A recent article (Oct. 11, 2011) by Sara Lowenstein about Terri Ann Smith’s thrift store and dog rescue, The Animal Friends Shelter, stated that her organization was not affiliated with the Athens County Dog Shelter or the Athens County Humane Society.
It failed to mention she is not affiliated in any way with Friends of the Shelter Dogs, an Athens County-based organization that rescues dogs from the Athens County Dog Shelter weekly and sends them to rescues and no-kill shelters throughout the United States and Canada for adoption into their forever homes. Last year, we saved the lives of more than 550 dogs.
Our concern is with the similarity of Ms. Smith’s organization’s name and ours. We do not want Athens residents to be confused.
We have been serving Athens City and County for more than four years and will continue to do so. We are strictly a volunteer organization, relying on donations and our many dedicated volunteers to save these dogs. We do not benefit from Ms. Smith’s store proceeds.
We ask anyone interested in our group to find us on Facebook, visit us on Petfinder at petfinder.com/shelters/OH751.html, or email us at friendsofshelterdogs@yahoo.com and learn about us.
Karen Pilcher works at Friends of the Shelter Dogs.
