Friends of the Shelton Animal Shelter, established in 1996, is a nonprofit organization composed entirely of volunteers. Our aim, first and foremost, is to promote the animals at the shelter for adoption into permanent, responsible, loving homes. We are also working very hard to improve the conditions at the shelter itself, with the hope of providing a better quality of life for its temporary charges.

We have placed a huge emphasis on population control; not only by providing for the neutering of each animal which is old enough before it leaves the shelter, but also through our involvement with Tait's Every Animal Matters (TEAM) to offer low cost neutering of stray cats.

Our group has provided for the vaccination, health check, and neutering of hundreds of animals. We have also paid for medical care and provided temporary foster homes for many injured cats who otherwise would have been destroyed, as the city's animal shelter currently does not have facilities to house cats. Our long term goal is to see the shelter facility either expanded or rebuilt to better accommodate the many needy animals in our community.

We are working to establish our "Hands On" program with the benefit of a grant from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, which will enable volunteers to work directly with the animals at the Shelton Animal Shelter. We believe that this program will benefit not only the animals, but also the local youth and the community as a whole.

We are a fairly new and rapidly growing organization with a great deal on the agenda. We always welcome new members and new ideas. Feel free to pitch in — the animals need us!