Friends of the Salina Animal Shelter
After much discussion and consideration, the Friends of the Salina Animal Shelter has decided to dissolve the organization.
The organization will no longer actively participate in Salina Animal Services activities as of June 28, 2024.
The Friends of the Salina Animal Shelter will hold its last public food give away on June 9. Aluminum can collection sites will be taken over by the American Legion Honor Flights for Veterans on June 17. The Friends of the Salina Animal Shelter will continue taking low-income medical/spay/neuter applications until June 28 or until funds are depleted.
There are multiple reasons why the Friends of the Salina Animal Shelter decided to dissolve its program. The organization listed the reasons via a Facebook post. The reasons are listed below.
⦁ The services FSAS has provided to the Salina community require considerable time expenditures. The lion's share of which is being carried by a handful of members. Already existing time constraints, its shrinking volunteer base, and the inability to train new volunteers makes for an overwhelming responsibility on a few key members.
⦁ The deteriorating relationship with the shelter in the last few years has resulted in a much-reduced membership within the organization. As animal lovers, departing volunteers no longer felt that they were contributing to the care and welfare of the animals.
⦁ FSAS received some volunteer applications over the last six months, but we were unable to train new volunteers due to the shelter's lack of commitment to a training program.
⦁ The City of Salina is requiring volunteers to sign a new waiver agreement that would release the city of all responsibility in the event of injury to a volunteer. Legal counsel advised us not to sign the waiver as written. So far the city has refused to make amendments to the waiver that would make it acceptable to the organization.
The organization's volunteers have dedicated many hours contributing to various activities that include: fostering, socializing cats, walking dogs, helping with transports, finding rescues, grooming dogs, cleaning kennels, doing laundry, mowing, shoveling snow, off-site adopting events, working fund-raisers, promoting animal shelter activities, updating intake photographs, working with potential adopters, cleaning Petco kennels, and assisting in the spay neuter clinic.
The FSAS would like to express its appreciation to its membership over the past 18 years for the love and dedication they have shown the animals at the Salina Animal Shelter. Thank you also to the Salina community for their monetary donations that have enabled us to help so many of the animals in the city and county.
The community's generous donations totaling approximately $250,000 over the past years have assisted us in helping thousands of local pets in need. We regret the gap in financial assistance the dissolution of Friends of the Salina Animal Shelter will cause in the community. FSAS volunteers' hearts remain with the pet families in Saline County.