News : New Employee at the Shelter and a big thank you to the Community

The Friends of the Shelter, Inc board, staff, and volunteers thank the community for their outpouring of donations this holiday season and all year long. With your help and encouragement we have made great strides in the care of the animals at the shelter. We are proud of the work that has been done to find good homes for the adoptable, rescues for many, and compassion for those that were not eligible for either. Whether it is reuniting the lost with their families, receiving up dates from adopters, or seeing a turn around in behavior from an animal learning to trust, there are many happy stories. Sadly, there are enough of the other stories that there will always be a need for advocates for the animals and we are grateful for your continued help. It is the financial and moral responsibility of FOTSI to make sure all animals housed in the shelter are cared for including routine vet care to the best of our abilities until they are adopted into forever homes. We rely on donations to provide this service for however long it takes.

As we begin a new year we are pleased to announce that Lori Arbuckle has joined our staff as Office Manager. With the addition of another member of our team it will allow us to expand on the services we provide and to add to those we have in place or planned such as the foster care program, volunteer opportunities, off site visits, community events, etc.

Volunteer Regina Malaska will continue to promote the adoptable shelter pets and share the joys and challenges of fostering, making bracelets benefiting the shelter that are sold in several businesses in Vinton, as well as planning for the Second Annual Dog-A- Fair. All our volunteers go above and beyond and we could not do all that needs done without them and the same can be said for those who donate items or funds to benefit the shelter animals and help us in our mission.

The shelter does not have open hours at this time but you can see our adoptable pets on our website at Pawsforfriends.com. To set up an appointment or if you have any questions you can email dfriendsoftheshelter@yahoo.com or call (319) 472-4623.

It indeed takes a community and together we make a difference!