Dear Fur-iends,
In a perfect world, this would have been my last letter to you as the Spokesdog for the Cleveland APL’s Unleash the Dream Capital Campaign, but the humans keep saying this phrase “global supply chain shortage” which has made everything move a little slower. I don’t really get what that means, but they’ve said it so much that I guess humans everywhere are dealing with it. Bottom line is that it’s taking a lot of time to get the stuff that people have ordered—hopefully not my dog food!
My friends at the Cleveland APL had originally hoped to be done with all of their construction by the New Year, but if 2020 and 2021 have taught us anything—it’s to expect the unexpected. Now, my friends are being flexible while they wait for the final supplies that are needed to complete construction to arrive at the Cleveland APL.
For example, it was very strange not to have kennels in the dog adoption area. Imagine coming to visit and seeing an empty room where you were used to seeing adoptable dogs! The humans kept promising the kennels would arrive soon, though. Thankfully, my APL friends are really good at adapting and did just that!
While they were waiting, adoptable dogs could be seen in the newly renovated dog holding spaces, which have bigger, nicer kennels, just like the cages that will be in the dog adoption area. It wasn’t perfect and my friends struggled at times to find space for more dogs, but they made it work!
Another thing that the APL focused on in 2021 was helping animals avoid coming to the shelter at all. Through a number of programs they call “pet retention initiatives,” they were able to help animals in ways that didn’t mean they had to be admitted to the APL, and that’s better for everyone. I mean, the APL is a really, really nice place, but it’s still not home. That also made this “global supply chain shortage” thingy and delays in construction more manageable and less stressful for my friends.
I know that’s a lot of big words, but what it means in dog-terms is that more animals stayed in homes where they were loved and that is the best news! The APL was able to help provide care to pets who have loving owners at affordable prices, helping to avoid surrenders. For other animals, the APL was able to use rehoming programs to help these animals find new homes without having to come to the shelter at all, leaving more space for animals who had absolutely nowhere else to go or were sick or in danger.
When construction is finally over, the Cleveland APL will be ready to help even more animals, and this year will be a great new adventure! I can’t wait for you to be able to come and visit the completed new facility. Thank you for being a part of the Cleveland APL’s long history of making happily ever afters happen. I hope you’re as proud of this amazing organization and all of my friends as I am.
Of course, there’s still time to help out the Cleveland APL as they finish raising funds for this amazing project.