<st-year Carls are finding a new home in Northfield, so are the animals at Prairie’s Edge Humane Society. The animal shelter, previously located in Faribault, celebrated its move to 680 Professional Drive on Sept. 20.
At the grand opening, senior citizens in patterned shirts and elementary schoolboys in superhero shoes entered a raffle drawing for Halloween-themed decorations and an assortment of dog toys. Baked goods, including a raspberry cheesecake, were on display in the main adoption space. Kittens eagerly pawed at toys and purred for the children that zoomed in and out of the shelter. Adult cats, located in a room right off of the adoption floor, also received ample chin-rubs.
Business Operations Manager Sandy Vesledahl said the animal shelter in Faribault “was never meant to be what it was being used for. It was an old building which needed a lot of repairs.” But the new shelter, boasting an open floor plan, was a blank slate for the staff at Prarie’s Edge.
If you decide to visit the shelter yourself, you will see animals available for adoption at the front of the area. Tortoiseshell kittens and puffy white bunnies will be your greeters. The back sections house a brand new surgery area and facilities for sick creatures or ones that are still adjusting to life at the shelter. Equipped with new scanning machines and operation tables, the surgery area is a welcomed addition.
One major change at the shelter is that all dogs “are going to be kept in foster homes instead of the shelter.” Vesledahl stresses that this move is the best option for the dogs, which is “a much better atmosphere for them.” Another change directly affecting Carleton students is that volunteering will steer towards “more events” rather than directly participating at the shelter. Thus, instead of going to the shelter and walking a dog, the shelter would recruit volunteers for fund-raising campaigns or for assistance in transporting the dogs to Carleton during finals week.
But this modification should not hold back students who wish to aid the transition to the new shelter. In fact, it’s easier to volunteer than ever, with the shelter a quick five-minute drive away compared to the previous thirty minute excursion. Courtney Lunger, one of the program directors of the Humane Society at Carleton, emphasizes the reward of volunteering with the furry friends. To her, volunteering brings “ the feeling that you’re making a difference in the life of an individual animal” and that, in their time waiting for adoption, you can “make them feel cared for.”
In a campus that prides itself in caring for others, a trip to Prarie’s Edge Humane Society can extend the campus motto to the larger community.
