First Cat - Bonnie
Brienna White welcomes Bonnie, the first cat to move into KPFL’s new shelter.
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New Shelter
Alex Toran of A&Z Drywall works to install cedar siding, donated by Chapel Cedar of Troy, on the exterior of Kootenai Pets for Life’s new animal shelter.
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Matthew and Cody helping
Matthew White (foreground) and Cody Shriner help make things ready inside the dog kennel at the new KPFL shelter.
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Eileen Carney and Sierra
KPFL president Eileen Carney carries the cat Sierra into her new home at the volunteer organization’s Libby shelter.
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KPFL making move to new shelter
by Brent Shrum, Kootenai Valley Record
August 26, 2009
Capping a five-year effort, Kootenai Pets for Life on Saturday began moving animals into its new shelter in Libby.
Located at 125 County Shop Road between Pipe Creek Road and Kootenai River Road, the shelter is designed to offer more compassionate living quarters for cats and dogs needing a permanent home.
"The only way this is going to work is if people come in here and adopt," said shelter director Judy Hyslop. "They’re not meant to live here. They’re only meant to be here until they get a home. Nothing, nothing replaces a home."
The new shelter includes three cat rooms, a kennel that allows dogs to move between indoor and outdoor areas, outdoor play areas for dogs, intake and quarantine rooms, and a spay and neuter room.
Organized in 2001, KPFL began actively working to secure land for a new facility since 2003, Hyslop said. The group first started looking in Troy, where it has been using the old city animal control facility, but later secured a deal with the city of Libby to lease a parcel of city-owned land.
The drive to build the new shelter kicked off with a $20,000 anonymous donation that was matched by community fundraising efforts. Local businesses have also been supportive with donations and credit, Hyslop said.
"We feel like this is a project the community can really be proud of," she said. "It’s taken a long time and nothing has been easy, but it’s well worth it."
Hyslop also credited a good working relationship with Lincoln County’s animal control program with helping make the new shelter possible. This spring, the county commissioners approved a $22,800 one-year contract with KPFL to provide shelter services. The county’s facility will still be used for aggressive and quarantined animals, but KPFL will take responsibility for the housing, medical needs and adoption of all other animals picked up by the county or turned in by citizens. Animals taken in by the county will be held for 72 hours, after which they will become the property of KPFL.
"Our goal all along has been offering a way so that Lincoln County did not have to euthanize animals simply because there were not enough homes," Hyslop said.
KPFL moved its cats from the old Troy shelter to the new Libby facility on Saturday, and the group is tentatively planning to move the dogs this weekend pending completion of some finishing work in the kennel area.
The new shelter is currently open mornings during the week and on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and anyone interested in looking for a pet may also schedule an appointment for other times. For more information or to volunteer to help with the animals or in finishing the building, call 406-295-5735 (KPFL) and leave a message. Donations may also be mailed to KPFL, Box 1454, Libby, MT 59923.
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Editor’s Note: See the August 25, 2009 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, on Tuesdays, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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