Oftentimes it takes a group of selfless, dedicated and compassionate people to help dogs at rural county shelters find their second chances at a bright future. That’s the case with Muskingum County Canine Advocates who help dogs at their community’s animal shelter in Zanesville, Ohio. They are committed to not only finding their dogs homes, but also towards raising money to build a new facility. That’s just the sort of rescue group we are excited to help! As a beneficiary of our Buy One, Give One program from February 16 – 28, they’ll be able to have a chance to stock up on much needed supplies of collars and leashes. Plus, when they promote their adoptable dogs in photos, the cheerful and bright colors of PBC will make them all that more attractive to potential adopters!

We asked the  a few questions to get our supporters familiar with their efforts and operations. We hope you will be inspired by their commitment and dreams for creating an updated facility for the dogs in their community!

What is involved in keeping a shelter-based rescue going? How many adoptable dogs are in your program? Where do your dogs come from?

As a volunteer-based entity, we fundraise year round and our primary focus is on building a new facility. Our current facility was initially built in the 1950s and has been expanded and updated, but it is still outdated and not set up for a shelter. Sadly, it’s more suited to the process of a  3-day hold and then euthanasia for space. Thankfully we have evolved and now we as a group have been able to save more dogs than ever before. We currently have 40 dogs at our adoption center and they come from stray dogs and owner releases in Muskingum County.

What are some of the things your group is known for?

The Muskingum County Canine Advocates are known for the volunteer work with the Muskingum County Dog Warden and Adoption Center. Our main goal is to build a new facility for the homeless dogs of Muskingum County to give them acceptable housing while they wait for their forever homes. Our facility can only hold so many dogs. This past year we were at code red on several occasions and difficult decisions were going to be made. We were able to get several dogs into foster homes and rescues to help alleviate the situation at the facility. We also diligently post to the stray albums in the area hoping someone will be missing their fur baby and reclaim him. We also have the challenge of dogs failing adoptions and coming back to the adoption center.

What is the most rewarding part about volunteering? What would you say to others who are considering volunteering for a group like yours?

The best part of volunteering is seeing the dogs get their forever homes. We have a Facebook page and we post happily ever afters to the page and updates on the dogs when their family provides them. Seeing the dogs thriving in their homes makes all the time away from our families and our own furry kids worth it. We hear people say they would never be able to volunteer due to it being too sad or they would want to take all dogs home. We would just like to encourage people to come out and walk a dog or two. See the need the dogs have and that need quickly overrides whatever issue is keeping you from volunteering! Our official Facebook page is The Volunteers of the Muskingum County Dog Warden and Adoption Center.