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About Us

The Piatt County Animal Shelter, founded in November, 2007, has come so far so fast.

Mission

The Problem: There are no facilities to care for the increasing number of stray and abandoned pets in Piatt County.

Historically, veterinary facilities and services were provided by the Animal Hospital of Monticello, even though the hospital’s contract with Piatt County Animal Control obligates it to care only for animals abandoned in Monticello and unincorporated areas of Piatt County.

The animal hospital no longer has the resources to care for the increasing number of stray animals from other Piatt County towns.

And neighboring counties are too overcrowded to take in Piatt County animals.

The Solution: The newly formed Piatt County Animal Shelter is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to establishing an animal shelter in Piatt County.

Our short-term goals:

• Establish and run a facility to care for small animals abandoned in such Piatt County towns as Cerro Gordo, Cisco, Deland, Hammond, Lodge, Mansfield, and White Heath.
• Educate the public about the most important way to solve the problem of stray and abandoned animals: spay/neuter your pets.

Our shelter is well on its way, with land for our fledgling facility leased for $1 per year from The Pontious Farm, a you-pick berry and herb farm in White Heath, Illinois.

Our long-term goal: Establish a full-service humane society/SPCA organization capable of caring for both large and small animals.

Board of Directors

Shelter Co-founder Diana McPheeters -- Diana also heads Wild 4 Life, a not-for-profit, state and federally licensed, wildlife rehabilitation organization from her home. Wild 4 Life, which will continue to operate from Diana’s home, cares for an average of 300 animals per year.

Shelter Co-founder Kimberly Spark, CVT -- Kim works as a Certified Veterinary Technician at The Animal Emergency Clinic in Champaign and a Water Officer for the Mid-Piatt Fire Department. In her spare time, she also raises funds for the shelter by creating and selling beaded jewelry.

Shelter Treasurer Kristi Crisman -- As Deputy Clerk, Kristi handles payroll and accounts payable for the Piatt County Clerk's Office. Her second job: Running her own bookkeeping and income tax preparation business. Her fun job: Teaching card making and paper crafting as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. In her spare(?) time, she helps run Wood Unlimited, Inc.

Barbara Garlick, RN, LAT, CBC -- As a Companion Behavioral Counselor, Barbara analyzes and treats unwanted canine behavior. She also trains therapy dogs to provide affection and comfort to people in stressful environments. In addition, Barbara is a canine massage therapist, certified obedience instructor, and certified pet groomer.

Kay Lindsay, DVM; Gordon Petersen, DVM; Barbara Petersen, DVM; Kelly Myers, CVT of the Animal Hospital of Monticello -- Kay, Gordon, Barbara, Kelly, and the entire animal hospital staff will provide veterinary, spay/neuter, and microchip services; and plenty of TLC for the shelter's four-legged clients.

Nancee Moster Pontious -- Nancee is an information analyst, designer, and developer with 25+ years experience producing training, technical writing, and marketing communication solutions. Before moving to Illinois, she served on the Texas SPCA Board of Directors in Dallas, Texas.

Richard Pontious -- After spending 30 years traveling the globe, Rick left the telecom industry to grow a new real estate development, excavation, and concrete business. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Home Builders Association of East Central Illinois.

Financials

The Piatt County Animal Shelter is a newly formed, incorporated, not-for-profit organization. It will be registered as a 501(c)3 organization.