PUPPIES!!!! KITTENS!!!! Haha, do I have your attention now? In all seriousness, I’m excited because I got to visit an awesome organization this week, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!
The Valley Animal Center in Fresno is the largest no-kill shelter in the Valley, and they do so much more than simply taking in dogs and cats. But to start with, they should be one of your go-to places if you’re looking for a new pet! The shelter has dogs and cats of all ages that are largely rescued from places like the SPCA when the animals are slated to be put down.
Adoption fees are $175 for dogs and $85 for cats.This includes everything you need to keep your new pet safe, including a spay or neuter surgery; applicable vaccines, tests and treatments; and a microchip ID. Plus, if you find within 30 days that your new pet is not the right fit, you can bring him or her back to exchange for another animal.
But the center tries its best to make sure you will go home with the perfect animal. Volunteers come in to do training with the dogs so they will be on their best behavior. The shelter even does something I’ve never thought of before: If you already have a dog at home, they encourage you to bring them to Valley Animal Center to interact with any potential new canine friends in a meet-and-greet room, to see if the animals are compatible.
If you already have your family of pets, Valley Animal Center still has great low-cost services available for you, including vaccinations, spay and neuter surgeries, microchipping and wellness checkups.
“Our mission has always been to help reduce the pet overpopulation problem here in Fresno County so having the community have access to those low-cost services definitely helps with that,” said Nina Tonnu, community relations coordinator at Valley Animal Center.
Plus, the Dr. James W. Thornton Dog Park on site gives your pets a space to exercise and socialize! This member-only park is really something special. For a low annual fee, your dogs will have access to large grounds, a water park and even an agility course. Unlike public dog parks, canines here have to be temperament-tested, spayed or neutered and updated on their vaccinations so you know your dogs will be safe while playing with other animals.
The last feature I want to talk about at Valley Animal Center really shows that they’re willing to go above and beyond for the care of your pets. In the perpetual care facility, dog and cat lovers can use their estate plans to purchase condos and turn the long-term care of their pets over to the shelter in the event that the owner passes away. Nina says it’s like “a safety plan” to ensure beloved pets won’t be abandoned.
Want to support Valley Animal Center? There are tons of ways you can do that. In addition to making donations of money or supplies, you can volunteer at the shelter in all sorts of capacities, whether it’s in the office, helping with events or walking dogs and petting cats.
“We are a completely community-supported organization so we don’t receive any public funding whatsoever,” Nina said. “We run solely on the support of the community through donations, when people attend our fundraisers and purchase tickets, grants and services we provide such as over in our clinic, our dog park. We always need volunteers. We couldn’t do what we do without our volunteers.”
The next big fundraising event the shelter has coming up is the Wiggle, Waggle, Walk and Furry 5K at Woodward Park on October 11th. Participants can do a 5k or interactive 2-mile walk alone or with the dogs. They can also dress up (both humans and canines) to go with this year’s movie theme and participate in a costume contest.
“There’s like interactive stations where you can do stuff like, we had some paw paintings last year, a photo booth, that kind of thing that you do along the way,” Nina said. “And at the site where everything starts, there is also a festival where we have pet related vendors come and sponsors.”
I hope you’ll consider supporting Valley Animal Center as well as adopting any future pets from their shelter. In closing, I’m going to introduce you to a very special dog and cat who are up for adoption!
Dexter
Dexter is a 7-year-old bull terrier mix, who has been at our shelter since May 2013. His original owners move out of their house and abandoned him there. A Good Samaritan took him in and began caring for him before surrendering him to our shelter.
Dexter loves tennis balls, playing in the water, and scratches behind his ears. He is a big boy but a lap dog at heart. He is always excited to see his human friends and to play with them. As any volunteer can vouch, Dex loves going for walks and trips to the dog park.
He needs to go to a home where he is the only animal and the owner can supervise him when he is outdoors. He has anxiety separation and needs to be kenneled when the owner is gone. He escapes by digging, jumping fences, etc when he is left alone in a yard.
Dexter feeds off the confidence of his trainers. If his owner is confident and knows what they are doing, Dexter is VERY well behaved. He has been doing obedience training with the training and enrichment committee every Saturday morning. Because of the volunteers’ dedication to Dexter’s obedience training and socialization, he has improved his leash walking skills and is working on positively interacting with other dogs.
His adoption fee is only $25!!! He is neutered, up to date on his vaccinations, dewormed, has his flea treatment, and is microchipped.
As much as he is loved by the staff and volunteers, Dexter deserves to find a family who can shower him with love and attention. Dexter’s forever family is out there!
Frankie
Frankie was brought to the shelter after being horribly burned. His condition was so bad that the scar tissue on his eyelids kept him from blinking his eyes.
The clinic staff was able to take skin grafts from his legs to repair his eyelids. He may still need a few more surgeries to repair the scars on his head and neck. Frankie is also FIV+ which is the feline equivalent to human HIV.
Despite what he has been through, Frankie is an amazingly good natured, forgiving, and loving cat. This one-year-old feline enjoys visitors and makes friends quickly. He will come by and say hi by rubbing up on you or wait to be petted. This sweet boy also likes being held and giving hugs.
Once his medical treatment is complete, he will be available for adoption and would be a great addition to any family.
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