We live in a very rural county in the south. This county has no Animal Shelter and no Animal Control. For 8+ years we have worked hard to encourage the County Mayor & Commissions to get an Animal Shelter in place. Since there is no state mandate to do such a thing, the county officials will not take responsibility for the stray & unwanted animals, citing monetary reasons. Our county does grant us $4,000 a year, but this amount is only 7% of our annual financial need.
So every single unclaimed stray, abandoned (and there are many), and/or injured animals relies on our very small group for life-saving assistance. We are often over-whelmed in attempting to take in as many of these neglected animals as possible. Generally, we take in approximately 250+/- unwanted or injured or sickly animals each year.
Although we have 45 volunteers/members on our rolls, only a handful (3 or 4) can foster these animals in their homes. Most of us also have full time jobs. Although vet expenses for all these animals are covered through donations & grants, the foster parents cover the food & treat expenses. Also, each foster transports their adoptable pets to our nearest local city (Clarksville, TN) every single Sunday (without fail) to Petsmart Adoption Events from 11 to 4. This transport is a 60+ mile round-trip for each foster parent. The cost of transporting the animals is also paid for by the foster parents.
