Flooring for Fluffy

The staff can now spend more time cuddling, loving and securing a forever home for their furry residents.

Earlier this month, many caring donors gave generously to help our Program Partner on the Flathead Reservation repair their shelter floor. You'll find this shelter is more than deserving of these gifts.

Based in western Montana, the shelter was born from very humble beginnings. A small shed, totaling no more than a couple hundred square feet, sheltered the first four-leggeds in the early 90s behind a downtown business. The shed is now used for shelter storage, but the name plate above the door honors the woman who had a vision to shelter the area animals. They now offer support through their current location on the Flathead Nation Indian Reservation, part of a 26,000 square mile coverage area in northwestern Montana.

They tried to stop the cracks from crawling up to the ceiling and minimize those creeping towards the floor.

Typical of most animal shelters throughout the United States, they rely upon donations to provide for operational, day-to-day costs, but they also need support for long term maintenance, replacement and construction to grow with the rising number of services they provide to the ever increasing number of cats and dogs.

Besides going from 200 to over 2,000 square feet, they have made significant strides in animal welfare. Pam, Board of Directors liaison, gives the credit of moving the shelter from "kill" to "no kill" to Brenda, their Operations Manager. They are extremely proud of their accomplishments and use the same commitment for their visions of repairs and expanding as they do for the animals needing tender loving care.

Thanks to the help from our donors, they will now be able to repair the cement flooring in the main kennel room. This area has never had proper floor drainage and is likely one of the contributing factors to the foundation issues that plague this area of the shelter. The staff has tried to stop the cracks from crawling up to the ceiling and minimize those creeping towards the floor, but it's a losing battle. Without a new cement slab and appropriate floor drains, the hazards to animals and staff will continue. The damage isn't limited to the inside, the sidewalk is sinking and cracking. This presents a tripping hazard each time two and four-leggeds enter or exit this door.

Without a new cement slab and appropriate floor drains, the hazards to animals and staff would have continued.

Even with these challenges, the staff has kept the shelter immaculate! Fortunately, once the repairs have been completed, they will no longer need to spend as much time hosing, cleaning, sanitizing and drying the floor. Instead, they will be able to spend more time cuddling, loving and securing a forever home for their furry residents.

The center relies on the generosity of friends to animals and we are a proud partner of the shelter, staff and tenants. With help from donors like you, their dreams of a new floor can now be a reality.