Tuesday, July 24, 2012

The plight of the No-Kill shelter -- EARS

A good friend & fellow volunteer at EARS wrote a beautiful open letter of love. I want to share it with all of you.

The Plight of the No Kill Shelter-EARS
Englewood Animal Rescue Sanctuary

Today we had to turn away kittens at our shelter-again. We are a small no kill sanctuary but due to lack of space and funds, we cannot take in all the cats and dogs we would like to save.

For example, Whi...tney is a small black cat who is our oldest and longest resident. She has spent half of her six years with us. Why? Because she is quiet and not overly social. She doesn’t get along with other cats and therefore has no friends here except for us volunteers who spend as much one on one time with her as possible. Usually she stays by herself in a sun filled window. We hope someone will see her potential. We feel that in a home as an only cat with her own person, she would thrive. If not, she will be with us for the rest of her life. So, we will not kill little Whitney in order to take in a more adoptable cat, as many shelters do; but without resources, it is still a death sentence for someone. This is the plight of the no kill shelter.

Our rent has gone from $1.00 per year to $750.00 per month. We are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to make this place a success. Only we cannot do it without the funds and the space. We need more room for our thrift store, which is our major source of income. Is there a philanthropist out there who would like to save a small shelter and help needy animals? Are there foster parents for our dogs who have no facility of their own? We need you!

Everybody in Englewood knows Rascal, our mascot. He got his chance at EARS. Without us, he would have been dead from neglect or euthanized for health issues. Rascal will never be 100% healthy so he is unadoptable, but he is ours forever. He’s our official greeter/office dog and quite possibly, the greatest dog in the world. What a tragedy it would have been if we had not had him in our lives.

Finally, heartfelt thanks to those of you who have helped us and stuck with us. We love to have visitors so come and shop, say hello to Rascal, and meet the cats you are saving. Maybe one of you will fall in love with Whitney and offer her a forever home.

By Judi Winant

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