By Emily Fromm | VP of Development
Through Oct. 7, donate to Save the Lives of Shelter Pets in North America on Global Giving and Animal Planet will MATCH your gift! That means your donation will have double the impact for animal shelters that need to improve their physical facilities to help pets for years to come. Here are a few recent examples of how our grants have helped adoption groups do just that:
Upgrades to a Transport Van and Kennels
Misfits, Mutts and Meows in Crescent, Okla., upgraded its transport van and made repairs to its kennels and exercise yard.
The van upgrades include soundproofing insulation and circulating fans. These improvements “have allowed a safer, more comfortable place for the animals that are being transported to adoption events or into our rescue,” shelter president Joy Williams tells us. MM&M also purchased wood, connectors and welding supplies to build outdoor play enabling 22 dogs to play outside at one time while ensuring they are safely separated.
The van improvements are already making a difference. “This past weekend we had an adoption event in a town 45 minutes away,” Williams says. “We took six dogs and five cats. We had a pair of kitties adopted, Chips and Squeeker, and one dog named Scruffy (pictured). Having the capability to transport everything we need for our different events in one vehicle makes our day much easier.”
Buying Dog Beds
Something as small as getting caged dogs up off the hard concrete floor can make a big difference. That’s why Doberman & Rottweiler Rescue in Paris, Ill., used our grant to purchase high-quality raised dog beds.
“We know these dog beds will help with the quality of life the dogs have while in our care,” rescue director Karen White tells us. “We get older, large-breed dogs in who have some hardship getting up off concrete floors, and this will help them feel better while in our care. The kennel staff love them due to the fact that they cut down on laundry costs, and in the time it saves them, they can play more with the dogs.”
The beds are much appreciated by all the dogs at the rescue, including the doberman pictured here, “a starvation case we took in,” White says. “He was skin and bones when brought to our shelter from Animal Control. He had to gain 20 lbs. before the vet would neuter him. He is now in his new home doing wonderfully, and the new owner bought a bed for him like he had at our facility because he loved that bed. We all feel he had never had anything but the ground to sleep on and he loved the bed we provided him.”
Repairing Kennels to Save a Shelter
Carteret County Humane Society in Newport, N.C., used our grant funds to purchase supplies to repair concrete fixtures in the kennel area, as well as concrete sealant to be applied this fall. “Without these repairs we could possibly fail our state inspection and take the chance of being closed down,” shelter director Candace Christopherson tells us. “These repairs are very important to the shelter itself but also to the health of the animals. Large cracks in the foundation can lead to build-up of bacteria, which could cause illness.”
CCHS is the only shelter for its county, so if it hadn’t been able to make the needed repairs to its 29-year-old building, it could have closed down, which would have affected more than 3,000 animals a year. Pictured is Maggie, just one of the homeless pets the grant helped.
Building a Lot Just for Puppies
Forgotten Angels Animal Rescue in Chuckey, Tenn., used the funds to build a puppy lot for new litters when they arrive at the shelter. With the grant money, staff purchased fencing and a gate, solar-powered outdoor lights, a new Weed Eater and a Gator wagon to help at feeding time.
“It helped us to have a safe place for puppies so they can have room to run and play,” shelter director Polly Rogers tells us. The lot is now on its fourth litter of puppies, so it’s helped 36 pups so far. All the puppies love the yard, but one in particular who has benefited from it is a blind puppy (the white pup with black spots in the photo) who no longer has to stay in a crate. “She now knows where the fence is and runs and plays with her littermates,” Rogers says.
Help more pets like these! Through Oct. 7, donate to Save the Lives of Shelter Pets in North America on Global Giving and Animal Planet will MATCH your gift!
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