Animal Humane Assoc. of Star Valley in Wyoming: Shelter+ Challenge Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

Our shelter won $1,000 for most votes in Wyoming during recent Shelter Challenge on Animal Rescue Site. The money was designated for some outdoor dog run covers that were needed to keep active and/or climbing dogs from going over the top and getting lost. The kennel tops cost approximately $2,400, and the results of the contest inspired a member to host a spring yard sale, the proceeds from which successfully 'covered' the rest of the cost of this necessary purchase.

The contest encouraged people who followed our Facebook page to share our mission with their friends in an upbeat and inspiring way, and kept people checking our site for updates, where they also could find our featured pets and other activities that were being posted. Winning the grant showed our members that we have power even though we are from an extremely rural area, and that their efforts can pay off to provide for the safety of the animals at the shelter.

How many pets did this grant help?

Because the money was dedicated to a necessary shelter facility improvement, it would be hard to cite a number.

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

Topper is a beautiful blue cattle dog, not large at all, but agile enough to scale the kennel wire fence. He was named, in fact, for his amazing ability to go over the top, and though he enjoyed getting out for a run of the neighborhood, his caretakers preferred that he stay safe until his new home was found. He was walked separately on a leash until the kennel covers arrived, but then he could play with his dog friends again. Now he’s “at large” on a wide-open Wyoming ranch, with a cattleman who says the blue dog stays happily at his side.