1 hour - 1.5 hours

If you wish to bring your group to the Hill Country SPCA as part of our Field Trim Program please submit the request form below. We will do our best to accommodate scheduling and additional needs, however the shelter is limited on staff and resources so please wait to hear back from our Shelter Manager to finalize dates/times.