Okay, here are the instructions: Go to the Facebook page for Don't Be Cruel. On the left hand side it says"Vote Now." You will have to give them your e mail address and name and answer a few survey questions. Then vote for Almost Home to share in the $2600 donation. Below is the story of why you should vote for Almost Home. Please send this to all your friends and ask them to vote too. Thanks so much for you help.
This could be a long story, so please be patient. I will get to the point eventually. My daughter, Melinda, was born with a gentic disease called cystic fibrosis which effects the lungs, pancreas and several other functions of the body. When I was contracted to do animal control in 2001, my then 15-year-old daughter helped to establish the "Collingswood Stray Animal Fund" after finding out that a dog I took to the county shelter had been put down for a minor injury. Her and I took the dog to the veterinarian prior to taking it to the shelter. I paid for the exam and medication prior to taking him to the shelter. Because the shelter was full and he had a medical condition, they euthanized him. Melinda began sewing and making bandanas, collar covers and cloth placemats for dog bowls. We set-up a table any place we could and sold these items, using the funds for the medical expenses for animals I picked up that were sick or injured. Then we would foster them until they were well enough to be adopted or someone who wanted to take over their care. Family, friends and neighbors refer to their pets as a "Nancy Dog or Nancy Cat".
Melinda's health condition caused her to stay home from school much of the time. She didn't like being left alone, so she would come with me on animal control calls. She would hold the little ones in her arms or warm up a litter of kittens. She would even get up in the middle of the night to come with me so I wasn't riding alone. We would talk about hitting the lottery and having an animal shelter of our own with a spay/neuter clinic and everything we needed. Then one day in 2006 an opportunity presented itself.
A local private shelter was closed for animal cruelty violations and health code violations. That left several local towns with nowhere for their stray and abandoned animals to go. The mayors and commissioners from several local towns asked if I would open and operate an animal shelter. So, with no money, the process began. The towns chipped in and provided kennels and some cat cages. I begged, pleaded and managed to get everything else we needed donated. Almost Home Animal Shelter was establish in February 2006 as a "temporary" shelter. We were supposed to be set-up for a maximum of 18 months until an addition was built on the county shelter and then they would take in all the animals. Melinda would come in and help answer the phones, take care of customers, socialize kittens and puppies and anything her health would allow her to do. Because the disease effected her lungs, her energy level and ability to be very active was very low. Eventually she needed oxygen all the time. But she still came to the shelter everyday to help. Melinda was also a photographer, so with the help of our dog trainer, she would take all the pictures for Petfinder too. On April 29, 2009 at the age of 23, Melinda lost her lifelong battle with cystic fibrosis.
We continue to operate and because of the economy, the county has decided it will not be building the addition to the shelter. So it seems we have become a permanent shelter. Melinda and I decided from the very beginning we would never be a typical "animal control shelter." Our goal has always been to do the best we can for each and every dog or cat who comes through our doors. I could go on and on about the many issues we face on a daily basis regarding deteriorating cages, broken washers and dryers, no air conditioning in the kennels and more. Despite all the hurdles we face, we pride ourselves on doing the best we can for each and every dog and cat who comes into our lives. So many come to us having been abandoned after both mental and physical abuse or neglect and somehow we manage to help them become whole again. (Or maybe they help us to stay whole! ) They receive medical attention and treatment for illness and injuries, grooming, bathed, vaccinated, heartworm and/or FELv/aids tested, microchipped, spayed/neutered and de-wormed. We have a dog trainer who evaluates them and we establish a plan to work with the ones who need obedience training or more behavioral modification. People come in looking to "rescue" a dog or cat from the shelter. I explain to them that we have already rescued these animals from bad situations such as abuse or neglect, abandonement on the street or situations where they were just no longer wanted. Our adopters come to give them the loving home they deserve for the rest of their lives. Our shelter is not the type of shelter an animal must be rescued from.
I promised Melinda that her father, brother and I, along with the staff at the shelter would do great things for the animals in her name. Honestly, I don't know how I would have survived the last two years since Melinda passed away if I didn't have the dogs and cats at the shelter. I have depended on them as much as they have depended on me. I am very blessed to have had Melinda in my life, as well as all the dogs and cats we have been fortunate enough to care for. Since we are now officially a permanent shelter, our goal is to implement the programs and services, in addition to what we already do, in order to help more dogs and cats. We hope to accomplish this by opening a low cost spay/neuter and vaccination clinic to enable people to afford the care their animals need and deserve rather than surrendering or abandoning them. This clinic will be called the "Melinda Welsh Memorial Clinic." The beginning of great things for animals in Melinda's name.
Thank you so much for your consideration of our shelter.
Nancy Welsh
