Homeless animals in Berrien County have a new pack of advocates helping the team at Berrien County Animal Control at a time when the pandemic is creating a lot of chaos for everyone involved.
The newly created group, Friends of Berrien County Animal Control (FBCAC), has been established as a nonprofit charitable corporation, designed to supplement the essential services of Berrien County Animal Control.
Because the county’s animal control operates on an “open intake” policy, wherein no animal is turned away, the costs of shelter and medical needs for the volume of homeless animals in the care of Animal Control can often exceed its budgeted limitations. Compounded by the multiple dynamics connected to the coronavirus pandemic, funds allocated to Animal Control simply cannot meet the demand for its services – and for that reason, the FBCAC team was formed.
The ultimate goal of FBCAC is to increase the number of animals adopted from the County’s shelter by raising funds to be allocated for such things as:
- Preventative medications (flea, tick, heartworm)
- Medical treatments, including heartworm, emergency veterinary care
- Spay/neuter
- Trap/neuter/return programs
Tiffany Peterson, Director/Chief, Berrien County Animal Control was overwhelmed in response to the group’s first monetary contribution for the purchase of flea and tick preventatives, saying, “It’s such an amazing feeling to know the community is supporting the efforts BCAC is making to better the health and welfare of our shelter babies.” She added, “This donation makes it possible for us to purchase more medical necessities for us to properly treat and test issues that arise. Thank you so much for the continuing support.”
A more recent contribution supplemented the generous donation of a local veterinarian who performed surgery on a dog with a severely embedded and grown-over cable in his neck. Without surgery, the dog would not have survived. Because of the group’s partnership with Animal Control, Friends of BCAC were able to help with the costs. The dog has fully recovered and is happily placed in a loving adoptive home.
The group was founded just before the pandemic, in February of 2020. They are exempt from federal income tax under the Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3).
A celebratory event by and for the group will be held in the near future, but in the meantime, they welcome any and all donations. For more information, head online to the link below:
You can also email to: info@friendsofbcac.org or find them on Facebook.
