VAN BUREN (KFSM)—A local woman is trying to bring an animal shelter to an area that doesn't have enough shelters to house all of its stray animals.
“There's just not a reason in this day in age that healthy, happy, good-temperament dogs need to be destroyed,” Rebecca Kaszubowski said.
Behind the street department on E. Pointer Trail, is a holding facility where Van Buren Animal Control drops off strays in the area. It is almost at capacity with only seven dogs.
“Once those pens are full and owners don't claim the dogs, they ultimately have to be euthanized,” Kaszubowski said.
Kaszubowski hopes to get other people on board to build an animal shelter.
“It all starts with community involvement and people that are really willing to step up and step out and help to make this happen,” she said.
Expanding the current Animal Control Center would be one option, but first Kaszubowski needs funding, volunteers and everything else required to operate a shelter.
“We've got a long way to make this a reality,” she said.
Joseph Sprague, the director of the Sebastian County Humane Society, said another shelter in the area would help with the stray population.
“I think it`s a great opportunity for Van Buren,” Sprague said. “It`s a long hard trail. I've been there. I've helped start shelters, and it`s a real involved process.”
Kaszubowski’s ultimate goal is to do things a little differently at the shelter she would call ‘Almost Home’.
“We're going look to not only covering these animals, but to address any behavioral issues or try to train them on some level to make them more adoptable,” she said.
A group will be meeting at the Van Buren Library Thursday (Sept. 29) at 6 p.m. to talk more about how they can build the shelter. You can also reach out to Kaszubowski by emailing her at rlkaszubowski@aol.com or sending a message to the Save the Dogs of Van Buren Facebook page.