Pitch in for pups

North Baldwin Animal Shelter asks for additional funding help

By John Underwood
Posted 10/23/16

For over half a decade, the North Baldwin Animal Shelter has provided a safe haven for dogs and cats in need of shelter. Now, organizers say, they need help to keep the shelter running at the level …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Subscribe to continue reading. Already a subscriber? Sign in

Get the gift of local news. All subscriptions 50% off for a limited time!

You can cancel anytime.
 

Please log in to continue

Log in

Pitch in for pups

North Baldwin Animal Shelter asks for additional funding help

Posted

For over half a decade, the North Baldwin Animal Shelter has provided a safe haven for dogs and cats in need of shelter. Now, organizers say, they need help to keep the shelter running at the level residents have come to expect.

Established in July of 2010, the private, nonprofit, no-kill shelter has rescued more than 1,800 dogs and cats over the years.

“We’ve basically been at capacity since we opened,” said Beverly Poiroux, NBAS assistant director. But lately, the shelter has literally been bursting at the seams.

The shelter currently has about 130 dogs, Poiroux said. In addition to doubling up on the kennels, which are made to house just one dog, the shelter currently has dogs in bathrooms, breakrooms and other areas of the shelter.

“Just about any space we can find to put them, we find a place to put them,” she said.

Volunteers start early in the morning, cleaning the shelter from top to bottom to get ready for the day. The shelter is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

“The first thing I do when I come in is check the loading dock area for drop-offs,” Poiroux said. “While we don’t encourage it, people drop off animals at all hours. They will drop them off at the loading dock over the fence, in the parking lot, just about anywhere.”

Animals are accepted at the shelter, Poiroux said, but the shelter does not pick up stray animals. The animals that come to the shelter are taken in, sometimes nursed back to health, and are then available for adoption. All animals are either spayed or neutered before being adopted.

“We charge a fee, generally to cover the cost of spaying or neutering,” Poiroux said. “Sometimes we charge a little more, depending on what it cost to care for the animal. Their health is always our No. 1 concern.”

The average fee for adoption is about $125, Poiroux said.

The shelter does not euthanize animals, except for extreme health reasons. All dogs are available for adoption, but some are harder to place that others.

“We generally have no problems with small dogs,” Poiroux said, “but, as a general rule, the larger breeds are harder to adopt. Breeds such as pit bulls are also hard to adopt.”

Cats are generally housed in common areas, and while there aren’t as many cats as dogs – currently about 60 – cats are often more difficult to place, even than the larger breeds of dogs.

“Most people who come to the shelter to adopt don’t want cats because they can get kittens for free at other places,” she said. Sadly, many of those kittens eventually end up at the shelter.

While the shelter does not currently receive any public funding, Board President Taylor “Red” Wilkins recently went before the Baldwin County Commission asking for $15,000 to assist the shelter. Wilkins and his wife Judy, who serves as the shelter’s director, were the driving force behind establishing the shelter.

Poiroux said the shelter operates on a budget of about $200,000. Many of the kennels are sponsored by local businesses and the shelter holds several fundraisers per year, including a recent Arts and Crafts Festival held at the shelter. The shelter also holds fundraising opportunities during Bay Minette’s annual Christmas Fest.

Poiroux said she is not sure about the specific needs that the $15,000 would fund, “but anything we can get certainly would help.”

The shelter does not currently have a website, Poiroux said. You can, however, find many of the animals up for adoption on the shelter’s Facebook page. You can also call 251-937-8811 to find out about adoption and sponsorship opportunities.