By Bonnie Culverhouse |
Minden Animal Control gets by with a little help from their friends … Best Friends Animal Society.
Located in all 50 states, this organization helps fill the void left by city budgets and private donations with grants they also receive from donations. Since 1984, the non-profit has been working to make America no-kill.
“We are a community cat spay, neuter and foster program,” said Cara Drake, Specialist with Best Friends’ Shelter Engagement team. “But we also help with dogs and other animals.”
Best Friends gives funds to qualifying animal shelters.
Minden Animal Control just received $9,000 from the organization to help with spay and neuter, vaccinations, a foster program and aiding people to keep their pets.
Director Carrie Ford said this is where the shelter’s Pet Pantry comes into play.
“We weren’t real sure how well the Pet Pantry would go,” Ford said. “We started with a big mailbox and it took off like a rocket. We’ve had stuff donated for it … money donated for it.”
So, with a little help from the Friends, Ford got a bigger pantry – a house that, along with the mailbox, is located just outside the gates of the shelter on Dianne Street. It conains leashes, pet food, spay/neuter and foster information, all for people who need them.
Currently, Minden Animal Control has 8 dogs and 5 cats.
Ford said there are a lot of people who have a negative opinion of the shelter.
“It is not what it used to be at all,” she said. “People are afraid to call and ask about getting their pet spayed or neutered because they think we’re going to take it from them and kill it. That is not the case at all.”
She went on to add that the shelter currently does not put animals to sleep, unless they are critically ill, and there is no hope for a healthy, happy life. Otherwise, they stay at the shelter until the right adopter or foster comes along.
Ford also said she would like to see the city pass and enforce an ordinance requiring spay and neuter.
‘We teach shelters how to advocate for ordinances they want,” Drake said.
Ford stressed that if passed, an ordinance would not allow them to “go into everybody’s yard and fix their dog,” she said. “An ordinance would be more for repeat offenders – people that are irresponsible or just need assistance. If we pick them up, we are taking them to get them fixed. Then we give them back.”
Another program is Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) which is for feral animals, usually cats.
“We have a lot of cats in this town,” Ford said. “One of the apartment complexes has a bunch but they don’t want us to take them for adoption. So, we’re doing TNR for them.”
But for those who don’t want to adopt, Ford asks you consider fostering.
“Even if you want to do it around Christmas or for the holidays,” she said. “We supply everything you will need for a temporary, fostering situation.”
Ford said Minden Animal Control will have a Christmas tree this year with ornaments for the animals at the shelter with a wish list as well as ornaments for donations.
Minden Animal Control has a Facebook page, while Best Friends can be found at bestfriends.org for anyone wishing to donate items or money.