The St. Paul Animal Shelter has been busy as of late, with a shelter that is at capacity for both cats and dogs, ongoing fundraisers, and as a participant in the Iams Home 4 the Holidays campaign.
It’s clear by the many barking dogs that winter is pushing the shelter to its limits and the need for a new facility has become more obvious. On Nov. 30, the shelter hosted a comedy show to raise funds for the construction of a new building west of St. Paul off of Highway 29.
Prior to the show, the shelter already had about $150,000 in the bank for the project, said shelter manager Trish Ellis. She added that the organization is hoping to have $250,000 raised before applying for grants to move the project farther along.
One of the current campaigns underway that could ease some of the burden off the animal shelter is the Iams Home 4 the Holidays campaign, which runs through the holiday season from Oct. 1 to Jan. 2, with the hopes of adopting out as many animals as possible to “forever homes.”
The St. Paul Animal Shelter has already adopted out 32 animals since Oct. 1 and Ellis is hoping to see more adoptions over the course of the campaign. Last year, a total of 52 pets found homes during the campaign.
A number of animals have found their way to the shelter lately, some in pretty bad shape physically. Ellis points to a small dog that is currently in foster care that was rescued by the staff and students at Mallaig School during a cold winter’s day.
The dog had been hanging around the school for some time, but one day, staff and students noticed the dog stumbling in the street and knew they had to do something, explains Ellis. They took the animal inside the school and called the shelter.
“He’s a sweetheart,” says Ellis of the dog that has been nicknamed Clark, after the popular Clark Kent Superman character. The small dog had been bit by a larger dog and had serious wounds, says Ellis. He has since received needed medical care and is now doing much better.
This situation also raises the awareness for the need for donations for Bluebell’s Fund, which was set up by the shelter and named after another dog that came in with serious medical needs. The fund, which is very much in need of donations, is used to pay for veterinarian costs associated with saving animals that might otherwise be euthanized, says Ellis.
Along with nearly 20 dogs up for adoption, the shelter also has 23 cats ready to find homes. Right now, Ellis says the cat population is at a peak, mostly due to people who don’t spay or neuter their animals.
Along with more mature, adult cats, the shelter also has some young kittens on hand. The kittens came to the shelter too young to be weaned from their own mother, and thankfully another female cat who had just weaned her own kittens at the shelter adopted the new babies and began nursing them within days of the kittens’ arrival.
For more information about the St. Paul Animal Shelter or to get involved in any fundraising or volunteering activities, or to adopt a pet, contact Ellis at (780) 645-2262 or stop by the shelter, which is located at 5417 - 50 Ave.
