Animal League marks 25 years

The Animal League of Green Valley has only had a building to call home since 2001, but the all-volunteer animal rescue organization got its start 25 years ago.

Green Valley resident Margaret Roesch, who passed away in 2007, began the organization in 1984 to take in animals whose elderly owners could no longer care for them. Roesch, who worked in hospice care, found that people were concerned with what would happen to their pets after they were gone, and she vowed to start an animal shelter specifically for that purpose.

With no building, many dogs and cats were taken in by Roesch and by “foster families” around town. Seventeen years later, The Animal League became a permanent, no-kill shelter facility, with a 2,400-square-foot wing for dogs added last year and plans for more in the works.

A 25th Anniversary Gala, open to the public, will be held in November to celebrate the history of the shelter, which grew from humble beginnings, and continues to grow.

In 2004, 96 dogs were adopted from the shelter; more than 600 have been adopted so far this year.

Despite the original mission, TALGV now takes in animals that have been abandoned or forced to be given up for other reasons. In the past year, the shelter has seen an increase in families who have had to give up their pets because they can no longer afford them, according to Animal League president Jean Davis. Some families been evicted from their homes or forced to downsize in the troubled economy.

In better times, the number of animals that come in each month is close to the number adopted out, which is about 60 per month, Davis said. But this year, more are coming in than the shelter can find homes for.

Currently, there are 38 dogs and about 75 cats at the shelter, which is near capacity.

With more than 250 volunteers walking dogs, cleaning kennels and working in the organization’s Attic Thrift Shop, the Animal League has plenty of helping hands from the community, and are always welcoming more volunteers, Davis said.

But TALGV is looking for people willing to foster shelter animals, which would entail opening up their homes to dogs and cats anywhere from several days to a few months.

Currently, about a dozen Green Valley households are fostering dogs and cats, and more are needed. Animals go to foster families for a number of reasons, not only when the shelter is full. Some animals go to homes to learn to socialize with people or other animals, others are fostered while recovering from surgery or illness, benefiting from an environment that’s less stressful than a shelter.

Fostering is a good option for frequent travelers and for Green Valley’s winter visitors, who enjoy pets but do not want a permanent commitment, said Trudy Shannon, TALGV’s community relation’s coordinator.

She said potential foster parents must have the time to devote to the animal, be tolerant of negative behaviors and be willing to teach animal “house manners” that help the animal become more adoptable.

If you’d like to learn more about fostering a shelter animal, call the Animal League at 625-3170 or stop in for a visit. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., seven days a week.

jrichardson@gvnews.com | 547-9726

WANT TO ADOPT?

$65 for cats (second cat free)

$85 for dogs

Fees include shots and spaying/neutering

Information: TALGV, 625-3170, www.talgv.org

CELEBRATION

What: The Animal League of Green Valley’s 25th Silver Anniversary Celebration; includes dinner, silent auction

When: 5 p.m., Nov. 21

Where: Quail Creek Madera Club

Tickets: $30 each; available soon at TALGV’s front office, 1600 W. Duval Mine Road