TV show may help Othello shelter realize dream

OTHELLO - Adams County Pet Rescue is dedicated to building and operating a first-class pet shelter in Othello. Now a television program similar to "Extreme Home Makeover" may help make their dreams come true.

ACPR was announced this week as a pilot program for a new television show, "Animal House", which will extremely makeover animal shelters across the country.

The first show will be filmed in Othello and could be seen by a national television audience.

"They saw that we had a need," ACPR president Mikki Kison said. "And we were so excited when they announced that we would be the first."

The announcement came at the ACPR's annual meeting, and is just in time to help a group that has already done so much.

After a 2009 fire destroyed the ACPR shelter, the City of Othello donated its city pound as a temporary shelter.

"We were extremely thankful for that," Shelter Director Jamie Krueger said. "And we have done our absolute best to make it our home."

But the city pound was a cramped, old and mostly outdoor facility. Until somewhat recently it did not have running water.

"It is just not a place where the public can come in and shop around for their new pet," ACPR volunteer and retired veterinarian Ernie Summers said.

So volunteers began to aggressively raise money to build a new shelter. They placed donation jars at the county fair, posted Facebook messages, asked for donations at adoption events and after four years of hard work, raised more than $200,000.

"Then the donations just kind of stopped," Kison said. Donators began to ask when the group would begin construction with the funds.

"We knew we needed another $300,000 to $400,000, to realize our dream," she said. "So we decided to just build what we could with the money that we had. We wanted to show our donors that yes, we are indeed serious."

So, last fall, they built a nearly 4,000 square foot facility on land donated by Adams County.

Their "new" shelter is very much unfinished, with no insulation or even walls, but the planning has been meticulous.

There will be many new aspects of the shelter that the current facility lacks.

It will have a cat condo, many indoor dog runs, outside fenced exercise play areas, a dishwasher, washer and dryer, storage room, public bathroom and something that the group says is paramount to a successful shelter.

A brightly lit "get acquainted room," where prospective owners can fall in love with their new pets.

"You don't buy a car before you test drive it," Summers said, "and we can't expect people to adopt a pet without getting acquainted with it."

A spokesperson for "Animal House" said the group will come to Othello to begin the planning the television show this spring.

"Animal Houses' plan/hope for ACPR is to provide them with a facility that will ensure they have the tools needed to help the current animals of Adams County as well as programs to prevent unwanted pets and encourage responsible pet ownership," show spokesperson Alycia Barlow-Hatfield said.

The group is still securing donors and product-placement sponsors, she said and once the pilot show in Othello is complete they will pursue a network or online provider like Netflix to air the series.

The ACPR is still seeking donations to help with the building and operating costs of the new and current shelter.

Donors can visit adamscountypetrescue.com or contact Ernie Summers, 509-989-1206 to contribute.