Meet Lily a 15-week-old puppy up for adoption at Alchemy Acres in Salem. If Columbiana County's newly created Animal Welfare Coalition has their way, Lily along with every adoptable cat or dog in the entire county, will never be euthanized. "That is the best news ever. That is the best news. I am just ecstatic about it," said Trudy Nolder, who volunteers at Alchemy Acres.
Three organizations make up the new coalition, including Columbiana County's Dog Warden's Office and the Humane Society, as well as Alchemy Acres . From the outside, the facility may not look like your typical animal shelter, but the space here is rented so the organization can save money. Workers here say the new coalition in Columbiana is something other counties can strive toward. "If you join forces, we're actually so much more powerful together. We can do so much more all together," said Sarah Sacco Olson.
Alchemy Acres itself currently houses nearly 120 dogs and adopts out about 600 a year. As part of the coalition, they hope to make Columbiana County no-kill by 2019. That's a feat that would be the first in the state of Ohio. "Ohio is behind the times. In shelter medicine, in sheltering management, there's a lot of things that need to be caught up. And you know, the coalition is really a great step in that direction," Sacco Olson said.
And of course by hoping to make the county no-kill, that means the need for adoption, volunteers and donations is even greater than it was before. But the hard-work is all worth it, for the employees at Alchemy Acres. "It is. It's a dream come true," said Sacco Olson.
