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Alger County Animal Shelter going strong through pandemic

A mother cat is pictured with her kittens at the Alger County Animal Shelter. Three litters of kittens are available for adoption at this time. (Photo courtesy of Alger County Animal Shelter)

MARQUETTE — Through the challenging times of the pandemic, the Alger County Animal Shelter has still been able to provide furry friends for those in need of one.

Like many organizations, the shelter has had to adapt with the times amid the pandemic. Going back to last year, it took a little longer to adopt pets out due to longer waiting periods for veterinarian appointments, adoption co-manager Raynee Hildebrand said in an email. But with a new foster-to-adopt program now in place, future adopters can foster an animal until they have the proper vet care.

“Our shelter has been running really smooth lately and we have been getting most of our animals adopted out within just a few short weeks of them being with us,” Hildebrand said.

The shelter has been one of the rare organizations that has seen its business picking up during the pandemic. There has been a slight increase in adoption numbers, Hildebrand said. With COVID-19 keeping residents in their homes, many people benefited from getting a new friend to accompany them through the pandemic, she said.

“We have been told by many adopters that they decided to adopt so that they have a friend to keep them company during these trying times,” Hildebrand said.

Alger County Animal Shelter currently only has cats available for adoption, but new dogs and cats become available quite often, Hildebrand said. There are three litters of kittens about three to four weeks old that are up for adoption, and will be ready for adoption in two months, she said.

For people interested in adopting an animal from the Alger County Animal Shelter, the process is simple. Potential adopters can contact the shelter through its Facebook page, email at algercountyanimal@ yahoo.com, or by phone at 906-387-4131. The hours had been 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., but there’s been a recent change. The shelter is now open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

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