**Kitty awaits adoption in the 1st Avenue Shelter.**

Second Chance For Animals

Greenhill Humane Society of Eugene is making the most of a new opportunity to give animals a second chance. When budget cuts closed Lane County Animal Services, the folks at Greenhill stepped up, transforming the former LCAS facility into 1st Avenue Shelter, a wayside for animals who were abandoned or lost, or rescued from neglectful or abusive situations. Support reaches beyond cats and dogs to include gerbils, ferrets, parrots, chickens, and even a young cow found locked in a van.

If an animal goes missing in the Valley, the 1st Avenue website is the place to look. Photos are posted immediately upon an animal entering the shelter, in hopes their people will come for them. If unclaimed after 5 days, animals enter the adoption queue. First Avenue posts flyers of adoptables on its website for easy printing, and businesses and schools are encouraged to print and display them. The website also displays courtesy postings of animals reported lost and not yet found or taken to the shelter yet. At Greenhill, animals are taken in by their owners or transferred from other shelters. Photos of Greenhill and 1st Avenue animals can be seen side-by-side on Greenhill’s website. The two shelters are also on Facebook.

First Avenue has five large yards where animals spend time when not in their kennels. Volunteer hours have doubled since July, but the shelter needs more helping hands to spend time walking and socializing the dogs. Dog harnesses are needed, as well as food and toys to keep dogs active while in kennels. Since Greenhill took over the LCAS operations in July adoptions have increased, but more are always coming — in just the last two months, First Avenue has taken in 286 cats and 335 dogs. Since the change, staff and volunteers have been removing old carpets, transforming offices into rooms for animals, and getting new signs. Cary Lieberman, director of Greenhill, says the transition has been a bit confusing for people, but that, “We’re here, we’re available, and the animals are waiting.”

1st Avenue Shelter
3970 W. 1st Ave., Eugene
(541) 844-1777 * http://www.green-hill.org
www.facebook.com/1stshelter
www.facebook.com/greenhillhumane