‘Too small, too old’: 7,000-square-foot home being built for Happy Tails
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| Esteban Ramos marks a door Saturday as volunteers help to build a new facility for Happy Tails Animal Shelter in Rock Falls. The organization hopes to move into the building this summer. (Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@svnmail.com) |
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STERLING – Ventie’s tale is typical of the cats and dogs that find their way to Happy Tails Animal Shelter.
Shelter volunteers found Ventie, an orange tabby, shivering beneath a vent Thursday. The frail 2-year-old cat weighs just 4 pounds.
“They put [Ventie] in a carrier and he started purring,” volunteer Pat Uhler of Prophetstown said.
But that doesn’t yet make Ventie’s tale a happy one. Tests confirmed he faces a fate worse than his low weight – feline leukemia.
“We take the needy animals,” Uhler said.
Seven years of volunteering makes Uhler a veteran with the organization. She said the shelter now has 92 cats and 37 dogs under its care. Dogs occupy a kennel, while cats of all sizes roam a 2,500-square-foot, two-story house at 16761 Hickory Hills Road. Happy Tails, however, is preparing for a move to 1408 McNeil Road in Rock Falls.
Volunteers converged on the new location Saturday, with hammers in hand. The $450,000 project is going well, board member Chris Preston of Sterling said. So, Happy Tails hopes to occupy 7,000 square feet by this summer.
But more space won’t equal more animals, Preston said.
Happy Tails still must raise about $90,000 to pay for the project. The Hickory Hills Road property is on the market, listed for $152,000. However, it’s not getting very much attention.
“No offers have been made,” Preston said.
Small fundraising events like guest bartending, a beanbag competition and a poker run have generated $15,000.
The shelter once was a network of people caring for needy animals in their basements, volunteer Shari Zussman of Sterling said. The late Helen Fransen initially offered the dog kennel on the Hickory Hills Road property, which she eventually willed to the organization. That gift, Zussman said, has given all it can.
“You can look around and see everything is too small and too old,” she said.
Felines occupy three rooms on the main floor. They lounge on pallets or playthings in the living room. Another room serves as a quarantine area, which is where Ventie can be found. Kittens also have a room of their own. Food for the creatures – great and small – is kept in the garage.
“We have an ongoing battle with the mice,” Zussman said.
She conceded taking care of the animals – “under these conditions” – is taxing. Difficult or not, Zussman, Uhler and other volunteers continue giving their time.
Angie Newman-Smith’s stint evolved from brushing their fur to cleaning the cats’ castle. Newman-Smith adopted her two cats, Hannah Bananas and Zoey, from Happy Tails. The Dixon woman found Ventie.
“They need somebody to take care of them. It feels good to make a difference. It’s hitting home and making a change,” Newman-Smith said.
Uhler encouraged change by making a donation to Happy Tails in her mother’s name. Volunteering at the shelter wasn’t on her agenda – at first. An initial half-day of volunteering has turned into three to four days. A love of animals compelled Uhler to make the commitment.
“I retired so I could sit home and do crafts. I don’t know what happened,” Uhler said.
Making the move
Happy Tails Animal Shelter
Current Location: 16761 Hickory Hills Road, Sterling
New Location: 1408 McNeil Road, Rock Falls
$90,000: Amount left to raise for the $450,000 project. Organizers hope to be in the new location by this summer.
