Since the transition back to county control, you have helped us save so many animals!

When the announcement was made this past summer that the shelter was going from no kill back to kill/county control, the rescue and adoptive community responded in droves. Hundreds of dogs and cats were placed in foster care within weeks, most of whom have since found forever homes.

Best Friends assisted by sending announcements out to their network, which greatly increased the exposure these animals were getting to the animal loving community nationwide. They also helped us find local volunteer help and sent a team down to Pt Pleasant to meet with the county, staff, and volunteers. Additionally, they worked tirelessly behind the scenes for several weeks after the transition to ensure the release of dogs that were being held for a court case...to make sure they would not be euthanized. THANK YOU!

As a parting gift, the group of volunteers that was running the shelter as no kill took a bunch of the "leftover" dogs home on the night prior to transition, to ensure they would not be put down. THANK YOU! No one knew for sure what the county's intentions where with regard to the batch of mostly large black dogs that had not found homes yet...and rescuers know that big black adult dogs are less likely to be adopted. They still have some of those dogs...please visit their website to see if there is anyone you would like to adopt: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/WV128.html

The county provided basic shots for dogs upon intake at no charge to rescues and was kind enough to let an online volunteer maintain the Petfinder website to ensure that it would be kept up to date. THANK YOU!

A new volunteer team stepped in to assist the new shelter director with continuing (and expanding) the rescue program. THANK YOU! It never ceases to amaze us how energized you all are, and how willing you are to step in and help as needed. We are very lucky to have all of you as volunteers!

A volunteer rescue coordinator spends 6-8 hours online and on the phone daily to keep in touch with rescues and answer their inquiries and keep Betty, the shelter director, informed as to which animals are confirmed for rescue. She also keeps our Petfinder person informed on who needs to be moved to adopted status and has worked tirelessly to develop/enhance the southern portion of our transport route by finding new drivers. THANK YOU CANDICE!

For months after the transition, Betty didn't have a camera, so Julie (a local volunteer) visited the shelter weekly to photograph new animals for Petfinder. THANK YOU!

Another "on the ground" volunteer, Trish P, has been an invaluable source of help for both Betty and Candice, stepping in to help out wherever needed. THANK YOU!

Just when Candice decided she couldn't keep up with the rescue applications, Carolyn joined the online volunteer team and stepped up to help process these apps and keep the rescue program going strong. THANK YOU!

Sponsors continued to help us by covering the cost of vetting for cats and dogs so they can go to rescue fully vetted for free. They have also donated money to help us get treatment covered for heartworm positive dogs. THANK YOU!

Generous supporters donated Kuranda dog beds so our dogs could be off the cold, hard concrete floor. THANK YOU! We still need more beds...please visit our website and click on "Donate a Kuranda Bed" or visit http://www.kuranda.com/catalog/donate_landing.php?intShelterID=3113 if you would like to ship a bed to our shelter.

Help For Animals, the low-cost spay/neuter clinic, continued to provide care for the animals despite the fact that they were left with an outstanding vetting bill of over $8,500 at the time of the transition. THANK YOU! (They still need $5,975 to be paid off, please contact Vanessa at 800-953-7297 to contribute. Donations made to HFA are tax deductible. They are a 501c3 non-profit organization.) THANK YOU to the donors who have already contributed several thousand dollars toward this outstanding bill.

Volunteer drivers regularly assisted with transporting dogs and cats to rescues. THANK YOU! Special thanks go out to Julie and Nicole who often drive long legs on transports to get the Mason animals to safety.

Rescues throughout the northeast always managed to find a space for "just one more" dog or cat whenever the shelter started to reach capacity. THANK YOU!

Volunteer crossposters tirelessly networked online to get the word out about animals needing homes at our shelter. THANK YOU!

Thank you to Betty, our BLOGGER. Please visit her Mason BLOG at http://itsrainingcatsdogsglixman.blogspot.com/

The end result of all of this hard work has been that since July 2007, 225 dogs and cats have been rescued or adopted. And another 9 dogs and cats are awaiting transport to rescues.

It has been an amazing group effort and we wanted to take some time out during this busy holiday season to thank all of you who have supported or helped us in any way. We look forward to your continued support and assistance in the future.

To quote Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Our dedicated supporters have definitely changed the world for these animals. YOU are living proof that rural shelters CAN find homes for their animals and DO NOT need to be high kill.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU from the bottoms of our hearts! We wish all of you a safe, happy, healthy holiday season. If you have adopted or are fostering a Mason dog or cat, please give them a hug from us!

(The dog featured in this photo is Molly, who was at the shelter during the crowding crisis. This is Molly after adoption, napping comfortably on a bed in her forever home.)

To see the dogs and cats that are currently at our shelter and in need of homes, please visit http://masoncounty.petfinder.com