They were reshaping how they worked to fit what Wix allowed.
Gulf Coast Humane Society
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The problem
Gulf Coast Humane Society was running on Wix and hitting its edges. Staff spent time fighting an increasingly complex builder just to update and maintain the site, and worse, they were bending their own workflows to match the tools Wix offered instead of the other way around. A shelter this active — adoptions, clinics, food pantry, foster, camps, merch — needed a website that reflected how they actually operate.
What we built
HRMG rebuilt the site on WordPress and wrote three custom plugins to do the work Wix couldn't. A ShelterLuv API sync pulls adoptable animals — availability, photos, and status — directly onto the site with filtering, detail pages, and auto-generated social share cards. A Claude-powered adoption assistant answers questions about a specific animal from an editable knowledge base and escalates to staff when it can't help. An operations layer handles appointments with calendar invites, clinic scheduling and pricing, camp bookings, sponsorships, vendor applications, a food-pantry stock system, lost & found, animal alerts, and a Printful + Stripe merch store.
What changed
The website now follows the shelter's workflows instead of forcing new ones. Staff show HRMG how they work, and the tools are built to match — reducing operational stress across adoptions, clinics, and outreach. Potential adopters get detail pages, filtering, and an assistant that lets them make informed decisions on their own.
Questions we get asked
04Can a website automatically show our adoptable animals from ShelterLuv?
Yes. HRMG built a custom ShelterLuv API sync that pulls each animal's availability, photos, and status onto the site, with filtering, individual detail pages, and auto-generated social share cards — no manual re-entry by staff.
We've outgrown Wix. What's involved in moving a shelter site to WordPress?
HRMG rebuilds on custom WordPress rather than another template, mapping your actual workflows first. For GCHS that meant three custom plugins covering adoptions, an AI adoption assistant, and a full operations layer for clinics, camps, sponsorships, and the food pantry.
Can a website handle clinic scheduling, appointments, and a merch store in one place?
Yes. The operations layer HRMG built includes appointments with calendar invites, clinic scheduling and pricing, camp bookings, vendor applications, a food-pantry stock system, lost & found, and a Printful + Stripe merch store.
Can an AI assistant answer questions about specific animals on our site?
HRMG built a Claude-powered adoption assistant that answers questions about a specific animal from an editable knowledge base your staff control, and escalates to a person when it can't help.
Working around a platform that won’t move?
That is the conversation we have most weeks. Tell us what is stuck and we will tell you, plainly, whether it is worth building around or worth leaving behind.
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