Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal Shelter Receives $18,570 Grant

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Local Dal L. Baker Charitable Lead Annuity Trust to fund feline leukemia and FIV testing of cats

The Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal Shelter in Hillsboro received $18,570 from the Dal L. Baker Charitable Lead Annuity Trust this week. Thanks to the Trust, the money will fund pre-adoption leukemia and FIV testing of 1500 cats for one year.

"Our goal is to provide people with happy, healthy pets that will be great companions for their new owners. This very generous donation will help us do that better than ever before," says Deborah Wood, Animal Services Manager.

While most people think of "dog" when they picture an animal waiting for a home at an animal shelter, more than 60 percent of the animals that come to the Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal shelter are cats. 

The cats that come to the shelter are strays or have been abandoned by their owners. Since most have not had adequate veterinary care, these animals are at high risk for the deadly feline diseases of FIV and feline leukemia. Unfortunately, these diseases are similar to HIV in humans.

As the technology in the field of shelter veterinary medicine has improved, animal shelters have begun to recognize the risks that FIV and feline leukemia pose to other cats in the shelter and to household cats. Likewise, methods to test for these diseases have become easier to administer.

"We started testing cats in August, but we had no funding budgeted for these new costs," Wood says. "We weren't sure how we were going to continue. Then we heard about this grant opportunity in October."

The Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal Shelter requested and was granted $18,570 from the Dal L. Baker Charitable Lead Annuity Trust to purchase the FIV and feline leukemia tests. All costs for staff to give the tests to the cats and ancillary expenses will be absorbed by the shelter.

"These diagnostics have been cost-prohibitive in the past and this funding will help us to care for the cats even more," says Melinda Hines, Senior Shelter Technician.

For more information about Washington County Animal Services & Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal Shelter, stop by and see the pets first-hand at 1901 SE 24th Avenue in Hillsboro, call (503) 846-7041 or view www.co.washington.or.us/pets.

*** The Dal L. Baker Charitable Lead Annuity Trust was established in 1998 when Dal Baker retired from her post as chairman of the board of Baker Rock Resources, a locally-owned company based in Beaverton and now with additional locations in Dayton, Newberg, McMinnville and Scappoose. The Trust has made grants of $1000 to $150,000 to private, non-profit organizations and public agencies within the communities served by Baker Rock Resources. Grants are awarded through an application process, and are focused on projects that address education and social welfare, environmental research and preservation, arts and humanities, and health and human services.

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