SCAF at Coco's

St. Croix Animal Friends Board members, Denise Carter, Jeana Anderson, Kate Nelson, Judy Webster and Pam Quinn, at Coco's Heart Dog Rescue's new Surgery Suite. St. Croix Animal Friends donated $50,000 to sponsor the surgical suite at Coco's new rescue intake center in Somerset. 

Not all dreams come true. Sometimes circumstances change. 

Diana Neubarth and the rest of the board of directors of the St. Croix Animal Friends had been planning to build an animal shelter in the county for 15 years, but the decision has recently been made not to continue in that direction. 

In 2015, it started to become a closer reality when they received an estate gift of land in Roberts off of Exit 10. 

Fundraising efforts have been in action. You may have even participated, dropping spare change in a container stationed around town. 

Being one of the few counties in the state without a shelter, St. Croix Animal Friends was hopeful about partnering with the county to fill a need. A common way animal shelters achieve sustainable operation is through partnerships with the counties they’re located in.

The pandemic hit, fundraising revenues declined and the county opted not to contribute a portion of funds from pet license or other fees, thus the St. Croix Animal Friends was stuck at a crossroads. 

Jeana Anderson, with experience in nonprofit operations, joined the board of directors about a year and a half ago as Neubarth stepped down. The team began to reconsider its options. 

“Is the typical brick and mortar building really the way of the future,” was the big question the board needed to answer. 

After talking with surrounding area shelters and working with the board to determine its goals. 

There were a few things to consider when determining the future of St. Croix Animal Friends. 

Need

Spay and neuter programs in the northern states have reduced the number of unhomed animals. In fact, Anderson said, there is a shortage of adoptable animals, particularly dogs, in Wisconsin, so shelters from the South are sending adoptable animals to Midwestern states to be rehomed. 

The capacity of animals has shrunk and the need for space to house them has also diminished, with the increased accessibility to foster families. Social media, like Facebook, has made foster homes much easier to coordinate, and it is easier to reunite lost pets with their owners. 

Anderson described the difference between keeping animals in a shelter and placing them in foster homes. 

Animals in shelters often experience higher levels of stress. This stress can present itself in ways that make them less appealing to adopt, even though the behaviors may not be likely to continue in a home. 

Placing animals in foster homes offers them a chance to adapt to family life and find their footing. Their stress levels will mellow and adopters may have a better idea of the characteristics of the animals they’re interested in. 

Cost

After the COVID-19 pandemic began, the price tag on building a shelter nearly doubled from the original $2 million. Luckily, the value of the land the shelter was to sit on also increased. 

Knowing all of this, and that other organizations in the area that provide the “boots on the ground” animal services, who don’t always have ample time to fundraise, St. Croix Animal Friends has chosen not to move forward with its plans to build a shelter, and instead grow its support for other organizations and its provided services.  

Instead, it will continue the work it does currently, like providing a help line, low cost spay and neuter program, and emergency medical assistance. 

Purple Cat

St. Croix Animal Hospital purchased a surgical lamp for Purple Cat's new clinic in Baldwin. Purple Cat spays and neuters thousands of cats annually in the state of Wisconsin. 

With an anticipated sale of the land, St. Croix Animal Friends hopes to create more grant opportunities to help other organizations, like Coco’s Heart Dog Rescue, the nonprofit associated with the Purple Cat Vet and PAWS of Western Wisconsin. 

Though St. Croix County and Pierce County do not have their own animal shelters, there are a few in the area that often take in animals from animal control, Anderson said. It’s not a given where lost animals will be placed, but in Hudson, it is a safe bet they’ll be sent to the Animal Humane Society, 9785 Hudson Rd., Woodbury, Minnesota.

St. Croix Animal Friends goal is to go where the need is. Right now, the organization is focused on supporting St. Croix and Pierce Counties, but this could expand. 

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