Animal Welfare Society of Jefferson County, (AWSJC), answered a plea for help from Jefferson County Animal Control on March 11, 2022.  The two agencies worked together, seizing forty-nine dogs from a resident who was not able to give them adequate care.  As one can imagine with this number of dogs, this was quite the ordeal.  Forty-nine dogs would need to be housed, fed, cared for, and given proper medical care.  The Animal Welfare Society was able to house 30 of the dogs, many of them smaller dogs, along with Dory and Darla and the pups.  It was not only an exhausting effort, but also an expensive one!  To be sure that unwanted litters were not being produced over and over, all animals would eventually be spayed and neutered.  This was in addition to health checks and vaccinations.  At this time, Dory and Darla and their puppies have all found safe and loving homes.

The Animal Welfare Society of Jefferson County is happy to announce that another great partnership was formed with Pedigree during this time.  A board member shared AWSJC’s story and applied for a grant to help lighten the financial burden. The Pedigree Foundation awarded AWSJC a $5,000 grant this past June to help defray the costs of caring for these dogs and to thank the AWSJC shelter staff for their continued dedication in caring for the animals placed in their care.  For staff, Maria Simmons, Casey Ott, Tammy Dunbar, Barbara Horrocks, Michela Cipriano, Erin McDonald and Kit Corbin, it was just another day in looking out for the welfare of animals in need.

AWSJC is celebrating over 70 years of commitment to the homeless animals in the community.  Since 1952, the organization has provided shelter and care for cats and dogs, adoption services, low-cost rabies clinics and assistance with spay/neuter through the disbursement of coupons.