7,000 Adoptions: A Decade of The Animal Shelter of Northeast Nebraska
Shelter Director Lisa Stapp says the shelter has helped more than 7,000 animals get adopted over the past decade. She says helping rescue animals find homes and become family members is her calling.
NORFOLK,Neb.— For Staton county deputy Eric Stone, life just wouldn’t be the same without his rescue dog, Klyde.
“He’s just there; he’s part of the family,” Stone said.
The sentiment is shared by Katelyn Pommer and her dog, Daisy, who she also rescued.
“It was kind of a fever-dream. It felt like it happened so quickly,” Pommer said. “And then the next thing you know, she was coming home.”
Shelter Director Lisa Stapp says the shelter has helped more than 7,000 animals get adopted over the past decade. She says helping rescue animals find homes and become family members is her calling.
“There’s no better feeling in the world. This is what God wanted me to do,”Stapp said.
Stapp joined the shelter in 2017. After years of rescue work, she’s realized that saving an animal is often a two-way street. Volunteer Candice Mohnson says that is exactly the case for her.
“It just makes my day,” Mohnson said. “It helps me with my mental health. It gives me purpose and reason.”
To celebrate 10 years and 7,000 adoptions, the shelter is hosting an open house at 5:30 p.m and a drone show later on Saturday. Stapp says the milestone is a testament to community support.
“This is 10 years of success, 10 years of growing, here’s to another 10, 20 years in the future, and what better way to do that then to show everybody in the sky,” said Stapp.
As for Stone and Pommer, they have a simple message for anyone considering a new pet: look at your local shelter.
“I’ve always tried to rescue animals because there are so many out there,” Stone said. “I lucked out. [Klyde] is a perfect gentleman.”
“Adoption is the way to go every time,” Pommer added. “The feeling you get knowing you’re providing an animal with a safe, loving home—there’s nothing better in the world.”