Animal Shelter Honored with Virginia Federation of Humane Societies Humane Organization of the Year Award
By: Orange County Communications
The Orange County Animal Shelter (OCAS) has been honored with the Humane Organization of the Year Award from the Virginia Federation of Human Societies. This award is presented to an animal organization which has made an extraordinary difference for the community by saving, preserving, or improving the lives of pets and their owners. The Orange County Animal Shelter was recognized due to their outstanding efforts to find homes for animals, animal lifesaving efforts, creative programs and partnerships, and the desire to constantly improve.
The nomination highlighted the shelter ’ s well - known, dedicated efforts to rehabilitate and find a home for Maggie, a pitbull discovered, barely alive, in the road near Barboursville. Thanks to a concerned citizen, she arrived at the shelter on July 29, 2022, weighing just 27 pounds. She was riddled with internal and external parasites, Demodectic mange, and was experiencing both dehydration and malnourishment. Her level of need would likely have exceeded the resources of many shelters, which
could have led to euthanization elsewhere. Caring for her was a touch - and - go, uphill battle, but the OCAS provided the extensive care she needed with the help of their emergency veterinary fund (EVF) and a coordinated fundraising effort specifically for Maggie that met and exceed its $5,000 goal in just one day. Today Maggie has a home, is doing extremely well, and causes great joy whenever she visits her shelter family. While Maggie ’ s case was special, it is also representative of the great care taken by our shelter staff and volunteers. Also noted in the nomination were the recent renovations and expansions at the shelter to foster an atmosphere which encourages adoptions, effective outside - the - box fundraising efforts like the “ Deck the Paws ” campaign, creative socialization efforts and partnerships like the obedience training program conducted by inmates at Coffeewood Correctional Facility, and various efforts to remove obstacles to adoption while still maintaining a great level of care to ensure the pets find safe and enduring homes.
Maggie at intake (above) and enjoying the snow in December 2023 (below).
Congratulations, Orange County Animal Shelter!
Page 7 | April 2024
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