If you are looking for some more happiness in your life this year, check out some of the dozens of furry and feathered friends available for adoption at the Fairbanks North Star Borough animal shelter.
As of Thursday afternoon, the shelter was reaching full capacity with most of its animals.
“With a shelter, once it hits 80% capacity we are really reaching full capacity,” said Britley Calkins, lead animal tender. “We’ve well exceeded our 80% mark. We’re closer to the 90th or 100th percentile.”
The shelter recently had a small flock of Golden 300 ducks and several roosters surrendered, making the entire place sound and smell a bit like a farm.
“Ducks do tend to get adopted out of our shelter pretty quickly,” Calkins said. “But the roosters can end up being here for weeks, sometimes even months. These guys are still really young — only five months old. They coexist very well.”
There are 71 animals currently residing at the shelter, including 40 dogs, six cats and 25 small animals (hamsters, rabbits, ducks, chickens and a particularly cute bonded pair of parakeets.)
Not all of the animals are ready to be adopted, but Oliver the cat is one that is.
A large and fluffy white/orange feline, Oliver was surrendered last week because he wasn’t too fond of the dogs living in his house. He had some urinary problems that were a result of that canine-induced stress but that has since been rectified by the shelter’s veterinarian.
Oliver is perhaps the only cat in Fairbanks that remains cute while laying in his own litterbox.
The FNSB shelter prides itself on creating a “fear-free” environment for its animals. For cats and dogs, that means they get to enjoy classical music.
“There’s actually research that shows which tunes and songs help reduce stress levels,” Calkins said. “The cats have their own playlist as opposed to the dogs and puppies.”
When an animal first arrives, shelter workers interview the owners to get a feel for each pet’s personality. Calkins said this maximizes the shelter’s ability to find them permanent homes.
“It’s nice to be able to have that one on one to really get the full picture of how an animal is behaving at home,” she said. “If we know, ‘hey this cat really doesn’t like dogs’ then we can share that with the next owner.”
Pets currently up for adoption are listed on 24ptconnect.com/fnsb. If you are interested in adopting a pet from the shelter or if you need to surrender an animal, schedule an appointment by calling 907-459-1451.
There are other ways to support the shelter as well. The facility is in need of towels, old newspapers and blankets.
Additionally, the shelter is also looking to expand its foster program, which allows people to give the animals a break from shelter living.
“For animals that have been in the shelter for a long time, getting them out of the shelter — even just for a long weekend — is a really great way to alleviate that stress.,” Calkins said.
Contact the shelter for a foster program application.
