LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
PARIS – A local animal shelter needs more volunteers.
Edgar County Animal Shelter, located at 1025 N High Street in Paris, needs more volunteers to help socialize the canines.
“I need volunteers – volunteers are massive,” said Edgar County Shelter Director Andrea Kispert.
“These guys (dogs) need to be able to be taught manners.”
Kispert said they currently have about six regular volunteers, the majority of whom volunteer on Saturdays.
The shelter is at capacity, with roughly 60 dogs ready to be adopted, and Kispert needs more help preparing them for their new homes and owners.
“We need manners. We need socialization,” she said.
Kispert is looking for volunteers (must be 18 or older) for the mornings/afternoon, Monday through Saturday, to spend time with the dogs.
“I want the volunteers more to socialize the dogs and just give them manners,” she said.
In addition to socialization, she encourages volunteers to teach the dogs basic commands such as “no”, “sit”, and “stay”.
In addition to volunteering, Kispert encourages the public to adopt one of their many four-legged friends.
She said shelter dogs only want one thing – love.
“Most of these dogs, I can tell you their personality. When you go and shop at a pet store, you’re just looking at the cuteness. You’re not looking at how they act, their personality, their little quirks,” she said.
“Any shelter dog, you’re going to have adjustment time and stuff like that. But they just want to be loved.”
The adoption cost is $75, and each dog is vaccinated, spayed/neutered and microchipped.
Even with that offering, the shelter remains full.
“We have run full like this for almost two years. So, this is not just a recent problem. This has been an ongoing problem,” Kispert said.
“There’s no light at the end of our tunnel right now.”
In addition to the need for volunteers, the shelter relies heavily on donations to operate and take care of the dogs.
“I don’t get them vetted for $75. So, that’s why I bank so much on my donations,” Kispert said.
She added that monetary donations pay for any medical treatment or medications the dogs may need.
Kispert also spoke about the importance of other pet owners spaying or neutering their pets, saying it can help ease the influx of surrenders the shelter sees.
“It’s massively important,” she said.
The shelter even offers vouchers to other pet owners who need financial assistance spaying or neutering their dog or cat. The program is for low-income families and offers vouchers worth $75 for dogs and $50 for cats to help pay for spaying or neutering. To be eligible, applicants must provide proof of government assistance.
The shelter uploads pictures of adoptable dogs on its Facebook page, Edgar County Animal Shelter.