Jan. 12, 2011--Today is our last day here in Chester, SC, for the Animal Lifeline outreach trip. We are definitely sad to be leaving, but are very happy that we were able to be part of such an amazing project. Although the student volunteers have gotten a lot accomplished so far, today will be a long day for them, seeing that it's their last day of work, and there is still a lot of work to be done and only one day left to do it.

Chester County Animal Control now looks like a completely different shelter compared to how it looked when first got here on Sunday. There are now rooftops
over the outdoor kennels, which will drastically improve the lives of the dogs who stay in them, especially since there is a lot of rain and a decent amount of snow here.

Another huge accomplishment completed by the student volunteers is the new cat house. It is now completely constructed and all that's left to do is paint it. Previously, the cats were placed in small enclosures that didn't give them room to do much of anything, but with this new cat house, which is about the size of a large storage shed only taller, the cats will have room to play, jump and do the things that cats love to do. This will dramatically reduce the amount of stress on the cats, which will make them much more adoptable.

It's day four for us at Chester County Animal Control in South Carolina, and I'm thrilled that our friend, New York City style icon and animal advocate Fabiola Beracasa, has flown down to pitch in.

The Petfinder.com Foundation is partnering with Fabiola on the new program SNAP-X (more on that after the jump). She is an amazing advocate for adoptable pets and a real help at the shelter. (See her video blog above).

Today was a flurry of activity. Dogs who are going north on transport were taken to the vet for shots, spay/neuter and health certificates so they can safely make it to their new homes.

The students worked all day finishing fencing for the new kennels, putting a roof on the new cat house, building beds and helping with the animals. With one day left, it's crunch time, and it looks like rain, which complicates the plans.

It's day three for us in South Carolina on the Animal Lifeline trip and I am amazed by the progress: new outdoor kennels, a new cat house, new indoor kennels, new dog beds. The students, volunteers and Chester County Animal Control staff have been working all day, every day to make this happen. And with only three days left, the pressure is on and I can't wait to see the end result.

The quality of life for these pets is going to be dramatically improved, and more animals will be adopted because of these efforts.

Check out my video blog above to tour the shelter, meet the students and see some of the pets available for adoption. 

Despite all this great work, I have a problem: I have fallen in love with Nora, a little girl dog at the shelter. She is an unlikely candidate for me but, like most love affairs, you don't always see it coming.

Nora was a bait dog used for fighting. She came into the shelter skin and bones and ripped up, but has been nursed back to health and she is a LOVER. An itty-bitty Pit Bull with the sweetest eyes who is happiest getting her belly rubbed in the grass. You can see my video of Nora here, or check out her profile on Petfinder. I begged my husband to let me bring her back to Arizona. He said (rightfully so) it's me or the dog ... so I have some serious thinking to do tonight. She, like all of these pets, deserves to find her forever home and I am pulling for her.

Guest blogger Liz Borrie is a volunteer on the Animal Lifeline and Petfinder.com Foundation trip to Chester, SC, to rehab facilities at the local shelter. Hey all, my name is Liz Borrie, and I am a student of Delaware Valley College studying zoo science. I am in South Carolina with my college's club, Rescue University, which is a program of Animal Lifeline.

I am currently vice president of the club, and this is my first outreach trip. The
purpose of these outreach trips is to
improve animal shelters in order to
improve the lives of animals in need.

We are currently working at Chester County Animal Control, rebuilding it from top to bottom -- putting up a cat house, rebuilding pens, making dog beds and donating toys and food. It has been plenty of hard work, but it is very rewarding.