As one of the largest no-kill animal shelters in Missouri, Open Door Animal Sanctuary fosters almost 400 animals every day. Being a no-kill shelter means that animals are never euthanized to make room for other animals or because they can’t get adopted.
“We get about 75 phone calls and emails from the community asking us to take their pet they’ve had,” Lynese Cargill, Director of Development at ODAS, said.
But caring for these furry friends requires more than just the work of employees.
As early as 13 years old, students are able to volunteer at the sanctuary. In order to get started, interested volunteers need to fill out the application located on ODAS’ website. After filling out the application, they must attend an orientation. From there, they are able to choose whether they want to walk dogs or socialize with cats.
“We never turn volunteers away as long as they can go through the orientation,” Cargill said.
No amount of volunteers is too big. For Cargill, it’s best to have as many volunteers as possible. While the employees handle feeding and caring for the animals, having volunteers helps those employees focus on other things that need to be done, such as laundry.
“It gives the animals a bit more love,” Cargill said.
Students who are 13 to 15 years old must come with a parent. Anyone 16 or older is able to volunteer by themselves.
The biggest priority of ODAS is to get animals adopted.
“The sooner we get one adopted, the sooner we can rescue a new animal,” Cargill said.
Currently, all animals are up for adoption. On top of adoption, ODAS also offers many services for animals.
“We offer low-cost spay and neutering services to the community,” Cargill said. “We also have a pet food pantry for low-income individuals, so if they can’t afford to pay for pet food or cat litter, we have it here.”
The sanctuary encourages animals to stay with people rather than staying at a shelter.
“It’s way better for us to help them with food and cost versus having the animal have to come live here and try to get rehomed,” Cargill said.
Whenever someone is interested in adopting, Cargill said that ODAS takes people’s needs into consideration.
“Our kennel employees would ask you what you’re looking for. What kind of dog are you interested in? Do you have other animals? And then they would bring over one of our dogs or puppies that would fit your needs,” she said.
Rather than being stuck in kennels, animals at ODAS are taken out on walks at least three times a day by both volunteers and employees. They also have 17 play yards that allow animals to spend time off the leash and socialize.
ODAS was founded in 1975 and is currently located in House Springs, Missouri. Anyone interested in adopting or volunteering can visit their website for more information.
