ST. PAUL - Joining the St. Paul Animal Shelter in December of 2021, manager Sean Neilly and assistant manager Erin Cunningham appear to have settled into their new roles nicely, caring for animals in need of homes, and making sure the many tasks involved in the day-to-day operations of the shelter are getting done.
The pair - whose young daughter is also sometimes at the shelter, petting cats and playing with dogs - started working with the animal shelter on Dec. 12. Since then, another part-time staff member has been hired - Lewis Romanovich - to offer Neilly and Cunningham a much-needed extra hand.
Having moved into a newly built facility about three years ago, those involved with the organization have been busy putting the final touches on the building, while also manoeuvring their way through the pandemic. The shelter temporarily closed its doors for a period of time during the peak of the pandemic, but board members, volunteers, and the newly hired staff are now working hard to raise funds and continue providing shelter to animals who desperately need it.
Since public health measures have eased, the animal shelter is looking for some new volunteers to join in its efforts. The non-profit regularly works bingos to earn funds, and it is often the same core group who work those bingos. The organization has two bingo a month to work, plus they pick up any emergency bingos that result from other groups not being able to work.
If anyone is interested in helping the shelter with bingos, they are encouraged to contact Cheryl Mailloux at (780) 645-9514.
The shelter also recently wrapped up its first ever online 50/50 raffle, and another one is being planned for the future.
A bottle drive is also happening, and residents can bring their recyclable bottle right to the St. Paul Bottle Depot and let them know they are being dropped off for the shelter. Or, residents can contact the shelter if they have a significant amount to donate and arrange for pick-up.
An adoption event hosted at the St. Paul Pet Valu location went very well, according to Neilly. And another adoption event is being planned to the spring, to be held at the Co-op Home & Agro Centre.
An online auction with donated items is also in the works, in a bid to raise more funds for the shelter.
The opportunities to offer a helping hand at the shelter also go beyond fundraising and adoption. Volunteers can stop by to simply spend time with the animals and help socialize them. They can spend time in the cat room, or play with the dogs outside, for example.
Fostering animals is also an important part of the work being done at the animal shelter, since it introduces animals to a home environment, but doesn't commit a person to adopting the animal.
A lot of animals that have been living on their own are happier in a home environment, rather than a group setting like the shelter, says board president Anna Leskiw.
Neilly says when he jumped on board with the shelter, he was immediately impressed by how the community handles stray animals. He's noticed many people are very compassionate, and they don't worry about paying surrender fees that are charged when dropping off an animal - they simply want to see the animal find safety.
In mid-March, the shelter had 11 cats available to be adopted, and five dogs. Since Neilly became manager, he says there has been on average one animal adopted per week.
Looking ahead, those involved with the shelter are still hopeful a grand opening can be held, as a way to introduce and welcome the community to the new facility, which is located about 10 km west of St. Paul.
Landscaping, more fencing, and the creation of a park-like setting for people to meet animals, are just some of the pieces that the shelter hopes to work on slowly.
The creation of a plaque wall - acknowledging continued donations to the shelter - is also on the radar.
Anyone interested in volunteering directly at the animal shelter or in fostering animals, can contact the animal shelter directly at (780) 645-2262. Calling in the afternoon is best, since staff are busy with cleaning and caring for the animals in the mornings.
