"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. " --Bern Williams
Each year approximately 8-12 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide where 5-6 million lose their lives through no fault of their own. That's 575 every hour. If you are thinking of adding a pet to your family, please consider adopting an animal from a shelter or rescue group. Almost Home is a no-kill shelter, but because of that we can run out of space for new dogs and cats. Help us to find homes for these deserving animals by spreading the word that shelter animals make great family pets. Click on Our Adoptable Pet List to see our current list of available animals.
- Gasoline gift cards for travel to vets and adoption days
- Tarps for sun protection in outside runs
- Rubber garden hoses for water to outside runs
- New laptop computer for email and record keeping
- Postage stamps (forever stamps) for business mail
- Large metal food bowls for food (of course!)
- Instant hand sanitizer to prevent spread of disease
- Kong toys for fun!
- Travel crates for transporation to vets and adoption days
To reach more potential adopters, Almost Home is holding Pet Adoption Days at Coon Rapids Petco. Watch the marquee at the top of our home page to see when our Adoption Days are being held. If you are interested in seeing a particular dog or cat at an adoption day, email us before the event and we will do our best to bring that one along. There will be no one at the shelter in Mora who can help wth adoptions on those days so please plan accordingly.
Want to surprise your loved one with the gift of a new pet but don't want them to miss out on the fun of picking their new family member? Why not give a gift certificate to Almost Home instead? Then your loved one can come and pick the right pet at the right time for them. We can provide a gift certificate in any denomination. Call the shelter to find out more.
Hello to all of our friends and supporters! After six months of lower than normal adoption rates, we are hoping that sunshine and spring will get people thinking about bringing a new dog into their family. Dog adoptions, especially for larger dogs, have been low these past months are we are still running full which makes it difficult to in-take more than a few needy cases. The economy continues to impact the lives of our four-legged friends.
Check out our Six Pack promotion. Shelter staff have selected the six dogs they'd most like to see get a home. Anyone who adopts one of those pet will not only get a reduced adoption fee but some gifts from our key partners as well. Check out our Six Pack: Hannah, China, Dexter, Trigger, Jake, and Mia. They are great, deserving dogs who might be a little older or shy or just plain overlooked in their search for a new home.
Thanks as always for your support of the animals! Here's hoping for a beautiful spring!
Shelly Sampson, Director, Almost Home Animal Shelter
Hi Shelly
Finally getting around to sending you a report on Angie (aka Angelina Valentina, because we got her on Feb. 14). She is doing great and we absolutely love her. She gets along with her (sometimes crabby) older sister Mischka. If Mischka growls at her for being too rowdy, Angie submissively licks M.'s mouth! Angie was confused about housetraining at first (trying to hold it as long as she could, even if she was outside) and then had some digestive issues over the summer, but she is much better now.
She is a little afraid of riding in the car in the city (the bumps and turns), but getting better. She quickly figured out what the sound of the turn signal predicted and would start barking and crying, so we had to stop using turn signals for a while! But going to the dog park in the car helps because she lo-o-ves the dog park and is quite socially savvy. She always stays close to us and always comes when called, so she gets to do a lot of off leash running on the trails when we go to the North Shore or to friends' lake cabins.
She has learned to fetch and play tug politely. So easy to train! Angie has been through Level 1 and 2 obedience and will be starting Level 3 soon and maybe agility too, because she loves to run and jump. She has such nice border collie "eye" I may even try her at sheep herding. She keeps trying to herd squirrels in the backyard, but they are not very cooperative! Angie has also helped me teach my Puppy Class (I'm a dog trainer). She's great with puppies (human kids too!) She is the cuddliest herding breed dog I have ever met which is a nice switch for me. She sleeps on her dog bed all night but in the morning jumps on my bed and snuggles up to me.
Thanks for taking care of her when she needed it!
Julie & Paul H. and Angie & Mischka ("The Ladies")
Hello Everyone,
We adopted Barkley a little over a year ago when he was a high energy crazy lab. Well his chart at the Vet’s office says; “I’m crazy but I’m nice”. We love him; he is turning into a very lovable 80lb lab. Lately he thinks he is a lap dog and he tries to climb on his mom’s lap. He is beautiful and a very good athlete, who loves to run and play all day if he could. He is also a good training partner, he likes to go for a run or even for a bike ride. I think it was fate that we adopted him because we love him for who he is. Thank you for all your help. I attached some pictures of him.
Brian W. and Christina S.
Hello, Shelly! You probably don’t remember us, but Ron and I adopted a little beagle mix named Emma almost 2 years ago from you. I just wanted to let you know that she is very healthy and happy, and we thank our lucky stars every day that she found us! She still doesn’t like riding in the car. She goes in just fine, but shakes when it’s moving. We’re working on it. She may not love the car, but she loves camping once we’re there! She is endlessly entertaining to us, and she makes friends everywhere she goes. She is very spoiled, and loved, and happy. She has a BFF down the street that she plays with almost every day, and when it’s spring, we’ll start our walks again. We love her more than we could ever have imagined!
Thank you so much for what you do! Laura W
The mission of Almost Home Animal Shelter is to provide basic needs, shelter, and medical care to homeless pets until each is matched with a new, loving, adoptive home. Founded in 2000, Almost Home is an all-volunteer, nonprofit 501(c)(3) no-kill rescue. We receive no government funding and achieve our mission through adoption fees and through the generous donations of our supporters.
Most pets end up in shelters through no fault of their own, and for the constant devotion and companionship pets give us we believe they deserve a chance to live and grow old in safe and happy homes. Almost Home Animal Shelter is dedicated to providing the care and support needed to help homeless pets with this transition. In addition, we recognize that the long-term solution to the problem of abandoned companion animals is to reduce pet overpopulation. Therefore, we ensure that pets passing through Almost Home are spayed or neutered.
Listen for news on Almost Home during the Pet Report which airs Monday through Friday at 3:30 pm on KBEK radio. Sponsored by KBEK and East Central Veterinarians.
Almost Home is located 2 miles east of the intersection of Hwy. 65 and Hwy. 23 in Mora, MN. Hours, BY APPOINTMENT ONLY, are between 10 - 5 on Monday - Friday and between 12 - 5 on Saturday - Sunday. We are a small shelter with limited staff, so you MUST call or email for an appointment to be sure that someone is here and available to work with you when you arrive. Payment of adoption fees is by CASH ONLY. Credit cards are NOT accepted.
We do NOT ship pets out of state. All adopters must come to the shelter to meet the animal and be interviewed prior to finalizing an adoption. A downpayment may be made by mail to hold the animal for a reasonable time until you can get here. This is for your benefit as well as for the welfare of the pet because it is important that there is a good match between you and the pet and that they begin to form an attachment to make the transition easier. Remote adoption does not provide this.
Minnesota kennel license number: MN37402
"The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. That is the essence of inhumanity. " --George Bernard Shaw
