Searching for man's best friend? Or maybe a friendly furry feline? The Animal Resource Center can help.
And help, they do. Even without a facility to call their own, this local non-profit organization does plenty to help people and pets, using a circle of volunteer animal caregivers and a lot of motivation. With a recently sworn-in humane officer, Wayne Risch, and a lot of TLC, you can bet that if you're in the market to adopt a pet, they can help place a new furry friend in your home.
Even if you're not sure about adoption, the Animal Resource Center is always looking for foster parents. Many of the center's rescued pets just need a place to regain their trust in people, or even just get used to them again. Since its inception nearly four years ago, coordinator Linda Bird estimates that the ARC has rescued hundreds of animals from unsuitable conditions and abusive situations.
"Animals can't speak for themselves," she says, "so we have to speak for them."
Foster care is carefully monitored by those working for the center, and homes are painstakingly chosen based on a list of criteria to match the right place with the right animal.
There are plenty of ways the Animal Resource Center pools its assets to provide the best care they can for their rescued pets. For one, they network food and supplies with other shelters in the area. An e-mail chain provides information on recent rescues and pets
available for adoption, and their website, www.nokillarc.org, provides information about the organization and their fundraisers. The Animal Resource Center is staffed completely with volunteers who open up their hearts and homes for animals in need. Their eight-member board meets the third Tuesday of every month at the Bloomsburg YMCA.
"We're always looking for people to join us," says Bird. "It's such a worthwhile cause."
Education is a high priority with the center, so they provide heaps of it. Visits to area schools teach the values of responsible pet ownership, and promotes the center's ideals of T. N. R: trap, neuter, and release for stray animals. This practice prevents unchecked breeding, and is especially important due to increasingly overcrowded conditions at no-kill shelters in the area, most of which are affiliated with the ARC. But vigilance is also a key point. "The most important thing we teach is to watch," says Bird. "If someone sees an animal being mistreated, they should call our humane officer."
The Animal Resource Center's third Pet Adopt-AThon is coming up in just a few weeks, on October 23rd and 24th at Sunlight Feed on Route 11 between Bloomsburg and Danville.
Many area shelters, including Mostly Mutts of Sunbury, Purrfect Love of Nescopeck, and the Hillside SPCA of Pottsville, will have animals available for adoption on those days. The event has previously been a great success for the Center. "It's a great
time for people to come out and meet potential pets," says Bird.
The Animal Resource Center eventually hopes to provide a no-kill shelter in the area on a large piece of land that has reportedly already been donated, and create a sanctuary for local animals in need of homes and care.
For more information on the Animal Resource Center and its services, or to volunteer, call 784-3669 or visit www.nokillarc.org