By Scott Sullivan
Editor
A family of man greets guests at Wishbone House, the Douglas thrift shop and cat adoption center given a reprieve by the 501c3 Wishbone Pet Rescue Alliance board after a Sept. 21 town hall meeting helped raise more than $13,000 to keep it open.
Among pre-owned oddities on front room display are porcelain figurines, children with tawny synthetic hair, posed with presumably-empty whiskey containers.
Behind stand a bearded trailblazer, pirate, cowboy, and C.C. McParasol, Rainmaker — all bicentennial Lionstone Whiskey Issues; buy now for the Sestercentennial five years hence. Also a goose stuffed once with Lord Calvert Canadian.
Staff and volunteers’ love for cats is obvious: food, litter and more supplies, many donated, are stacked south and deeper among shelves of more books and memories.
They sustain three rooms of kitties plus a separate pen for two newly-abandoned and rescued Manx (think curtailed tails) kittens who climb over the man with flashing and clicking camera.
WPRA has a new volunteer interim director, Greg Dziewit, 2008-13 board president of the Harbor Humane Society which operates a West Olive adoption center and Holland thrift store.
He told The Commercial Record Sept. 28 he was eager to work with Wishbone House volunteers and heartened by town hall meeting response in Saugatuck’s Coral Gables Crow Bar one week earlier.
Also on Dziewit’s plate is the Allegan County Animal Shelter, which the Douglas-based Alliance took over contracted by the county in 20ll and has converted from a high-euthanization holding tank into a shelter with now No-Kill status and adoption rates upwards of 95 percent.
Wishbone wants to augment at least the 2293 33rd St. Allegan facility, built only for dogs 12 years ago, with a modular structure designed for cats also plus better dealing with medical needs of some 3,000 dogs and cats a year.
Wishbone House, in a rented ex-video store at 165 Blue Star Hwy., houses for comparison’s sake at most 27 cats.
Wishbone board president Jim Sellman wrote the county board May 1, in part:
“Wishbone has functioned under tight space limitations. Animals still intubated from surgery lie on the floor under the feet of the veterinarian until awake and moved to a recovery area.
“However, recovery and pre-op for animals are held in carriers throughout the lobby and adoption room floors within the facility,” he continued.
“Aside from the surgery space limitations, the shelter has inadequate supply storage, housing and isolation space for cats.
“After constructive meetings over 3 years,” wrote Sellman, “Wishbone has determined that without extensive cost to modify the existing shelter, the only economical solution is a separate modular building.
“This building can then house not only a proper surgical suite with both pre-op and post-op space, but also storage, office space, all cat housing and dog assessment area.
“The county’s desire to raze the old animal shelter would allow for replacement of a new modular one which Wishbone would research and completely fund in its purchase.
“The county would be responsible for razing the old shelter, preparing the site for a new modular structure to include addressing any substate concerns around drains, and provide a concrete pad with utility hookup. This new structure would be insured and maintained by Wishbone.”
The county commission May 26 approved that suggested part of it to the tune of $100,000, after which Wishbone researched costs of a new modular and found them sixfold — close to $600,000 — of what was first projected.
The county, said executive services director Dan Wedge, “is proceeding with the site preparations and has afforded Wishbone up to 12 additional months to consider the modular facility before the ‘old shelter,’ which is currently used for storage as it is not in condition for animal housing, is demolished.
“Counties,” he went on, “are not mandated to operate a shelter in the State of Michigan. Access to a shelter is necessary for county animal control to comply with court-ordered holding of animals and other mandates largely pertaining to the Dog Law of 1919 as amended.
“Due to the lack of shelters in close proximity, Allegan County has operated a shelter in (its central section) to meet these mandates. The county’s contractual partnership with Wishbone has allowed both parties to leverage local government funds necessary to meet mandates with donations and volunteerism resulting in a significantly-increased adoption rate.
“The county,” Wedge continued, “has fully funded the construction of the current shelter, fully funds all building related repairs, maintenance and operating costs, surrendered all shelter/adoption fees to Wishbone; provides operating and facility enhancements utilizing all donations provided to the county directly and has increased its monthly operating payments under contract.
“The county remains supportive of all efforts to enhance shelter operations through donations, volunteers, grants and assistance programs. (It) will continue to provide funding commensurate with the operation of a county shelter to meet all mandates (not including shelter/adoption fees or building construction/depreciation. The County expended over $216,000 in shelter costs for 2021.”
For Dzierwit and the 501c3 board, add concerns about making Wishbone House fiscally viable in a rental building needing maintenance and/or finding a new home, and he admits those who value pets have their hands full.
“You do what you can do for lives that you love,” he said.