Border Paws Animal Shelter is hoping to keep the momentum going after a strong 2025 that saw 320 adoptions and lots of community support.
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“Our adoption rate has been super high this last little while,” said Chelsea Reeves, Border Paws’ event and community outreach coordinator.
Reeves says she’s been working to get the word out on the shelter.
“I’ve been trying to put us out more in the community,” she said, noting they’ve seen more cats being adopted in the last year.
“Cats for sure. Cats, we’re always getting a whole bunch in.”
Although there has been strong support through animal adoptions, the shelter is still full following the holidays.
“Definitely around wintertime, we are a lot more full,” she said. “Right now, we are pretty stuffed. We do the best we can to make sure they’re taken care of.”
As of Jan. 7, there were 85 animals in the shelter, leading staff to get creative on where to place animals.
“If we have puppies, we can put them in one little area together and make space,” she said.
According to Reeves, donations have been good from local pet stores.
“They’ve been super helpful and our community has really helped come together to help support our animals,” she said.
Unfortunately, for the shelter, the van they use for transports and vet appointments broke down.
“We’re just trying to raise the funds for that,” said Reeves, noting the van is scheduled for repair later in January.
The shelter has also been grappling with other issues within the building.
“We also have some building maintenance stuff that’s always coming up,” she said. “Sometimes, our washer breaks or dryer breaks, that’s a big one all the time. We had some issues with our plumbing earlier this year.”
Luckily, support from the community has helped the shelter continue efforts in helping as many animals as possible.
“Our community has really come together to help. (We) couldn’t be more grateful,” she said.
Another fundraising initiative Border Paws is looking forward to is a soup fundraiser.
“We’re selling pre-mixed soup from the Soup Company. Basically, just add the broth,” she said. “All the proceeds will come directly back to the animal.”
Looking into 2026, Reeves says she wants to see the community’s support continue.
“There’s an influx around Christmas time because people are in that holiday giving spirit,” said Reeves. “I would like to see that holiday spirit and community love to go all the way throughout the year.”
Donation forms can be found on the organization’s website and tax receipts can also be provided.
“You can donate to our sick and injured fund. That’s directly on our website,” she said. “There’s always something going on with some kind of fundraiser. You can keep an eye on our Facebook page or Instagram for those.”
When it comes to adopting animals, forms can be filled out online or in person.
“We’re posting them on Facebook. They’re on our website under adoptables. You can take a peek and see,” she explained.
Reeves also says getting your animal fixed when you have one is incredibly important.
“If you get one male dog fixed, that prevents countless other litters. This will prevent countless other litters coming into our shelter, which will free up space,” she said.
“It helps everyone.”
The shelter’s open from noon and 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday to drop off donations or see the adoptable animals.
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