Residents can help animal shelter win $5,000 grant

With city department budgets continuing to shrink, Margie Quirk, a licensed veterinary technician at Lone Mountain Veterinary Hospital, said animal lovers can do something simple today and tomorrow to help the animal shelter win a grant.

The Raley's Reach program is a contest for local communities to raise enough votes to win $5,000 for their favorite community cause.

According to the website's criteria, the money needs to go toward improving the community.

"We are trying to help Carson City Animal Control due to the fact that the city has no (extra) funding right now," Quirk said.

LMVH veterinarian Katie Roberts, who is contracted by the city to handle tasks such as animal assessments and staff training one or two days a week, said she was inspired to try out for the $5,000 grant from Raley's after reading about it in the Nevada Appeal.

"I went to the Raley's website and put in an application, and we got accepted," Roberts said. "They're giving out five grants, and right now we're in 11th place out of 91 applicants, so we just need people to vote both today and tomorrow to reach our goal."

If Carson City wins the grant, Roberts outlined how the money might be used.

"The Carson City Animal Shelter is an outdated facility overrun with mice. The dogs and cats experience deadly disease outbreaks because there is not enough funding for vital vaccinations. The facility is currently undergoing a remodel, but there is much need for the basic requirements for the animals such as food and toys," she wrote.

"The money will be used for vaccinations and deworming to prevent the spread of disease to other animals and to people who work with or adopt the animals. It will pay for veterinary supplies, spays and neuters, and for toys, food and sweaters for the animals," she said.

"It will help fund the volunteer program that is soon starting anew. It will also aid in adoption campaigns to find life-long homes for the dogs and cats. The director of the animal shelter can appropriate the funds to the areas of most need. This process is an ongoing one for all of the animals in our shelter," Roberts said.

"The contest only goes until the 13th, and we need to be in the top five to have a chance," said Quirk. "If we could have a good majority of the Appeal subscribers go online and vote, we stand a good chance of being in the top five."