DES MOINES, Iowa – The Animal Rescue League of Iowa (ARL) has received a new $26,348 grant from PetSmart Charities, the leading funder of animal welfare in North America. The grant has been earmarked to support the daily operations of the ARL so they can continue helping homeless pets in the Des Moines metro.
More specifically, the ARL’s shelter operations grant is designed to eliminate the spread of disease of ringworm, a contagious but treatable condition that occurs more commonly with cats. The ARL is committed to continuing to treat positive ringworm cats in addition to cats that are suspected to have ringworm. The ARL will be renovating a room that is specifically set up to house and treat ringworm cats which includes weekly medicated bathing.
“Having a self-contained room where the animal care and medical staff care for and treat the cats in one room with isolated ventilation is critical for eliminating the spread of ringworm. This project will protect the healthy cats, provide an optimal housing and treatment environment for ringworm positive cats, save thousands of dollars in care, reduce stress and secondary illness and move healthy cats to adoption and to their forever home more quickly!” said Tom Colvin, ARL’s Chief Executive Officer.
“Preventing the spread of infection and disease is a critical issue within animal welfare, especially when pets are living within close quarters,” said Jenny Aho, regional relationship manager at PetSmart Charities. “The addition of an area solely dedicated to ringworm treatment and recovery demonstrates Animal Rescue League’s knowledge in the space and commitment to finding solutions to prominent pet issues in the Des Moines area. The results will allow them to direct their focus and resources to other areas of need within the community.”
In the field of animal welfare, grant funding to support shelter operations and improvements can be challenging to come by. That’s why PetSmart Charities created this stream of funding that supports an animal welfare organization’s core sheltering operations and practices with a focus on programs that are both innovative and sustainable.
Shelter Operations is just one of PetSmart Charities’ seven grant categories designed to support nonprofits that share a commitment to finding lifelong loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets closer together.
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About Animal Rescue League of Iowa
The Animal Rescue League of Iowa is Iowa’s largest nonprofit animal shelter, caring for many thousands of pets each year. The ARL serves people and pets from across the state through pet adoption, humane education, pet behavior training, spay/neuter, animal cruelty intervention and much more. For more information, visit ARL-Iowa.org.
About PetSmart Charities®
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is committed to finding lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities helps to find forever homes and families for more than 500,000 shelter pets each year. PetSmart Charities also provides grant funding to nonprofits aligned with its mission under four key areas of support: Preventing Pet Homelessness; Helping Shelter Pets Thrive; Supporting the Bond Between People and Pets and Providing Emergency Relief and Disaster Support. Each year, millions of generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting almost $340 million since its inception in 1994. Independent from PetSmart Inc., PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization that has received the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, a third-party organization that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, for the past 15 years in a row – placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization. To learn more visit petsmartcharities.org.
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