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16 animals find new homes
Aiden Koppa, 4, hugged his new dog "Baby," as Bob Hoffman, of Lee's Paws and Claws looked on with mixed emotions. On one hand, he was happy to see Baby find a permanent home and a space open up for another animal, but "Baby" after all, was his favorite animal at the shelter. The two had become close in the dog's time at the shelter, but her adoption means another animal's life might be saved.
In all, eight dogs and eight cats found new homes this weekend due to the efforts of Lee's Paws and Claws and Shepherd Team Auto Plaza during the first adoption day at the dealership on Saturday.
"It was a wonderful turnout," Lee's Paws and Claws treasurer Ann Clarkson said. "It went extremely well. I can't thank Shepherd Team enough for sponsoring it. Less animals means you have more room for intake. We were a full house. You get to where you are filled up and someone brings and animal in, then you have to turn them away, so it makes it difficult."
The dealership plans similar adoption days the first weekend of each month for the no-kill shelter. During the event, Shepherd Team paid all adoption fees for anyone wishing to give a home to a pet. The regular adoption fees at the shelter are $65 for dogs and $55 for cats. About half of that fee covers the cost of the spay or neuter procedure, while the other half covers the costs of medications, processing, and any overhead.
The success of the event was good news for the crowded shelter, which operates with a limited staff. Before Saturday, the shelter housed 16 cats and 22 dogs. Finding placement for the pets not only meant new homes for the adopted animals, but more room for incoming animals that might otherwise be euthanized.
Though the first adoption day was a success, interim director Gillmore-Hoffman said they discovered a couple of new needs for the shelter. New families adopting the pets also left with leashes and collars and the shelter will need more as new animals arrive.
"Every animal has gone home with what they had on them," Gillmore-Hoffman said.
She also said the shelter could use the loan of a long covered trailer or a way to haul all the animals at once to and from the dealership the last Saturday of each month. Shepherd Team is currently loaning the shelter SUVs to transport the animals, but it is cumbersome because it takes many vehicles to transport the animals. The next adoption day is scheduled for Nov. 24.
Gillmore-Hoffman said she was especially happy that all four of the black Labrador puppies they took found new homes. She said larger black dogs are usually the most difficult to find homes for.
"They are usually the first ones into a shelter and the last ones out," Gillmore Hoffman said. "That leaves us with more of the smaller dogs, which are easier to double-up at the shelter.
She also said they had quite a few adoptions that were out of the Fort Scott area on Saturday.
"When I started here in the end of September, we were talking about our anniversary and we discovered we didn't have anything real solid going on with the community," Tom Owen, general manager of Shepherd Team said. "I've done this before with another dealership and Dave Shepherd's wife (Sharon) is on the board for the shelter. We thought we could kill two birds with one stone -- we find these animals homes and we help out the no-kill shelter."
Owen said a couple of his employees even adopted animals.
As for conducting the adoption days during winter months, Shepherd Team already has a plan.
"If it gets too cold, we will be inside the service department. We had a real good turnout today," Owen said.
The day was not without its inspirational stories either.
"Two sisters that have made donations to the shelter in the past just recently lost their cat and they came down here to find a replacement and ended up taking three cats," Gillmore-Hoffman said.