By Talaina Kor The Friends of the Holbrook Animal Shelter is working with the City of Holbrook to create an outdoor play area for the animals of the Holbrook Animal Shelter. The Friends of the Holbrook Animal Shelter is a volunteer-based nonprofit that is dedicated to helping Holbrook and surrounding areas keep animals safe and provide them a permanent home. An issue that was prevalent in the shelter was overpopulation. “The shelter itself is quite small,” stated Friends of the Holbrook Animal Shelter member Colleen Marsh, “It has 18 dog kennels and about 14 cat kennels.” Prior to the group being formed, approximately 90 percent of the animals entering the shelter would be put down. “They (group organizers Rachel Dorsey and Kimmy Jaster) saw the problem and realized that with a little bit of networking marketing, you could get the word out about some of these potentially adoptable animals that we could either adopt out of Holbrook or transfer to other rescue organizations,” stated Marsh. The Friends of the Holbrook Shelter was formed in 2014, and a year later the shelter became a no-kill shelter, with the live outcome rate jumping from 10 percent to 90 percent. Marsh added that no-kill is not defined by zero deaths. “No-kill means that you have under 10 percent that are negative outcomes. And that usually just refers to sick deaths or euthanasia due to aggression”. Due to the support of the local community and a large anonymous donation, the Friends of the Holbrook Animal Shelter have been able to utilize the large space behind the animal shelter, located at 105 Airport Road, by creating a fenced in perimeter for the animals to enjoy. The next step for the yard is to create smaller fenced yards within the space for more specific uses. “We are confident it will be done by the end of 2020,” said Marsh. To support the Friends of Holbrook Animal Shelter through donations or volunteering, visit their website at friendsoftheholbrookanimalshelter.org or call the Holbrook Animal Shelter between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, at (928) 524-6828.
