"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
- Tarps
- Rubber garden hoses
- Postage stamps (forever stamps)
- Large metal food bowls
- Towels
- Instant hand sanitizer
- Kong toys
- Travel crates
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.
Happy Spring to all of our friends and supporters! It seemed like a long winter at the shelter with snowfall on the weekends slowing up adoptions. But spring has brought lots of adoptions and new homes for wonderful pets! Maybe what they are saying is true that the economy is keeping people closer to home and they are spending on family items. What better treat than to give your family the love and entertainment of a new pet while you are staying closer to home this year? And what a great way to teach your kids that helping animals can have such a fun reward.
We are continuing to see an increase in pet surrenders due to housing changes. One caution to those of you moving from houses to apartments. If your landlord indicates that you can bring your pet be sure to get that written into your contract. We have seen numerous cases of pet owners being told their pets are welcome only to have that change weeks after they move into the apartment. With nothing in the contract, they are having to give up their furry family members after working so hard to try to keep them with the family.
If you do have to face the sad situation of having to surrender your pet, be sure to provide us with as much medical and personal information about your pet as possible. We had one family send along a photo of their dog with the kids and a letter from the kids to the new owner about how wonderful their dog is. The first famly that saw this were so touched that the basset was taken home immediately and only had to spend a few days at the shelter. They taped the photo to the bottom of their refrigerator where their new dog could see his former family and know how much they loved him. Taking the time to do those little extras can really help to ensure that your beloved pet finds a great new home as quickly as possible.
Please stop by to visit with the animals at our Adoption Days. And be sure to treat your own pets with heartworm and flea/tick preventative during this dangerous season. A little prevention can save much grief for you and your pets in the future.
Thanks as always for your support of the animals!
Shelly Sampson, Director, Almost Home Animal Shelter
Shelly:
John and I wanted to send you an update on Sam (Little Guy). We just celebrated his 2nd birthday. Since we didnt have an exact birthday just the month of June; we decided to celebrate it on June 15th. Sam is growing into a wonderful dog. He is still shy around new people and he is very protective of us. He loves to sleep in our bed, go for long walks, play in the backyard in his new fence, and go for car rides especially if they are to Dairy Queen. We took Sam and his friend Mattie (our other dog) to Dairy Queen for his birthday. Our DQ in Clearwater makes pup cups for the dogs; soft serve ice cream with a milk bone. He loves DQ.
Sara and John D.
Copper has quickly become a much-loved member of our family. His favorite past times are romping across our 3 acre ‘pasture,’ playing hide-and-seek with Joey, our muscle-bound cat, and snuggling on the warmest lap he can find. He’s a fast study w/ clicker training and knows a wealth of commands, including our favorite – the ‘roll-over’ (although he insists that this move be performed strictly on carpeted areas). We are forever grateful for Shelly and Almost Home’s rescue and care of Copper until he found us.
Mary K
Yep, we've had a couple major problems with the puppy we adopted from you last year.
1. She is too darned cute.
2. She can be a bed hog.
I wanted to touch base, and tell you that Penelope is living the good life out in the woods of Upper Michigan. She is almost 70lbs! She still looks skinny as ever too! She is in great health and is a happy, loving dog.
Thank you so much for everything you do! Best wishes, The family of Penelope "penny-penny-penny"
Ryan, Jen, and Haley
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.
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
