Friends of the Shelter Inc.

Better Together Animal Alliance aims to keep people and pets together by providing supportive programs to enhance the relationship between people and animals.

Our goal is to reduce the number of animals entering animal shelters locally and nationwide through our Home To Home program. When pet owners are in need, we seek to provide them with responsive resources that meet their needs, which may include simple advice all the way to advanced veterinary care, pet boarding, or end of life care for their pets.

Better Together Animal Alliance responds to the community's evolving needs with programs and services that support both ends of the human-animal bond. Currently, we offer the following owner support programs:

1. Pet food bank
2. Limited income spay and neuter vouchers
3. A helpline to provide resources, such as minor medical assistance, training, and behavior consultations with the goal of keeping people and pets together.
4. Home To Home™, a pet rehoming program for people who need to rehome their pets and want them to avoid a shelter stay.
5. Pets for Life program serving under-resourced communities which aims to keep pets in their homes by providing veterinary care to people's pets and support for pet owners.
6. Temporary Loving Care program which provides up to four weeks of free pet boarding when pet owners experience emergencies and need a safe place for their pet to stay.
7. Lovingly Letting Go, which offers humane euthanasia services for people's pets so that people and pets can stay together through all stages of life.
8. Sheltering and adoption services
9. Stray animal intake services and reunification efforts.
10. Humane education through children's camps, presentations, and participation in community events.

To help our dogs and cats in the shelter:
1. Housing is large and comfortable.
2. Enrichment through toys, outside time, and daily human contact.
3. We follow the medical advice of shelter veterinarians from University of Wisconsin and UC Davis to ensure our practices are in-line with sheltering standards and our dogs and cats are healthy and safe.
4. We strive to reduce barriers to adoption and for owners reclaiming their missing pets.

Better Together Animal Alliance accomplishes it's mission through a community centered approach, relationships with national organizations, support of donors, participation in coalitions and national networks, and the dedicated work of its staff and volunteers.
 
The animal care center is a 28,000 square foot building that provides ample space for dogs and cats to live while under BTAA's care. The building is equipped with spacious kennels and cat rooms, outdoor covered play areas, a surgical suite, two commercial kitchens for food preparation and sanitizing, a commercial laundry room, and a welcoming lobby area with show rooms for dogs.

In addition to an active Board of Directors, Mandy Evans, the Executive Director operates with an open mind always looking at additional ways to help dogs and cats. Her experience also provides a foundation for the basic care and management of the shelter. Mandy collaborates with animal welfare experts from the University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine Program, UC Davis, ASPCA, and others.

The Operations Director has worked in veterinary medicine since 2004. Her experience in veterinary medicine provides a cooperative effort between the management of the shelter and the medical care of the animals. The medical team consists of a part-time licensed Veterinarian and two experienced veterinarian technicians.

The organization's programs are supported by other staff including a Volunteer & Events Coordinator, Home To Home™ program manager, Pets for Life coordinator, Development Director, Director of Storytelling and Partnerships, Helpline Manager, Thrift Store Manager, and other support staff and volunteers who ensure daily operations run smoothly.

BTAA has made exceptional progress on transforming animal welfare in it's three county service area of Bonner, Boundary, and Kootenai Counties. Some highlights include:

-A reduction in the average number of animals in care: 135 cats and 91 dogs (2010) compared to 20 cats and 14 dogs (2020). This is a result of investments in owner support programs that help people keep their pets or rehome them without the need for owner surrender.
-Implementation of Home To Home, a pet rehoming program which helps animals go from one home to another, without entering an animal shelter. Founded by BTAA in 2016, the program is now in over 120 animal shelters nationwide. In 2022, 568 local animals found new homes using this program. Nationally, 46,000 animals were assisted.
-A nationally recognized dog reunification rate of 75% (for missing/stray dogs being returned to their owners).
-A spay and neuter program that assists 600+ animals a year.
-Implementation of a helpline in 2016 that served 156 people and their pets during it's first year. In 2022, the helpline served 1246 people and their pets.
-A Pets for Life program that serves four neighborhoods, and over 1800 pets.
-Reduction in the length of stay for cats and dogs from 34 days (dog)/87 days (cat) in 2010 to 9 days (dog)/ 6 days (cat) in 2022.
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