CCARE- Clay County Animal Rescue & Education Center

Goal: $12,000.00

Specific Need

CCARE relies on donors to remain operational, covering costs such as utilities, staffing, medical, repairs to our aged buidling, etc. We rely on 1 full-time manager, 2 part-time employees, and our 30+ volunteers to keep the doors open and our dogs fed and cared for. We are so grateful to this community!

Items purchased often at CCARE include, but are not limited to:

Medical Supplies
Vaccines
Rescue Disinfectant
Dry Dog Food
Canned Dog Food
Paper Towels
Antibacterial Wipes & Cleaning Supplies
Leashes and Collars
Flea & Tick Treatment
Dog Treats
Enrichment Toys
TNR Supplies

Large upcoming projects include:

Continutaion of our TNR program for feral cats
The ability to take in cats
Spay/Neuter Program
Additional dog runs
Updates to building

Thank you for your time and consideration in supporting CCARE!

Mission

Clay County Animal Rescue & Education Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), volunteer driven organization dedicated to rescuing, caring for and adopting out homeless dogs into loving and responsible forever homes. We educate the public on respect for all animal life, including the importance of feral animals being spayed or neutered in order to reduce their numbers in our communities. Our organization goes beyond the confines of shelter walls to build an extensive network of knowledgeable, experienced, talented and caring individuals who share these common goals.

The mission of the Clay County Animal Rescue & Education Center (CCARE) is an animal care facility dedicated to improving the lives of companion animals in our communities and finding permanent and loving adoptive homes for the animals in our care. We provide a safe haven for animals in transition, serve as advocates for them and their people, work to end overpopulation and educate the public about compassion and responsibility towards all animals. CCARE strives to be a No-Kill facility where all incoming animals are evaluated, medically treated, rehabilitated when needed and euthanized only out of necessity based on the animal’s quality of life needs.

We believe in making Clay County a place where all animals are treated humanely, and every pet has a loving forever home.

Profile

The year was 2011. Janel Michaud, a Veterinary Technician at Court Street Veterinary Care, began to realize on a daily basis the need for an animal shelter in Clay Center. Upon finding out that the old building had been condemned, and that Clay Center had chosen to take stray animals to Concordia, she decided to try and do something to help the City of Clay Center open a shelter back up. She put a group together, called The Friends of the Clay Center Animal Shelter, and began working toward that goal.

In May 2013, with the group’s fundraising efforts and the help of private donations, Friends of the Clay Center Animal Shelter reached their goal of raising $65,000. Discussions with the city progressed, and the group decided to take a different direction. For the benefit of the animals and all of Clay County, they decided to be a privately ran low-kill shelter that works with the City of Clay Center and Clay County. The City Council supported the decision. The group chose their name, CCARE, Clay County Animal Rescue and Education Center.

2015 was a very busy year for CCARE, beginning with obtaining our 501©3 status. This was a huge step for us, with lots of hard work paying off! We started renovating the building at 109 S. 4th St., in February. Bloom Construction was our general contractor and a huge help in our renovation process. So many community members volunteered their time to help us with renovations, which helped CCARE cut costs. Most of our demolition work, painting, and installing of the kennels was all done through volunteer time and effort!

We officially opened our doors on March 1, 2016. Currently, we will only take in dogs, but long term hopes are to be able to take in cats as well. There are also goals of educational programs for children and adults in the community, a public dog park, the implementation of a spay/neuter program with the help of grants, and more. We dream big here at CCARE!

Several years and hundreds of dogs later, our passion remains being able to help our community and Clay County with their stray dog populations will be a benefit for so many, for both our four-legged and two-legged friends! Fundraising efforts will continue as long as CCARE's door is open for business. Almost 1,600 dogs have walked in our doors since we opened in 2016. There will always be animals in need. Lastly, we are eternally grateful for the businesses, citizens and the entire Clay County community and all they have done for our cause.