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AWA holds block party, brings community together
Saturday, June 10, 2023
A boy makes friends with an Animal Welfare Alliance dog during a celebration Saturday at the no-kill shelter.
DAR/Hailey Nelson
The Animal Welfare Alliance Shelter, also known as the AWA Animal Shelter, is a no-kill shelter in Poplar Bluff. Members of the AWA kicked off their annual capital campaign event Saturday to help raise funds for their shelter.
The event included a block party that brought the community together to celebrate the shelter’s one-year anniversary with food, music and an opportunity to get to know some of the dogs and cats in need of forever homes.
According to Jessica West, executive director of the AWA, the funds raised during the capital campaign will go toward paying off the building itself, so the money that is typically put toward rent can start going directly toward the care of the animals.
Marge Vanpraag, president of the AWA board, says the shelter typically averages taking in 30 animals per month.
Vanpraag is currently fostering Claire, a two-year-old Foxhound mix. Claire has super soft short hair and has all the makings for a cuddly friend. She is an intelligent, polite and energetic dog who enjoys car rides, going on runs, and being active.
She does well with kids and other animals and has all the making for a great companion for an active person or family who can provide her with ample space to run and play, Vanpraag shared. Vanpraag has been working with Claire’s training and says she will be ready to go to a forever home in July.
Auggie and Junebug are a bonded pair of cats that are looking to go to a home together. These two felines were found together as feral cats and have been at the shelter since March. They would be ideal for a home with no dogs.
Wren, a two-year-old female yellow Lab mix, has been at the shelter since she was over a month old. She is friendly, energetic and also ready for her forever home.
Sally Mae is a two-year-old small bulldog terrier mix also looking for her forever home. Sally was found shot in the hip region, and the AWA has helped her make a full recovery. She does not require as much physical activity and is ready for adoption. She would work perfectly for a household with no cats.
The majority of the dogs and cats at the shelter are given their full rounds of shots and vaccinations and have been spayed or neutered in addition to being microchipped before being sent to their forever homes.
Linda Kush, a retired dog trainer and current volunteer at the AWA has been fostering animals for the shelter as well and is currently fostering a dog named Gandolph. Gandolph is a four-year-old Labrador/Australian Shepherd mix. His previous owner passed away and he was surrendered to the AWA.
Kush gushed that Gandolph is incredibly loving and gets along with everyone including children and other animals. Kush has trained him in basic obedience and she says Gandolph does well on a leash.
Kush also works with the AWA’s Wag’n Train program. This program teaches volunteers how to properly train dogs on obedience, socialization and in-house training before they are sent to their forever homes. Kush says she has fully trained and sent home 19 dogs thus far.
She said the Wag’n Train program also is taking donations for their non-profit transportation program that helps send animals to homes that are out of state. Currently, the Wag’n Train program is searching for new volunteers ranging from all ages to join their classes. For more information about this program and the shelter, check out AWA’s Facebook page at facebook.com/awasemo.
Another program AWA utilizes is a partnership with local retailers such as Petsmart.
West spoke about the shelter’s partnership with Petsmart and explained each month the shelter holds an adoption day for their dogs and cats at the Poplar Bluff location. The next adoption day with Petsmart will be on July 15, which is also National Pet Adoption Day.
The local variety band “Just Enough” performed at the event. The band is a seven-person performance group and has been playing shows within the area for over two years.
Sponsors for the event included Silver Trailers, who provided the trailer for Just Enough to perform on, and Roll’n Icrecream, a food truck business serving rolled ice cream. The AWA also gives special thanks to the Poplar Bluff Fire Department for providing their fire truck, and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department for providing chairs and tents.