Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit welcome guests to new facility

 

By SUE SUCHYTA

Times-Herald Newspapers

DEARBORN – Following the July 19 ribbon cutting at the MaryAnn Wright Animal Adoption and Education Center 16121 Reckinger Road, visitors eagerly explored the facility and met adoptable animals.

City Councilmember Leslie Herrick thanked the staff and volunteers who make it possible for people from across the region to adopt animals from the shelter.

“I don’t think you’ll find a more compassionate and caring group of people,” she said. “They are out here every day taking care of the animals inside this beautiful facility, which is top-notch, they are walking the dogs and taking them home and fostering them before they can go to their forever homes with other families, and the staff is creative with coming up with ways to raise funds.”

Herrick said the work of a lot of people went into making the new facility happen.

“So, I just want to say thanks to the folks that are here at the shelter, and MaryAnn Wright and all of the donors and board members who made this possible,” she said. “You know what it was like over on Greenfield: it was bursting at the seams with animals that people were bringing in, and it is wonderful that we have this place, and the volunteers and the staff, we know they give top-notch care here and it’s from their hearts.”

State Rep. Erin Byrnes (D-15th District) said she was happy to be at the ribbon-cutting, and all of the cats that she has had throughout her life have come from the Dearborn Animal Shelter, so she knows first-hand how great the facility is for the region.

“This new and expanded space is just going to allow the amazing staff and volunteers to do even more great work and make Dearborn a destination for folks looking to adopt their furry friend that they can have forever,” she said.

Supporter Elaine Greene said it was amazing to her that the Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit were officially opening the new facility.

“We’ve worked on it for decades, and it just warms my heart to see everyone come and help celebrate,” she said. “We couldn’t have a better group of people supporting us and making our dreams happen.”

She said the shelter has 250 cages, the majority of which are for cats, with the kennel accommodating about 50 dogs. Litters of kittens increase the cat population beyond the cage count.

Greene said the organization has accommodated a stray Siberian lynx, several alligators and different kinds of snakes, including boa constrictors, as well as fish that people have rescued.

Goats, chickens and ducks have also been taken to the shelter.

“It keeps us learning about how to take care of the animals,” she said. “They actually took the alligators down to Florida to be released. It was quite an adventure.”

Volunteer and fundraiser Al Kammerer, who was chair of the committee that helped raise the $12.5 million, said he is one of the few people on the board who is a cat person.

“My wife and I have had cats in our family for 40 years,” he said.

Kammerer said the shelter is state-of-the-art from both an environmental and animal care perspective, and the HVAC units for an adoption center are better than even a human hospital, because it is 100 percent fresh air. This allows the facility to manage kennel cough, which is similar to the common cold in people and highly contagious.

He said they engage in a lot of marketing to find homes for the adoptable animals they house, including a strong social media presence.

Kammerer said 70 percent of their adopters come from outside Dearborn, and 70 percent of their animals come from outside Dearborn as well, so they really serve a wide area.

He said the old facility was run down and adoptive families were not always comfortable going there, so they are trying to make the new facility as happy as possible, celebrating the human-animal bond as opposed to, “Oh, poor thing.”

Kammerer said the meet-and-greet rooms are a great way for people to meet the animal they want to adopt, and they work well for their “Read to Rover” program, where school children who might be struggling to read aloud in class can come in and read to a dog, which is good for both participants.

He said they also have a “Play for Paws” program, where musicians will come into the kennels and play music for the animals.

Kammerer said they are happy about the expanded space, and they are hoping to add educational programs on animal care for the community.

“I’m glad the capital campaign is behind us and I’m looking forward to a very bright future,” he said.

Longtime board member MaryAnn Wright, whose name is on the building, said she was hooked on supporting the shelter after attending a Black Tie and Tales fundraising event.

She said they had always adopted their pets from here, but before then she didn’t know much about the organization that supported it.

“We run a very lean staff and count on hundreds of volunteers and fosters to make us successful,” Wright said. “We do that because every dollar that comes in is so precious, and we want to save every penny that we possibly can to care for the animals.”

She said the volunteers that give of their time, their financial resources and their expertise help the organization thrive.

Board member Steven Pitsillos said when he became involved to help market the new name, Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit, in 2014, the love for the organization among its volunteers was palpable.

“The genuine passion of the organization is to help the animals and the people in the community, so we started with the name change and we focused on the building, and now we are focusing on the new campaign, which is representative of this whole journey, which is all for love,” he said. “It’s rooted in a position of love for all because it’s love for animals, people are required to help the animals, so its love for people and the community as a whole is part of this whole thing.

“It really takes a village to help out these poor animals, and our mission is really driven to bring quality of life up for the animals and the people in the community, so the campaign was borne from the love that just emanates from this organization.”