Berrien County animal shelter nears no-kill status; free vaccination clinic fills in days

Ashley, shelter manager for Berrien County Animal Services, briefed the board during Animal Care and Control Week on intake, adoption and community programs, and on partnerships that support no-kill goals.

"We are only 3 percent away from having a no kill status on dogs, which is amazing," Ashley said, and reported a 95% live release rate for cats as of April 5 and a near-90% positive outcome rate for dogs at the shelter.

Ashley described the shelter's day-to-day services: reuniting lost pets with owners via microchips and Facebook posts; administering and hosting low-cost and grant-funded vaccination clinics; running spay/neuter efforts through partnerships such as BISSELL Fix the Future and local clinics; and coordinating adoptions and transfers to rescues. She said the shelter averages about 75 dogs and 30 cats intake per month, with some months exceeding 80 animals of each species.

Last month, she said, the shelter documented 46 dog adoptions (13 of those transfers went to rescue and 39 dogs returned to owners, as reported by Ashley) and more than 80 cats moved to rescue organizations or adopters; she also noted one day had ten adoptions. Ashley said the shelter spays/neuters roughly 400 dogs and 200 cats annually (shelter animals only) and provides heartworm testing and sponsored treatment for adopted dogs.

Partnerships and fundraising were highlighted as key supports. Ashley named Best Friends Animal Society as a partner for no-kill work; she said that reaching 90% live-release metrics unlocks fundraising and grant opportunities through that partnership. She also described a collaboration with BISSELL Fix the Future for sponsored spay/neuter placements. Friends of the shelter (a local volunteer/donor group) was credited with providing vehicles, fencing and medical-sponsorship funds.

Ashley announced outreach events: a Bids4Barks fundraising dinner on April 26 and a free vaccination and microchip clinic on April 26 that "filled up in 2 days" with an estimated 400–500 animals scheduled. The shelter also planned discounted adoption fees during the awareness week ($25 for dogs, $10 for cats) and had a small set of sponsored spay/neuter appointments already scheduled with BISSELL.

Commissioners and others in the meeting praised staff and volunteers and asked whether the no-kill milestones open additional funding; Ashley confirmed Best Friends has provided grants and expanded fundraising access after shelters meet thresholds.

No formal decisions or funding allocations were made at the meeting; commissioners were asked to help promote upcoming events and to share links in the weekly update.