I created this fundraising page for one of the shelters that I volunteer at. This is my friday place not the sunday place. I started going here more because they need help more than the first place I've been going for the past year.
They now have 59 dogs, they were never expecting to have that many, but people don't spade or neuter their pets and the pet population keeps growing and growing. People keep dumping dogs off on them and they don't have the heart to say no. The owners are wonderful people, they have been putting all their own money from their personal business into this place since the day they opened it, several years ago. but their business was hit by a huge storm/tornado up north and the insurance didn't cover it because it was an "act of God". So they have gone from being very well off, to struggling themselves. They can barely pay the $1500 a month electricity bill on the shelter and had to give up insurance on it. They themselves have given up every luxury in life that they used to know, so they could keep this shelter going. They used to have 4 full time employees to take care of 50 - 60 dogs, they had to let 2 of them go because they don't have the money to pay them. They rely even more heavily on volunteers now to run it.
What pains me the most about it, is they were never set up to have that many dogs. They don't have enough kennels. The kennels are 10x10 and cost about $500 each. There are 10 dogs there that don't have kennels. They are in crates. Not just temporary or just at night. These dogs live in crates full time. I almost wonder if the dogs would be better off dead? It drives them crazy being locked up like that, so they become aggressive and scary and then less and less people are willing to consider adopting them. It's a terrible downward spiral. The only time they get out of the crate is when they have 15 minutes yard time, or when a volunteer shows up to take them for a walk. It just breaks my heart to put them back into a crate knowing they'll be in there for the next 23 hours. It's not natural, it's against everything in the dogs genetics, they are wanderers, protectors and social pack animals. They should be curled up at the foot of someone's bed, not in a shelter, but at least if they have to be there, it should be humane. Some dogs have been there in crates for a whole year!
If (God willing) I can raise enough for 10 kennels, the next goal will be fencing material so we can build them some yards so each dog can get out and run a few times a day. They have plenty of land, it's a ridiculous waste of space that these dogs are locked up inside an old warehouse in crates, (with no AC and no heat btw) when they are sitting on 11 acres. We tentatively planned out 4 one acre yards. If I do win Miss Freeones, the largest chunk of the proceeds will go to this. The only thing I'm gonna take out is what i need for the new cam software upgrade, the rest will go to them.
I just want to improve their quality of life. Not sure you want to hear all this, I know it's not sexy, and I'm sorry, but if you really wanna be my friend, and know what goes through my mind, this is it.
