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History Panhandle Animal Shelter became a reality through community support and private donations. It continues to operate solely from the money it receives from donations, adoption fees, membership dues, the Friends of the Shelter Thrift Shoppe sales and grants. The shelter is operated by Friends of the Shelter (FOTS), a non-profit, volunteer organization that was incorporated in 1988. As a non-profit organization, FOTS is not affiliated with the city or county and receives no tax support. Although the shelter does have a contract with the city of Sandpoint to impound dogs caught running at large, it is not supported by taxpayer money. The shelter serves as a temporary home for the unwanted, lost and abandoned animals of Bonner County. The primary goal of the shelter is to find homes for the animals in their care and return lost animals to their owners.  The Way We Were In 1987, four years before the shelter was built, the good old days weren't so good. Sandpoint had a big problem with loose dogs roaming around town. Parents worried about stray dogs hurting their children and the elderly were afraid to walk around their own neighborhoods. Stray dogs were digging up gardens, knocking over garbage cans, attacking livestock, spreading disease and increasing the population of unwanted animals in the area. The city and county had animal control ordinances but there were no animal control officers and no place to take animals once they were caught because the Sandpoint City Pound had been closed two years earlier. Mayor Ron Chaney was quoted as saying that he received an average of five calls a week concerning dogs roaming Sandpoint neighborhoods. In extreme situations, dogs were impounded at local veterinarians, but the veterinary clinics could only do so much. People dumped unwanted kittens and dogs on back roads or dumpsters or tied them up somewhere and left them to die. Funds for FOTS The animal situation in Sandpoint had reached a crisis level. In response to the problem, a small group of animal lovers got together and formed Friends of the Shelter. Their mission was to build an animal shelter that would provide temporary housing and adoption services for the county's stray, abandoned, and unwanted animals. It was a lofty goal that would take four years to realize. First the group learned as much as they could about shelters and the needs of the people of Sandpoint. FOTS received operations advice, shelter floor plans and building specifications from the Humane Society of the United States. They toured six animal shelters in three states and researched city, county, and state animal ordinances. Two board members also attended a 90-hour Animal Control Academy sponsored by HSUS and attended seminar training on grant research at Spokane Library. To gain a better understanding of the public's problems and future needs, they conducted a survey of 1,000 residents. Nearly 100 percent of those surveyed felt strongly about the need for a well-maintained animal shelter and that the facility should not be dependent on tax dollars. After gathering information, FOTS board members started talking to officials. The group gained support from city and county officials, including the mayor, chief of police, county commissioners and the sheriff. They also met with local veterinarians for technical advice and assembled an advisory board of professionals. As the pieces started falling into place, the group selected a floor plan and began contacting building contractors for bids and started asking for donations of labor and materials. Board members also completed the paperwork for incorporation and bylaws and received state and Federal non-profit tax exempt status. Now the group was faced with the enormous task of raising the $110,000 they needed to build the shelter. Fund raising efforts began in earnest. FOTS held silent auction dinners, rummage sales, sold coupon books and buttons, raffled art prints, and wrote for grants. Local artists also got into the act. FOTS sold pet tiles designed by Susan Conway and "I am a Friend of the Shelter" sweatshirts designed by Steven Lyman. Finding the land to build the shelter was another hurdle. After legislative approval of a bill that allowed organizations including animal shelters to rent county land, FOTS signed a 99-year lease with the Bonner County Commission for land to build the shelter. The group rented two acres of land on Great Northern Road. The shelter was becoming a reality and in anticipation of FOTS meeting the goal of constructing the shelter, the mayor advised the city council to appropriate funds for an animal control officer. It's Done! Although plagued with construction delays, at long last all the hard work and fund raising paid off. The first volunteers had their initial training session February 19 and went for visit to the Kootenai Humane Society on February 22 to view shelter operations. The following Saturday February 23, 1991, the shelter held an open house and then on Tuesday, February 26, the shelter opened for business. The first Panhandle Animal Shelter resident was Bruin, a neutered Labrador Retriever mix who was brought into the shelter because his owner was moving. He was adopted in the first week of operation. Years Later Now many years after it was built, the shelter is now a fact of life. Most people know that if they lose their pet or find an abandoned animal, they should call the shelter and report it (208-265-7297). People know that they can bring in strays or unwanted pets or adopt new pets from the shelter. Every year, more than 2,000 animals pass through the doors of the shelter. Although not all of them are lucky enough to be adopted, in the last eight years approximately 3,500 dogs and 2,300 cats have been adopted into new homes. In fact, visitors to the shelter often comment on the shelter's "wall of fame" -- a large bulletin board that is filled with pictures people have sent of their alumni pets enjoying their new homes. The work of FOTS volunteers and members did not end with the construction of the shelter. Volunteer efforts and donations from the community continue to play a large role in the shelter's operation. Over the years, volunteers went on to establish the Thrift Shoppe, construct many improvements to the Shelter, add programs and expand services. The shelter could not exist without its volunteers. Volunteers provide all of the administrative functions of the FOTS Board of Directors and its committees, half of the manpower required to operate the Shelter seven days a week, and nearly all the manpower required to operate the Thrift Shoppe six days a week. 1998 was a particularly eventful one in the shelter's history. A 350-square foot addition to the shelter was built with money donated by Frances Sleep who left a bequest in her will for the money to be used for capital improvements. The new addition houses a large multipurpose room, a new kitten room, and a separate area for male cats. The FOTS Board of Directors along with Dr. Don McCormick (trustee of the bequest) approved the plan for the addition with an emphasis on Frances Sleep's special interest cats. As was the case with the original construction, many local businesses donated time and/or materials to the building of the addition. In November of 1998, the FOTS Board of Directors committed to a new location for the Thrift Shoppe. The new location at 506 Oak Street is much larger than the old store and is doing extremely well. The larger space has made it possible to improve the store layout and means that the store now can accept donations of large furniture and appliances. The Future In 2002 the shelter joined the growing no-kill mode of operation. Our emphasis is on spay-neuter of pets, and maximizing adoption opportunities for each animal. 100% of the shelter's resources and donations are applied to helping as many homeless animals as we are able. We adopt into new homes, or return to owner about 1,250 animals each year. FOTS volunteers and staff like to believe people must get their animals spayed or neutered, so unwanted animals won't be born in the first place.