Valdez Animals Have Friends

By Sue Bergstrom for Valdez City News –

Sometimes when you look at something every day you think you know what you’re seeing, but it turns out to only be a part of the story. For example, most people in Valdez are aware that we have an Animal Shelter and an Animal Control Officer. That animal shelter has one employee other than the ACO whose job it is to keep the shelter open on the weekends. It also has a pet shop that sells pet supplies from food and pet care products to leashes and toys. There are spay and neuter clinics offering low-cost spaying and neutering both in Valdez and in Copper Center. (Because there is no other shelter in the area, Valdez Animal Shelter also accepts animals from outside of Valdez.) A Pet of the Week is advertised on the radio and in the newspaper. A lot of people don’t know that the weekend shelter aide, the pet store, the spay and neuter clinics as well as spaying and neutering of all animals in the shelter and the advertising for The Pet of the Week are not funded by The City of Valdez.

Friends of the Valdez Animal Shelter is a small nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of shelter animals and helping them find loving lifelong homes. The organization was founded in 1991 by then Valdez Animal Control Officer Shana Anderson. She was working seven days a week just to keep up and needed help. So she started looking for volunteers. FVAS registered as a 501(c)3 in 1993 at which time Anderson, who was still working for the city as ACO, became an adviser. Since her retirement Anderson has joined the board of directors of FVAS and is currently acting as its president. The board of directors is an advisory board only and has no authority over operation of the shelter.

FVAS receives no funding from the City of Valdez for any services it provides. Group members volunteer countless hours to fundraisers and managing the Friends of the Valdez Animal Shelter Pet Store. Funds to pay for FVAS programs come from proceeds from the pet store, grants and local donations. The group co-sponsors the annual Richardson Highway Rendezvous event with KCHU Radio every August. Proceeds from this event help fund Pet of the Week and Pet Store advertising. Other fundraising and grants provide medical care, and supplies for animals in need as well as the wages, Social Security and Medicare taxes and Worker’s Compensation for the weekend shelter aide.

Unpaid volunteers are used to walk dogs and spend time with the animals in the shelter as well as to help stock shelves, feed and water animals and clean enclosures and to assist at the spay and neuter clinics both in Valdez and Copper Center. Volunteers also provide foster homes when there are pets in need of special care or when shelter space is limited. Amy and Petey are two FVAS currently featured pets. https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfTheValdezAnimalShelter/