For four decades, the Hill Country Animal League (HCAL) has been a cornerstone of compassionate care across the region, offering affordable spay, neuter, and wellness services that keep local pets healthy and whole. As we enter the season of giving, Executive Director Rebecca Forrest reflects on the milestones, community support, and heartfelt generosity that fuel HCAL’s mission to protect and celebrate our four-legged family members.
hcaltx.org
Clinic 830-249-2341 | 924 N. Main St.
Thrift Store 830-249-8040 | 115 W. Bandera Rd
(Responses edited for length and clarity.)
Looking back over this past year, what moments or major milestones make you and your team feel grateful?
This year feels especially meaningful because HCAL is celebrating 40 years in the Hill Country community. Since our founding, we’ve provided more than 100,000 spay/neuter surgeries, including more than 7,600 surgeries and 870 wellness visits in 2025 alone. Beyond the thousands of pets served, those numbers also represent fewer unwanted litters and accessible care for local families.
We’re also grateful to see the community continue to show up in so many different ways. More than 1,600 people and 18 rescue organizations came out to last year’s Barktoberfest. Our thrift store remains a strong funding source for the nonprofit clinic. Every day, our staff, volunteers, donors, shoppers, businesses, and community partners contribute in so many ways. After 40 years, HCAL is still a community effort.
Beyond the spay/neuter clinic, HCAL also offers wellness care and supports local rescue groups. How do these services strengthen the bond between families and their pets?
Spay and neuter sits at the heart of our mission, but prevention includes more than surgery. Our wellness clinic provides low-cost vaccinations, testing, flea/tick and heartworm medication, and microchipping. Keeping these services affordable and accessible helps many families make healthy choices for their pets.
We also work alongside rescue organizations and cat caregivers. Instead of fostering animals and finding them homes, HCAL helps prevent more animals from needing rescue in the first place. By providing affordable spay/neuter and preventive services, we support the people and organizations caring for animals across our region.
A big part of HCAL’s success relies on community support. What does the community's generosity mean to your organization?
Community support makes our work possible, and the Thrift Store is one of the clearest examples. People donate gently used items. Other people shop those donations. The proceeds help fund our nonprofit clinic and keep spay and neuter and preventive wellness services affordable. There’s something special about how many people take part in that process.
But we also believe being part of a community means supporting each other. HCAL has donated items to local shoe drives via Love Kendall County Kids and Hill Country Daily Bread Ministries. We provide no-cost services for pets at the Kendall County Women’s Shelter. Our doctors have also donated their time to help Boerne Animal Care Services host a low-cost rabies clinic. Those partnerships let us contribute where our resources and services are useful.
The same spirit runs through our volunteers, donors, staff, local businesses, sponsors, and community partners. After four decades, we still see those individual acts of support add up every day. We’re grateful to be supported by this community, and we’re grateful for the opportunities to support it in return.
How can Boerne Lifestyle readers best express their support for HCAL’s mission?
One of the things we love about HCAL is how many ways people can get involved in the mission. You might make a financial gift or volunteer your time. You might bring gently used items to the Thrift Store or stop in to do some holiday shopping. During the holidays, our “Santa Paws” campaign also gives people a seasonal way to support HCAL and the animals we serve.
But sometimes support starts with a simple conversation. Tell a friend about HCAL. Share our services with someone looking for an affordable option. Introduce someone to the Thrift Store. Those referrals matter to us too. Ultimately, there isn’t one right way to help. What matters is having a community that keeps choosing to participate, year after year. And for that, we’re grateful!