For the first five years the effort was spent establishing projects
that would make a lasting difference. The Spay Neuter Assistance
Program (SNAP) was begun to help encourage spay and neuter by paying
a portion of the cost, and the education program went into schools
providing free copies of the Humane Society of the U.S. "KIND"
news to fourth graders as a way of teaching the youngest pet owners.
Working with Remote Area Medical, clinics were offered to low income
residents of the area for spay & neuter, and members gave space
in their own homes so that the Second Chance program could provide
foster care to pets until owners were found. And, there was
always fund raising....
By the end of 2002, FOS
had helped co-sponsored two spay/neuter clinics and a $50,000 improvement
to the animal shelter. Our third year saw the SNAP and Second Chances
programs put into place, with a total of 183 animals spayed or neutered,
34 rescued or fostered put in homes, and still more fundraisers
(collecting ink cartridges, obtaining a state grant, Cash for Critters,
selling t-shirts and plush toys...)
2005 ended with KIND
News established in the local 4th grade classes, and the FOS having
sponsored a total of four clinics, 100 adoptions, 550 spayed or
neutered animals, and a dog show at the Fall Festival. A critical
turning point in our history came in 2006 when Jennifer Nagle took
the job of shelter supervisor. Dinah Presnell was elected as the
new director of the FOS, and the program began a transition from
Second Chances/Foster to shelter based adoptions. And while this
was happening, FOS members continued to expand the KIND News education
into ALL Bell County schools, Humane Hearts and Corporate Sponsors
programs were begun, cages were purchased to allow the shelter to
handle stray cats, and the Beastie Bash annual fundraiser grew into
a local social event.
Since 2006, Friends of
the Shelter has worked in coordination with the Bell County Animal
Shelter, providing support directly through volunteer hours and
indirectly through the continued growth of spay/neuter, adoption
and education programs. The shelter began providing adoptable animals
to other states through the All Breed Dog Rescue program and other
organizations, shelter facilities were further improved with a washer
& dryer and fenced run so that dogs could get outside and play
in the open. At the same time, FOS continued to co-sponsor spay/neuter
clinics at Lincoln Memorial University, treating 1018 animals in
a 4 year period, while working with Petfinder.com to promote shelter
adoptions. The number of animals being handled by the shelter has
been steadily increasing, and so has the number of adoptions. (From
2% in 2002, up to 28% in 2010.)
In 2011, Friends of the
Shelter is able to look back at a decade of hard work by members
who cared enough to give their time, labor, and sometimes large
portions of their lives to take care of the "unwanted and uncared
for" pets in our county. A lot of it was fun, and some has
been sad, but it has never stopped. FOS continues to grow and adapt
to provide the best possible care for animals in Bell county. |
