100 signatures reached
To: Mayor Jeff Stehman, City Manager Derek Jackson, Councilman: David Seaton, Tony Hausmann, Tony Fuhrmann, Donna Green
Let volunteers in at Warren Billhartz Animal Shelter in Collinsville, IL
To all concerned:
I am writing to request that Collinsville animal shelter begin allowing volunteers to help at Warren Billhartz. This change alone, could allow the shelter to better serve the community and the animals the shelter represents. Volunteers could help with essential tasks such as answering phones, greeting potential adopters and welcoming them to the shelter. Volunteers could write catchy bio's for available adoptees or even take appealing photos of same. Keeping the shelter clean and creating an environment that people want to visit would be another (among many) options. Thank you for your time and attention. I hope we can work toward a harmonious resolution for the shelter and the animals it strives to help.
I am writing to request that Collinsville animal shelter begin allowing volunteers to help at Warren Billhartz. This change alone, could allow the shelter to better serve the community and the animals the shelter represents. Volunteers could help with essential tasks such as answering phones, greeting potential adopters and welcoming them to the shelter. Volunteers could write catchy bio's for available adoptees or even take appealing photos of same. Keeping the shelter clean and creating an environment that people want to visit would be another (among many) options. Thank you for your time and attention. I hope we can work toward a harmonious resolution for the shelter and the animals it strives to help.
Why is this important?
It is time for change at our Collinsville animal shelter. A great first step would be the utilization of volunteers at that location. Signing this petition would hopefully open the door to a more transparent experience at the shelter. As it stands, potential adopters can only view an animal by appointment. Utilizing volunteers would allow for people to come in and view animals at any time the shelter was open. The system is so broken and outdated that very few people will run the gauntlet of rules that currently exist, to view and adopt a pet. As a direct result of this, very few animals are adopted out in a calendar year and most spend much more time waiting for a family than is necessary.
A recent story is that a older cat was found wandering with a collar and leash attached. A concerned citizen dropped him off at the shelter. After 5 days I called to try and adopt him. I was met with nothing but resistance and was told that he (the person who answered my call) wasn't in charge of that area. To put this in perspective the shelter is very small and there are only 2 employees. They rarely have more than 10 cats and this cat was brand new to them. The call ended with him telling me that the only way I could find out if they still had this kitty was to wait and hope they put him on their Facebook page the following week. Volunteers are needed at this location not only to create a welcoming experience but to be able to actually work to get an animal adopted.
A recent story is that a older cat was found wandering with a collar and leash attached. A concerned citizen dropped him off at the shelter. After 5 days I called to try and adopt him. I was met with nothing but resistance and was told that he (the person who answered my call) wasn't in charge of that area. To put this in perspective the shelter is very small and there are only 2 employees. They rarely have more than 10 cats and this cat was brand new to them. The call ended with him telling me that the only way I could find out if they still had this kitty was to wait and hope they put him on their Facebook page the following week. Volunteers are needed at this location not only to create a welcoming experience but to be able to actually work to get an animal adopted.