Hill County Paw Pals, a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation, is a grassroots group that organized with two stated goals; 1) Facilitate installation of a county animal control program and promote and contribute to building a county animal shelter; 2) Organize to challenge the overpopulation of unwanted companion animals (dog and cats) with four programs working simultaneously - Education, Legislation, Spay/Neuter, and Adoption (Project ELSA). The serious issues with pet overpopulation is that it burdens our communities and citizens with health, economic, legal, and safety liabilities. The negative aspects of pet overpopulation include: increased dog bites, roaming dogs killing livestock and endangering humans, traffic accidents, unvaccinated animals being vectors for rabies, and negative impressions to potential businesses and residents looking to locate in Hill County. Pet overpopulation stems from one source–irresponsible and misguided pet owners who allow their pets to breed at will. Starting from “one pair” of breeding dogs, in seven generations, 4,372 offspring can result! Two uncontrolled breeding cats can produce 420,715 cats in this same period! This total for cats balloons to 10 million cats after 10 years! Without Paw Pals’ intervention, Hill County will continue to euthanize over 1,000 dogs each year. Everyday in the United States 10,000 people are born and during the same day 70,000 puppies are born. As long this 1:7 ratio exists, there will never be enough homes for unwanted dogs (or cats). Pet overpopulation is a community problem and it will take an entire community to solve it. With the input of proactive programs such as Education, Legislation, and Spay/Neuter, pet overpopulation is solvable. Proactive programs are needed because pet overpopulation can not be solved with adoption or euthanasia alone.