APA Adoption Center Receives $150,000 from PetsMart Charities® to Help More Homeless Pets Find Homes in St. Louis, Missouri
The Animal Protective Association (APA) of Missouri has received $150,000 in funding from PetSmart Charities to help prepare more homeless pets in St. Louis, Missouri, for adoption. Some five million pets make their way into shelters each year in the U.S. With the help of this grant, the organization will offer wellness care and enrichment to ensure each adoptable pet is physically and emotionally healthy, provide support for adoptable pets and caregivers through its volunteer foster program, and make facility enhancements to improve pet care at the APA’s Adoption Center in Brentwood.
Upon arriving to the APA, all animals receive a wellness exam, vaccinations, spay/neuter surgery if needed, and a microchip to help reunite them with their future family should they ever become lost. The APA also provides treatment for more serious illness or injuries. Some adoptable pets – especially those recovering from treatment or younger animals – are cared for by volunteer fosters until they are ready to return to the Adoption Center or made available through St. Louis area PetSmart stores where many find their new homes within a matter of days.
“Each year thousands of pets enter our doors through a variety of circumstances – a stray found in the community, a pet who is surrendered by a family who is no longer able to care for them, or pets who are transferred from small, overcrowded shelters across our state and beyond needing a second chance”, says Sarah Javier, President and CEO of the APA. “These funds will help the APA provide and improve the care for each pet – whether at the Adoption Center or in foster homes — until they are adopted. Our efforts, along with this generous support and partnership with PetSmart Charities, result in connecting more than 5,000 pets with loving families in our community each year through adoption and keeping pets with their people through outreach and education programs.”
The APA’s flagship location in Brentwood is currently undergoing a renovation to expand its footprint and update animal care and shelter spaces. Funds from PetSmart Charities will help support the addition of an elevator to improve operational efficiencies, better care for pets housed at the facility, and provide safe and inclusive access to all three levels of the shelter once renovations are complete in late 2023.
“Pets rescue people, too,” said Aimee Gilbreath, president of PetSmart Charities. “As we give our pets better lives, they in turn add to ours with unconditional love and affection. We’re proud to support the APA’s efforts to build capacity to serve more pets with the preventative care they need to get the best possible start in their new lives.”