$75,000 Grant to Benefit Salina Animal Shelter

A  $75,000 grant from the Petco Foundation will help support the lifesaving work they do for animals in the community at the Salina Animal Shelter.

Earlier this month Animal Services Manager Vanessa Cowie told KSAL News that the $75,000 grant will help the facility raise the standard of care for cats with stainless steel kennels and by reworking some of the space.

“We’re eliminating the bottom row of the cat kennels because the bottom row has the longest length of stay,” Cowie said.

When finished the layout will feature all felines in eye-level kennels plus add a new intake room for vaccinations and blood work.

“It will be a little safer for the staff, safer for the cats and safer for the public.”

Cowie added the $75,000 investment is the fourth grant awarded to the Salina Animal Shelter from the PetCo Foundation over the past two years.

The nonprofit shelter, which is a division of the City of Salina Parks and Recreation Department, provides animal control, adoption services and wildlife management.

In February 2015, the shelter achieved the national benchmark for no-kill shelters by saving over 90 percent of animals that entered their facility.

To support these efforts, in 2015 the Petco Foundation awarded the shelter with two Lifesaving Grants totaling $75,000 and in April 2016, they received a Lifesaving Impact Award for $100,000.

The funds provided by the Petco Foundation were used to make updates to the shelter and the recent funds will be used to remodel the cat room and upgrade fencing at the facility to continue their lifesaving efforts.