Wag the Future - The Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley
As a former Board Member of the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley, I used to laugh that the existing shelter is held together by paint, duct tape, and hope.
The employee's lunch room doubles as the kitchen and cat room. The make-shift "conference center" has a small round table crammed between the refrigerator and cat cages.
To say that the valley has outgrown the shelter is an understatement. And, it's truly amazing what the first no-kill shelter in the state of Idaho has done out of this worn-out, tiny building located in Croy Canyon. To read more about their programs, visit their website. And yes, it was deliberate that I directed that link to land on the "adoption" page. Sly, aren't I?
The new shelter, slated for completion by the end of the year, will be 30,000 square feet and will go beyond serving the Wood River Valley. The Animal Shelter has the ambitious goal of being a resource for animal welfare across the entire state of Idaho. An even more lofty goal is to make Idaho the first no-kill state by the year 2025.
As of mid-March, the Shelter was $2 million shy of its fundraising goal. If you want to help be the difference, click here.
To Learn More About the New Shelter, Watch This Video. I Promise It's Worth Watching Every Second.
What's the Animal Shelter have to do with Real Estate in Sun Valley?
Maybe a shelter and real estate don't have anything to do with one another, but cats, dogs, people and other critters all deserve a place to call "Home." Don't you think?
Here's some fun facts that you might not know about dogs and cats:
- Ketchum has earned the nickname Dog Town USA. It's a rare person in the Wood River Valley who doesn't have a dog or cat.
- While dogs can be one of the worst triggers for people with allergies, growing up in a house with a dog makes children less likely to develop allergies over the course of their lives.
- People who have dogs get more exercise.
- When you walk your dog in your new neighborhood, you'll meet your new neighbors. Yes, dogs lead humans to a more active social life.
- Let's not leave out the kitty cats. Owning a cat can can be soothing and trigger calming chemicals in the body, decreasing stress and anxiety levels.
- People who are owned by cats have lower blood pressure than people who live without a kitty.
- For more about the benefits derived from owning a dog, click here.
- For more information about the benefits of being owned by a cat, please visit this website.
VISION.
Here's another video that makes me proud to be associated with the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley - Nadia Novik's TedX talk in Sun Valley. Again, worth watching every second.
Respectfully submitted,
Sheila Liermann | Sun Valley Real Estate Broker
208.481.0450
