LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
The Edgar County Animal Shelter is a pillar in the Edgar County community. They are responsible for encouraging local strays to become members of future families. On Aug. 17, the animal shelter hosted a ‘Clear the Shelter’ event in hopes of raising awareness for the organization, as well as adopting out some of their precious pooches.
Thanks to the hard work of animal shelter employees, the SMWC Equestrian Team, Paris Cheerleading Team and countless other volunteers, the day was a success.
“I am completely excited about all of the volunteers we had (that day) and all of the interactions the dogs got on Friday and Saturday,” said Andrea Bouslog, Edgar County Animal Warden.
On Friday, a day before the event, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Equestrian Team worked together with the shelter to build and set up a new puppy quarantine area. The area, previously a storage shed, was cleared out to allow more room for the shelter’s puppies.
“We didn’t have that before, so the additional space helps us out a lot,” said Bouslog.
Along with organizing the new space, the volunteers also bathed and played with every dog to prepare them for the Clear the Shelter event.
The event is held every year in the month of August. Bouslog recognizes the need for the event, but also wants to make clear that August tends to be the beginning of the slowest adoption season.
“August is a very hard month to adopt dogs. Kids are going back to school and the older generation is wanting to travel. It can be very difficult,” she said.
Even with a slow track record, Clear the Shelter gave three dogs the happy ending they have been working towards for over a year.
One of the success stories of the day included a beloved dog, who had been living in the shelter for over a year, named Myra. On Saturday, she went to her forever home with a woman ready to show her unconditional love and care. She will have new German Shepard siblings to spend her days playing and cuddling with.
Other successful adoptions from the day include Theo and Cowboy.
Theo had been living in the shelter for over 400 days. Shortly after the event, a family came to the shelter looking for a puppy. Their plan quickly changed when they saw the sweet eyes of Theo. With an almost immediate connection and admiration, Theo became a member of their family and found his forever home.
“(The family) had seen one of our advertisements… I was so impressed with how well he listened to them and how good he did,” said Bouslog.
Cowboy met his family on Saturday when they attended the event. A family of three walked up to the shelter searching for a low-energy, lovable dog that would fit into their lifestyle. Cowboy was the first dog they met that day. After interacting with a couple of other pooches, they ultimately decided that Cowboy had captured their hearts and would make the perfect match.
Adoptions are still being offered with a 50 percent discount until Labor Day. Several dogs are sponsored and can be taken home today with an approved application.
The shelter is also hosting an art fundraiser on Aug. 30 at the Link Art Gallery.
Information on applications and available animals can be found on the Edgar County Animal Shelter Facebook page.