Monday, July 18, 2011
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Lynn Mitchell, a board member of Angels For Animals, volunteers at the animal shelter in Canfield. Here, she tends to cats up for adoption.
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Adoptable cats at Angels for Animals, which has entered the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ 100K Challenge.
How you can help | 100K Challenge
Angels for Animals is competing for a $100,000 grant from the ASPCA. These upcoming events are designed to help it reach its goal of adopting at least 703 animals. For other events go to Angels website: www.angelsforanimals.org.
ASPCA Challenge Kick-off Week: From Aug. 1-7 receive 50 percent off all adoptions.
“Dogs Days of Summer”: Through August when temperatures are forecast to be 90 degrees or higher receive $10 off the adoption fee for on any dog.
“It’s Raining Cats”: Through the month of September when the long-term forecast calls for a 50 percent or more chance of rain receive $10 off the adoption fee on any cat.
Harvest Time Pick of the Crop: Through the month of October bring a pumpkin to the center and receive the weight of the pumpkin off adoption fees up to $50.
Source: Angels for Animals
By CHRISTINE DARIN
TheNewsOutlet.Com
CANFIELD
Kelly Black, feline manager and foster coordinator for Angels for Animals, walks through the shelter, showing room after room of animals.
She ends the tour in the overflow room, a small room filled with cages on the second floor.
Cats stick their paws out to play. Each cage is occupied.
“When this room fills up, I know I’m in trouble,” Black said. “That’s when I have to start making hard decisions.”
If Black can’t find the cats a home, she will have to start choosing which ones to euthanize.
The need to raise awareness and money for the hundreds of animals in the center’s care is a never-ending task. Animals suffering from abuse and neglect arrive every day.
Odysseus, an orange female cat, was brought to Angels for Animals in June with one eye surgically removed and a serious infection in the other. The shelter removed the remaining eye, and now she waits patiently to be adopted.
Odysseus, eager for affection, relies on her other senses as she easily makes her way through Black’s office to jump on any visitor’s lap.
Black said the shelter is always looking for new ways to raise funds for the facility. This year it entered the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ 100K Challenge.
During August, September and October, ASPCA challenges 50 animal welfare agencies to try to save at least 300 additional animals lives than each did during the same months in 2010.
Angels for Animals competed with 94 animal welfare agencies across the country in April to be one of the 50 agencies to face off for the challenge.
The facility with the largest increase in lives saved in excess of 300 will win the grand prize grant of $100,000. Second place will receive $25,000 and a $20,000 best-in-region grant will be given to the largest increase in saves within five regions throughout the United States.
Prizes will be announced Nov. 30.
Bert Troughton, vice president of ProLearning ASPCA Community Outreach, said the challenge helps the shelters raise the profile of their organizations.
“It is giving us an opportunity to re-evaluate our programs and expand on our programs,” Black said.
Last year, Angels for Animals saved 403 animals from euthanasia between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31, so the goal for the competition is to save at least 703 cats and dogs.
Actually, Kate McDermott, general manager of Angels for Animals, said the shelter hopes to save 1,000 pets.
“The overall goal is to raise awareness of the need for homes for thousands of animals,” McDermott said.
From Aug. 1-7 , the shelter will feature half-priced adoptions for the ASPCA Challenge Kick-Off Week. Among other upcoming promotions is the “Cat and Dog for a Song and Dance” from Aug. 9-12, during which potential adopters can sing a song and dance to receive a 25 percent discount on an adoption. The shelter plans to display the talent on YouTube.
Other events are the “Study Buddy Back to School Sale,” “Pet and Pajamas,” and “Plinko for Pets” tailored after the game on “The Price is Right.”
Angels for Animals received 2,951 animals dropped off there in 2010, a total that doesn’t include the animals already in-house or in foster homes. The shelter euthanized 2,999 animals and found homes for 1,513 last year.
“We don’t like the numbers, but it’s the reality of the situation,” said Diane Less, co-founder of Angels for Animals.
She said many of the animals are injured or sick and need to be euthanized. But the shelter receives hundreds of viable animals, and the funds don’t exist to spay and neuter, provide housing and care for them all.
Black said the biggest problem is that people don’t get their animals spayed and neutered. During an average kitten season, the shelter can receive 30 to 40 cats a day.
“If we can get everybody fixed, then we don’t have all these unwanted animals anymore,” she said.
If the Angels for Animals shelter wins the challenge, McDermott said the group will use the winnings for the spay/neuter program, updates to the facility and the adoption program.
“I think no matter who wins the challenge, every organization wins because of the greater awareness of the overall issue,” McDermott said.
For people who can’t adopt a pet, there are other ways to help Angels such as monetary donations, or donations of supplies including food, blankets, towels, and newspapers.
The NewsOutlet is a joint media venture by student and professional journalists and is a collaboration of Youngstown State University, WYSU radio and The Vindicator.