Friends of the Holbrook Animal Shelter, a 501(c)3 non-profit, formed in 2014-15.

Before their involvement, the live outcome rate at the shelter was less than 15 percent. By 2016 (just 2 years after storming & forming their team), they reversed the live outcome rate to more than 90%.

“No Kill” at an animal shelter means less than 10% euthanasia rates, or 90%+ live outcome rates. Holbrook’s animal shelter has achieved that every year since 2016.

• 2014

  Four brave women intervened at the city pound where 90% of animal intakes were being euthanized for space. Together Dani Casto, Rachel Dorsey, Kimmy Jaster, and Sarah Hancock reversed the 90% kill rate to a 90% save rate.

  

• By the end of 2015

  These four fearless women worked on building rescue partnerships and marketing, and by EOY 2015 they officially formed a non-profit to help collect donations and apply for grant funding. With grants, donations, and many — MANY — hours of volunteer work in awful conditions at the shelter, the Four Friends (now non-profit board members) were successful in changing the stakes.

  Friends of the Holbrook Animal Shelter
  MISSION STATEMENT:

  Increasing responsible pet parenting in our community and increasing adoption rates to decrease euthanasia of adoptable animals.

• Since 2016

  The Friends of the Holbrook Animal Shelter (“Shelter Friends”) support the City Animal Control Officer (“ACO”), working at the shelter, providing funding and volunteers, helping expand and upgrade the shelter’s physical space and enrichment capabilities.

Holbrook’s Shelter

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• 1995

  Current shelter first built

• 2010

  Outdoor kennels added

  As were the new storage add-ons, then the additional cat room and outdoor runs as well.

• 2021

  New play yard fenced in

  

  The Friends helped pay for new fencing to create 7 new play yards within the City’s property behind the shelter.

Overall

We are a small shelter with a high-volume intake of stray and owner-surrendered animals. For the animals that don’t get adopted out of our local shelter, we partner with other animal welfare organizations to transfer them to larger cities and no-kill shelters and specialty animal rescues.

TODAY, with our incredible (new) Animal Control Officers at the helm, the Friends group — still entirely made of women board members — can focus on new initiatives and fundraising/grants for overall health of our shelter pets, while planning executing on mission-strategic initiatives.

Our Friends group is entirely volunteer-based. None of the board members receive any monies from funding. Every single hour Friends board members and volunteers spend working to make this shelter a success and improve or enrich the lives of the shelter animals is DONATED as volunteer work.