Our shelter opened in December 2002, and 20 years later we continue to serve our mission to save as many animals as possible thanks to you! We’re excited to take the time to reflect on our successes while continuing to develop ways to improve things in the future. In many ways, the best indicator of our success is that over 95% of the animals that come into our shelter are adopted directly from MOAS or are transferred to our rescue partners locally or up north. While we know that we can’t save them all, thanks to our generous Guardian Angel donors we're able to treat the majority of animals that come in sick or injured. Thanks to our general fund donors, transports to northern states where shelters are much less overcrowded occur regularly, often at great expense.
While these particular efforts focus on caring for and placing the animals that come into our shelter, we have also made great strides to address the source of pet overpopulation. Our spay/neuter clinic offers low-cost services so that we can help prevent unintended pregnancies, and our Spay it Forward Program offers free and reduced-cost surgeries for pet owners who cannot afford services on their own but are at great risk for producing unwanted litters. Additionally, in conjunction with Cat Zip Alliance, we loan out traps and run a Barn Cat Program to provide good outcomes for feral or unsocial cats and reduce feral cat populations. Finally, we offer a community pet food pantry and online pharmacy to help families keep and care for their current pets. In animal rescue, we often characterize our work as being similar to bailing out a sinking ship. It’s hard to achieve long-term success if five animals come in for every one that you adopt out. That’s why we’re committed to encouraging lasting change by educating our community and, most importantly, providing the resources and services that can make that lasting change possible.
As we look forward to another 20 years of service, MOAS is at something of a crossroads. In many ways, we’ve outgrown our shelter. We remain consistently full except for a few months in late winter. Because the shelter takes in so many more animals than were expected when it was built, we lack sufficient quarantine space to help prevent the spread of illnesses. We also see a need to provide additional services in the community. We hope to one day be able to offer spay/neuter services seven days a week as people routinely have to wait for appointments because the demand is so high, and we're currently exploring ways to offer heartworm treatment, not just testing or preventatives.
Board and staff are currently working hard on a strategic plan to guide our shelter’s future, but we need your help to make these goals a reality while continuing our current efforts. In honor of our 20th Anniversary, help us raise $20,000 to help support the shelter’s continued life-saving efforts and to help us begin work on goals that will ensure that the shelter is able to continue to support our community for many years to come. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation of any size, whether that’s $20, $200, or $2,000, to help us celebrate 20 years of service and the bright future ahead that we’ll create together.
Sincerely,
Sherrie Hines, Board President, & Shaina Knight, Interim Shelter Director
When considering your end-of-year giving, remember that a donation of:
$25 feeds 15 cats for a month.
$35 provides vaccines for 4 new animals.
$50 spays 1 shelter pup.
$100 cares for a litter of bottle babies.
$250 covers heartworm treatment for one dog.
$500 helps cover transport expenses to get animals to rescue.
$1,000 provides urgent, life-saving care for animals in need.
$2,000 allows us to invest in necessary shelter improvements, including surgical equipment and kennels.
Most importantly, a donation in any amount makes a difference in the lives of our animals and our community!
