Kent County Animal Shelter Newsletter | Quarter Three, 2024

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Note from the Director

Dear Community Members, The shelter has been bustling with activity in the past few months. We've fully repaired our storm-damaged dog park, and now the dogs can enjoy running around and playing with toys in the large enclosed area every day. We recently completed a two-week adoption event for National Dog Day, finding new homes for over 40 dogs. We also received a heartwarming donation from a little girl named Abby, who saved up her lemonade stand money to donate to help the shelter animals. Her parents matched her funds and this act of kindness inspired others to do the same. As a result, the Kent County Animal Shelter (KCAS) received over $3,000 in donations in just a few days. The staff used the donations to purchase extra dog toys and treats, as well as an entertaining automatic cat toy for the community cat room. Kindness truly is contagious, and we're grateful to everyone who supports KCAS! Your support is greatly appreciated, Angela Hollinshead Director, Kent County Animal Shelter

Seeking Community Support

Our shelter has 79 large kennels. With 88 dogs in our care, we are beyond capacity. We must continue to accept stray dogs regardless of whether we are out of space, and right now, we have ZERO open kennels. But you can help us! Adopt! We have lots of dogs ready for adoption. See them here: accesskent.com/adoptable-animals. And, thanks to BISSELL Pet Foundation, we kicked off Empty the Shelters early! All dog adoption fees are $50 out the door. If you've been wanting a new furry friend, there's no better time than now! They can't wait to meet you. Foster a dog to reduce stress. If you find a pet, please keep it for 24 hours and use social media and flyers to find the owner. Upload a photo to Petco Love Lost: petcolove.org/lost. If you’re missing a pet, visit our lost/found page: accesskent.com/lost-and-found. We don’t euthanize healthy, adoptable animals due to space or time constraints. Your support is crucial. Share this post and consider adopting now!

Long-Term Dogs

Did you know that KCAS does not limit an animal's time at the shelter? As long as the animal is happy and healthy we will not give up on finding them a home. We often have a few dogs that stay with us for months. These dogs are what we refer to as "long-term dogs." as they have been in the shelter for weeks or months. Adopters often overlook these dogs due to breed, size, or simply their color.

Many dogs at the KCAS benefit from field trips, sleepovers, plenty of daily walks, and enrichment from staff and volunteers. They get extra of these things to keep our long-term dogs happy and healthy. Misha, Millie, and Hannah are three of our long-term dogs and all have such beautiful personalities. We take great care of the animals here at KCAS, but the shelter can be a stressful environment and is not a replacement for a home.

If you are considering adopting a pet, be sure to ask your adoption coordinator about the long-term shelter animals. You are helping the animals who need it most, and the staff have had so much time to learn about them. They know more about these pets than any others in the shelter.

Ready to adopt? Visit Animal Adoption Program | Kent County, Michigan (accesskent.com) to meet all of our adoptable pets,

There’s No Place Like Home.

"My dog has never run away like this." Shelter staff often hear these words when people call after their pet goes missing. Even owners with the best intentions sometimes face the unthinkable when their pet becomes lost. We want to remind everyone to be prepared and provide helpful tips if your pet ever goes missing. Always be prepared! Make sure pets always wear a collar (breakable safety collar for cats) with an identification tag. We offer smart QR dog licenses that help get lost dogs home 24-hours a day. Get yours here: Dog & Kennel Licenses | Kent County, Michigan (accesskent.com) Also, ensure your pet has a microchip and that your information is up to date. Don't know your pet's microchip number? Use one of our two 24-hour scanning stations to verify your pet's microchip number. Learn more about the stations here: Lost and Found | Kent County, Michigan (accesskent.com). If your pet ever goes missing, one of the first things you should do is leverage the power of social media, there are many pages dedicated to lost and found pets. Nextdoor is also a great resource to post photos and descriptions. Every lost animal that arrives at the KCAS is automatically uploaded to Petco Love Lost. Their facial recognition software matches found pets with owners who are missing them and sends instant notifications letting them know their pet has been located. It also works for pets found by community members, If you have lost or found a pet, upload a photo to Petco Love Lost. Visit https://petcolove.org/lost/signup/ to start the simple process. Remember to kick it old school. If you have found or lost a pet, post a flyer in the area. A Sharpie marker and a sheet of paper are all you need. Make sure to note the animal's color, any distinguishing marks, where the animal was lost or found, and how to contact you. To learn more about how you can be reunited with your lost pet or how to help a pet you have found, visit Lost and Found | Kent County, Michigan (accesskent.com)

Volunteer Spotlight: Tammy Robinson, Dog Walker

How long have you been volunteering? 
4 years

What brought you to KCAS? 
I wanted to help dogs!

What keeps you volunteering with KCAS? 
Because I love working with the staff and the dogs. In my time here. I’ve gained such a better perspective on animal sheltering and how hard staff and volunteers work. The shelter can be a tough place for dogs to live in, and it takes a lot of work to make their stay as comfortable as possible. I’m happy to be a part of that. I also enjoy helping in the less glamorous ways like helping with dishes and laundry. Everything is important around here.

Why should other people volunteer? 
To help the animals! You meet so many great people volunteering here. I’ve made a lot of really good friends at the KCAS. It’s very rewarding.

Thank you, Tammy for dedicating your time to help KCAS. If you would like to learn more about how you can join the KCAS volunteer team, visit here.

Debunking Alpha

by Namiko Ota-Noveskey

The concept of pack leader and being the alpha has been widely accepted and become more widespread after a popular TV show. But is it really beneficial or necessary to be the alpha? The idea came from the observation of wolves that were artificially placed together to live in captivity. These wolves had to establish social ranks like alpha and beta in order to function as a group. However, when we look at wolves in a natural setting, they function as a family; each individual filling a role in the family to help them thrive. Our social structure with families and friends also puts us in a role, but there is fluidity and flexibility. We don’t have fluidity in a hierarchical environment like a workplace where ranked assignments are needed to maintain order much like the wolves that were artificially placed in captivity.

Understanding how the concept of alpha came to be, do we really need to establish a rigid and hierarchical relationship with our canine family members? While they are not like human children, the research suggests that the way our brain responds to them is much like how our brain responds to children during social interactions. The research also confirms that dogs can discriminate human emotions by observing the facial expressions. These results lead us to conclude that we reciprocate the mutual emotions of happiness when we interact with dogs, and that they are sensitive to our feelings. We can nurture a more meaningful relationship with our dogs than a dictatorial one by being their alpha. It is about time we put this concept to rest when it comes to understanding and interacting with our dogs. We will have much better time learning from each other.

Pets Available for Adoption

Support Our Shelter: Make a Difference Today

We need your help to make a difference at the shelter. Your support can change lives—both for the animals in our care and the families in our community.

Every donation, whether big or small, goes directly towards providing essential care, comfort, and love to animals in need. From medical treatment to adoption services, your generosity ensures that every animal has a chance at a happy, healthy life.

Please consider giving today. Whether it's a one-time donation, a monthly contribution, or volunteering your time, your support is invaluable.