Stephanie Howell, Little Victories Executive Director, and her assistant Dakota Mohr man the supply drive booth at Tractor Supply. With them is Arizona, an adoptable dog.
It takes a lot to run an animal shelter, and Little Victories enlisted the help of the public last Saturday, February 17, with their Cram the Van supply drive at Tractor Supply in Teays Valley. Before the event, the shelter posted a list of needed supplies to their Facebook page, which included bedding, cleaning supplies, paper towels, pet food, and litter.
Stephanie Howell, executive director of Little Victories, said that people were waiting to donate to the shelter even before the volunteers arrived to set up the booth. This is the first time that Little Victories has hosted a fundraiser at Tractor Supply. “I wanted to bring awareness to Little Victories in the Teays Valley area,” said Howell.
Arizona, one of the shelter’s adoptable dogs, accompanied Little Victories staff members to the supply drive. A golden colored mixed breed, Arizona is estimated to be one year of age and is dog and cat friendly.
Little Victories is a non-profit no kill shelter, which means that they receive no funding from city, county, or state. It costs $1,585 per day to operate the shelter, which also serves as a sanctuary for animals that cannot be adopted to the public. Last year, Little Victories spent over $9,000 in vetting, emergency care and medicine.
Little Victories plans on doing more fundraisers in the upcoming year. One of the programs they offer is Doggy Day Out, which allows people to check out dogs from the shelter like books from a library. Volunteers act like foster owners for a day, taking the dogs to parks or their homes for fun experiences outside the shelter. This allows prospective owners to determine if a dog would fit in with other pets and family members.
There are currently 35 cats at the shelter’s free roaming cathouse and 55 dogs. The public can come to Little Victories on Mondays through Wednesdays by appointment, or Thursdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The shelter is located at 1168 Wire Branch Road in Ona.
