Appointments can be scheduled between noon and 3:30 p.m. “We do try and make appointments during the week, even though we’re closed,” Einspahn said, for people who are interested in an animal. The animal shelter is open to the public from noon to 2 p.m.
Life, adoption and fostering go on at the animal shelter, in spite of the challenges posed by the outbreak. Her foster caregiver drove from Mattawa to pick up the dogs. She’s got nine babies,” she said.Īnd Mom certainly didn’t like it when she was disturbed, barking fiercely when shelter workers transferred her puppies to the carrier. The prospective foster dog had just had puppies, so young their eyes were still closed. So Lamb Chop got a chance to meet a prospective owner, and in the end he got a new home. In the time of the COVID-19 outbreak, the GCAO shelter technically is open weekdays by appointment only, but the gate was open in anticipation of a volunteer coming to pick up a foster dog. Jacob Mitchell wanted a dog, and had been looking at options on pet-adoption websites. His looks may have contributed to his lengthy residence at GCAO – he’d been there since Feb. Normally they’re very fluffy,” Einspahn said. He has the husky head and long gray fur, but not the stocky husky body. Lamb Chop is part husky and, as Grant County Animal Outreach coordinator Kelsie Einspahn said, part something else. “They need the funding, but they need another location as well,” said Council Member David Eck.Ĭharles H.MOSES LAKE - April 3 was a good day for Lamb Chop. While the council approved the additional funding, council members also expressed concern that the shelter eventually needs to be relocated. According to data available from the Grant County Assessor’s office, the parcel was last valued at $60,000 However, according to a sign placed on the parcel, it is currently for sale. The current Grant County Animal Outreach sits on a little more than half an acre right next to the city’s Larson Sewage Treatment Plant and a privately owned eight-acre parcel, giving the facility little room to expand, Tweedy said. “I would love to be in a position to run a capital campaign,” she said.
GRANT COUNTY ANIMAL OUTREACH FULL
When asked by several council members if the shelter could organize a fundraising drive from the public or apply for grants, Tweedy said until the shelter has a full staff and some stability, those who work there now simply do not have the time to raise money. “That’s difficult with dogs,” Fuhr said, noting stray dogs pose a hazard to traffic and to people. Moses Lake Police Chief Kevin Fuhr said because of the space problem, the shelter has asked the MLPD not to bring in any animals. “A new facility is absolutely needed at this point,” said Moses Lake City Manager Allison Williams. “I don’t see how we rehabilitate it,” Tweedy said. In addition, the current facility - located at the Port of Moses Lake on Randolph Road NE near the intersection of Road 7 NE - has electrical plugs that don’t work, is falling down in places and is infested with rats. “We pay $1 over minimum wage, and the previous director $50,000 (per year), and that was a real stretch for us,” Tweedy said. Right now, board members are having to do a lot of volunteer work, such as cleaning cages, because the outreach is so short-staffed, Tweedy explained.
Tweedy said the increase will help the shelter raise wages for staff and keep an executive director on longer than a few weeks. Grant County commissioners recently voted to increase the county’s support for the animal shelter - the only one that operates countywide - by $58,000 to $100,000. I’m not sure what that means heading into the winter.”Ĭouncil members voted unanimously during a regular meeting Tuesday to increase the amount the city pays in its annual contract with the animal outreach by $40,000. We have no outdoor play space, it’s all kennels now. “We have space for 48 dogs and we routinely have 70-plus.
“We are operating in a dilapidated facility we are unable to retain staff,” Tweedy, who is also the president of Big Bend Community College. MOSES LAKE - The Moses Lake City Council has increased its support for Grant County Animal Outreach to $100,000 per year following an appeal from the organization’s current board director, Sara Thompson Tweedy, that the current facility is simply no longer capable of meeting the organization’s needs.
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