The Montcalm County Animal Shelter staff and volunteers work seven days a week to care for animals discarded within the county. The millage voted for was never advertised to show that residents were actually supporting cutting this department. The director has written several grants to place animals (Bissel Pet Foundation) and offer free adoptions to residents. Staff members come in on their days off to answer calls from residents that need an animal picked up. Volunteers and staff work with the animals to do everything possible to make the animals friendly so they have a better chance at getting adopted.
All the current staff members have taken animals home to nurse them back to health. This includes bottle feeding kittens and puppies every three to four hours since their mothers were not around. Staff have even taken home pigs, so they don't have to stay at the shelter.
Without the shelter, Montcalm County will not have a place of refuge for animals that are no longer cared for or wanted. The county will also have no animal control officers. Most importantly, domestic and wild animals will no longer have a shelter and a chance at adoption for their forever home or a chance at living back in the wild.
