Archive for the ‘Allegan Shelter’ Category

Friends, it’s been a while since we’ve posted on this website. We have been active on our Wishbone Pet Rescue Alliance website – Wishbone operates the Allegan County Animal Shelter. We plan to update this website and the Wishbone website soon. In the meantime, you can find the latest information about us on our Wishbone Facebook page and on our Allegan Shelter Facebook page.

If you’ve not heard of Briarfield Farm Sanctuary, put them on your radar. They are doing fantastic work just outside the little hamlet of Matawan MI.

In June they rescued Max and Marley, two beautiful Labrador Retrievers, from death row at the Kalamazoo County Animal Shelter.

Wishbone and the staff at the Allegan Animal Shelter attempted to help place these boys through a rescue in Indiana. When that fell through, the staff at Briarfield Sanctuary gave them temporary quarters and are working hard to find them permanent homes.

If you love Labs, you’ll want to meet these boys. Contact Danielle at briarfieldfarm@gmail.com.  Or visit their Facebook Page.

Marley is a 4 year old yellow lab. He’s a large boy weighing about 90 lbs. He’s very sweet and loving with a moderate energy level. Marley enjoys activities such as playing with his doggy friends, going on walks and swimming. He does not care to much for being confined to a certain area and has jumped the fence

on occasion. Marley will need a home where he can safely play without escaping. He’s up to date on all vaccinations, has been neutered, micro chipped, and he is current on flea and heart worm medications.

Max is a 3 year old black lab. Like Marley, he too is very sweet and gets along with most other dogs. Max enjoys playing fetch, going on walks, and playing with his friends. He is a little over weight so will be looking for an active family to get him back into shape. Max is up to date on all vaccinations, neutered, micro chipped, and current on flea and heart worm medications.

Prayers were answered this past weekend at the Allegan Animal Shelter.  We closed the doors Friday evening dejected and feeling helpless.  All week cats and dogs rained on our little shelter, many were strays picked up by animal control, but many were owner surrenders too.   We were over capacity.  Dogs sitting in crates in the garage, and kittens filled condos in the lobby.

We asked for your prayers and help from other shelters.   Those prayers were answered and calls for help fulfilled by our friends across the state.  Eight dogs and dozens of cats and kittens were transported to other shelters and rescue groups opening a small hole in our shelter.  We are still over capacity on cats ( as I’m sure most are ) but it is manageable, and we opened enough kennels to get our dogs out of crates and on comfortable beds.

We also adopted out two dogs and signed up to new fosters that took out are beloved Lotus and Neveah, now resting comfortably in homes after many months at the shelter.

Thank you to our great friends.

Alger County Animal Shelter

Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter (UPAWS)

Copper County Humane Society

Elizabeth Lake Animal Rescue

Big Dog Rescue

Purrs Abound

Last Chance Animal Rescue

You all are literally life savers !

I wish each of you could stand in our shoes for just one day to understand life at a county animal shelter.   We try so hard to be positive, bright and chearful for the public.  But the honest true is every car that arrives we scan for dogs, or crates of kittens, and do a mental calculus of how much closer they bring us to full capacity.  We live and die emotionally by that count… each and every day.

This week cats and dogs rained on our little shelter.   In the blink of an eye are empty kennels were filled and we closed our doors this evening with an over capacity shelter,  38 dogs and 119 cats.  The last black lab and a dutch shepherd delivered by animal control broke our back.  For the first time in 8 months we have to consider taking lives for no reason other than space restrictions.  How incredibly unfair it is for these little souls.

So pray for us this weekend and hope for a miracle.  If you have dogs or cats you can no longer care for, call us first for alternatives before you bring them in this week.

If you have room in your hearts and homes to foster a cat or dog to help us through this crisis, please e-mail us at help.alleganshelter@gmail.com.