Over many centuries, humans have not just domesticated animals but have bred them to be excellent companions. Although these animals have come to depend on humans for a proper life, too many are not properly cared for. Through the dual function of shelter and low-cost clinic, the Columbia Animal Shelter helps abandoned and at-risk animals and provides support for members of the community to care for our furry friends. At the shelter, people can adopt a pet into a forever home, find an animal to foster, or get affordable veterinary care from the shelter’s spay-and-neuter clinic or newly reopened wellness clinic.
None of this would be possible, the shelter’s executive director Tammy Jalbert told The Lancaster Patriot, without the Harold and Judy McKonly Family Foundation. The foundation funded the renovation of the former Vigilant Fire Company station on South 10th Street into the current shelter and clinic, and the foundation makes ongoing financial contributions to keep the shelter up and running. In fact, the Columbia Animal Shelter was born to fulfill the dream of animal-lover Judy McKonly, who, according to the shelter’s website, wanted to build the best cat shelter in the country. Although she passed away in 2017 before that dream could be realized, her surviving family honored her life with the establishment of the Columbia Animal Shelter.
The shelter’s first and foremost goal is to provide a safe place for dogs and cats in need of rescue and re-homing, but the organization also works to educate everyone on animal welfare and to involve the community in caring for animals in need. The many dogs and cats housed at the shelter — usually 60 to 70 at a time — are cared for and have their necessary veterinary needs seen to until they are adopted by individuals who complete the approval process.
Jalbert said that her favorite part of her job is when she gets to see animals go home with their forever family, since it’s obvious when there’s a perfect fit between pets and the people who adopt them — especially when people come in thinking they know which animal they want, but another one steals their hearts.
In addition to regular adoption, the shelter offers a working cat placement program, since some wild or temperamental felines are not suitable as companion pets but could be given a safe place to live in a barn, stable, warehouse, garage or other location that requires pest control and will have minimal exposure to humans. These cats usually come from Columbia’s feral cat population, and adopters provide shelter, daily food and water, and ongoing veterinary care for these independent hunters.
A crucial aspect of running the shelter, and one of Jalbert’s many duties as executive director, is to fundraise. That takes many different forms, such as an annual car show, a summer concert series, pet photos with Santa in December and the Easter bunny in the spring, an annual “art and wine heist” with a silent auction, and an ExtraGive party with food and music. The concert series, which has run for several years now, has been so popular that the shelter is now expanding it to run year-round on the second Saturday of every month, Jalbert said.
Even when the shelter has enough funds to operate, volunteers are still needed. Currently, around 150 to 200 volunteers help with fundraising events and with the tasks needed to run the shelter, including feeding the animals, cleaning the facilities, working with scared or nervous animals, updating social media, marketing, and taking photos.
Jalbert has been around from the very start of the charity — she has seen the shelter go from mere plans on paper five years ago to the organization it is today. She attributes the shelter’s progress to the support of the community, the shelter staff and volunteers, and the McKonly Family Foundation. “It takes the whole group of everyone collaborating together to make it successful,” she said. To learn more about volunteering, donating, attending an event, or fostering or adopting an animal, visit columbiaanimalshelter.com or call 717-681-6858. The shelter also maintains active social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram with photos of the animals. The shelter is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The shelter itself is closed on Monday, but the clinic is open for scheduled appointments.
