A Message from Our Executive Director

Animals are not adopted out as gifts

It is important to remind our supporters & community on our adoption process. The Animal Shelter Society, Inc., does not adopt out any animals as “gifts”. This includes birthdays, surprise’s and/or Christmas. Adopting an animal is a whole family decision and commitment for everyone involved. All family members must come in for the meet & greet. (No exceptions). Unfortunately - recently we had an adult mother misrepresent and bring another individual posing as her “teen” child as the animal was going to be a gift. It is very unfortunate that this happened and her application is now tagged with an attribute.

It is important that there is comfort for both the family members & especially our animal while being considered for adoption. The animal you think would be a good fit may not work out for either you or our animal. We encourage walk throughs and to speak with one of our kennel technicians Monday thru Friday 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm & Saturdays 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm (Closed. Tuesdays & for lunch noon-12:30 pm). You do not need to complete an application to come through our floors.

To adopt from us - The application must be completed thoroughly which includes court backgrounds, auditors check (must have copy of lease agreement if you rent) and have a veterinarian in place to accept the animal you are wanting to adopt. We contact the veterinarian to check that the animal you adopted is being kept up on vet care. (Part of contract). All of your animals you currently have must be spayed/neutered and up to date on vaccines. If not, an appointment must be set to get things up to date. We make sure an older owned animal is not being discarded to adopt another.

You also must name someone who would be willing to take on the animal in case of your demise (this is goes for anyone 18 to 99 years of age). The same background checks will apply to them as well. If you have a dog(s) - they must be brought in for a meet and greet that is set up for appointment by our customer service team after the application is approved. Please note: this is not a same day process. Nor is the meet and greet just a few minutes. It is normally a 2-4 business day process to complete the application and the meetings/adoptions you want to allow at least an hour. The contract states that we can check on the animal after the adoption.

If any of this causes you any stress, discomfort and/or unsatisfaction - The Animal Shelter Society is not the “rescue” for you. There are plenty of animals in need throughout our community. We are not trying to find you the best animal - We are trying to find the best family for our animal. We take great pride in the care and treatment of our animals. We take it all very seriously. We have a strong commitment to these animals. We have stringent protocols, policies and procedures for all of their care. We do our best to make sure that the care will be kept up by the adopter.

Education is a big piece of our mission. This post is to remind everyone of what we do and how we do it.

The reason is simple - We care

Please feel free to reach out to me on my direct line (740) 452-1077 ext.#107 or email me at

Theanimalsheltersociety1@gmail.com (fake emails will not be accepted) with any questions or stop by and see me at 1430 Newark Road (behind Zane State College).

We appreciate all of your support for our 100% non-profit organization and for believing in our mission.

Much respect

~April Gibson

Executive Director