Animal shelter needs help
The Grant County Animal Shelter can house up to 75 dogs. Featured is Maynard, a mix border collie and Labrador puppy.
MOSES LAKE — When workers arrive at the Grant County Animal Shelter, they never know what they will find.
A dog tied to the fence.
Or, a box of kittens thrown over the fence.
“We’re not going to prosecute individuals who want to responsibly give up their pets, but dumping your pets at our front door without any type of information is not OK,” said animal shelter manager Carmon Derting.
The upcoming winter season may cause the issue to become worse, said Derting.
She wants to remind owners there is a fee of $20 per animal when they surrender their pets.
More than 95 percent of the 75 dogs and 45 cats the shelter can house are strays, said Derting.
As the temperatures drops in the coming months, she said, the animal shelter is relying on the community to adopt pets.
“Sometimes we got adoptions from all over the state and even out of state. But when winter hits, no one can get over to us and that’s why we are relying on the residents of Grant County to adopt these pets,” she said.
Another way she is hoping county residents will contribute to the shelter is by volunteering and offering fostering opportunities.
“You don’t need to be at the shelter to volunteer, we need help with remote things like making follow-up calls and marketing,” said kennel technician Sue Campbell.
Sometimes the shelter will receive animals that need immediate surgery. Shelter workers are asking volunteers to offer their home and supervision for a temporary time for those especially needy animals.
“We will buy the food and give you all the materials you need to take care of the animals temporarily. All we ask is you provide some extra attention to the animal and keep a dry area,” said Campbell.
Derting has been with the shelter manager since 2008 and was a founding board member.
She said that prior to her tenure as manager, there had been some controversy regarding the common practice of euthanizing pets.
“Right now, the animal shelter euthanizes less than 25 percent of our animals and that’s only because they are too sick or too aggressive,” said Derting.
With the help of four other shelter staff members and countless volunteers, Derting said she is working hard to change the public image of animal shelters.
“There is this misconception with the public and animal shelters. They think that the pets that come here not adoptable. People would rather go to the classified section to buy a pet than come here to save an animal,” she said.
The image changes involved re-painting the walls and making the shelter more “people- and animal friendly.”
“Before, this place looked like a prison,” said shelter animal care specialist Rachael Hendrickson.
For more information about the Grant County Animal Shelter call 509-762-9616.