President's Message  

One year ago, I “took the reins” as President of the SRAS Board of Directors.  And what a ride it’s been!  I am proud to announce that 559 dogs, 264 cats, 7 rabbits, 4 guinea pigs, and 2 birds found new homes through SRAS in 2016!  A total of 831 animals!  As our Mission Statement says, SRAS is “improving and saving animal lives by promoting quality care and compassion through adoption and education in the Upper Snake River Valley.” 

More updates:  we have an excellent staff including Executive Director, Executive Assistant, Operations Manager (joining us mid-month), Canine Kennel Technician, Feline Kennel Technician, and part-time Kennel Technician.  This is one and one-half more staff than last January.  We have an active 15-member Board of Directors.  We have Executive, Education, Marketing, and Operations Committees.  We have a Foster Coordinator, and a Volunteer Coordinator; both programs are undergoing positive changes and growth.  We have a Trainer/Behaviorist who assists regularly with special cases.  We have contracted with our local Veterinarians’ Association for ongoing vet care.  We have relationships with local, state, and national animal organizations.  We have shared animals with some of them as well as taken animals from them in order to promote more adoptions.  We are forming partnerships with breed-specific animal rescues to utilize their expertise and ability to reach a wider number of prospective adopters.  We are part of the Eastern Idaho Spay Neuter Coalition and work collaboratively to host events to raise funds to ensure people in our area can afford the cost of spay and neuter.  We received a scholarship to send three of us to the ASPCA Animal Expo in Las Vegas, providing a wonderful opportunity to network and learn.  We sent three representatives to the Best Friends conference in Salt Lake City.  On September 22, 2016, I had the great honor of accepting a coveted Award of Excellence from the Idaho Non-Profit Association in Boise.  SRAS was also chosen by community vote as favorite non-profit in a locally sponsored contest.

Our Policies and Procedures Manual, and our Employee Handbook have been revised and are in place.  Meetings are regular and a way of life at SRAS.  Board Retreats, and a Staff Retreat were held.  SRAS provides educational opportunities for Staff, Volunteers, Board, and the public. 

Reaching out to young people by providing opportunities to learn and participate is important at SRAS.  We have a “Reading to Rescues” program, and have had numerous field trips to our facility.  Several students targeted SRAS for their Senior Projects, and young peoples’ groups have visited here. 

 We have established Endowment, Cinderella, and Medical Funds.  We have held many fundraisers and events including Monthly Sponsors, Food Drives, Fur Ball (coming in March – a community favorite!), our annual Rummage/Bake Sale (we’re already collecting!), VIP Appreciation Night, Ice Cream Social, Mutt Strut, and Holiday Open House. We tripled 2015’s giving on Idaho Gives Day, raised funds for our cause at Beer Fest, and the Alternative Giving Fair. Local businesses and our community have embraced SRAS with generous donations, both monetary and in-kind.  

Changes to the facility include a security system, a drainage system, a “superhighway” for feline amusement, a kennel for pregnant/nursing cats, and more play-yard space for the dogs.  A wonderful addition to SRAS is a transport vehicle gained through a grant from the CHC Foundation and assistance from our good friends from Teton Volkswagon.

SRAS continues to complete our landscaping plan.  Outdoor kennels have been improved.  A pathway heading north from the shelter culminating in a bench was built to honor donor/benefactor Bill Maeck and his dog.  A storage shed was built.  Help for these projects was provided by a local real estate agency, green houses and construction companies.   

It’s 2017.  What now?  Keep on keeping on.  Our goals include increasing our budget to run 60% from adoptions and operations, and 40% from donations/grants, continuing our status as a “no-kill shelter” (defined by “a shelter that does not kill healthy or treatable animals even when the shelter is full, reserving euthanasia for terminally ill animals or those considered dangerous to public safety”), and celebrating our second anniversary next August.  Be part of it, join us to “improve and save animal lives by promoting quality care and compassion through adoption and education in the Upper Snake River Valley.” 



Nancy Jones 
President, SRAS Board of Directors 
We Are Happy To Introduce You To Anthony Rodriguez, The New Operations Manager at Snake River Animal Shelter!

The Snake River Animal Shelter would like to welcome our new Operations Manager, Anthony Rodriguez, who is moving from Colorado Springs, Colorado to join us this month!  Anthony has a long history in business management and ownership. The last decade has been spent learning dog behavior while managing two doggy daycares and boarding facilities. This lead to the creation of a dog rescue specializing in rehabilitation and training. The rescue he created uses new and exciting techniques to help place and keep animals in their new forever home. As a passionate animal advocate, he believes that the future in animal rescue should be conducted with compassion and caring and that all animals deserve a home. He is super excited to be a part of the team at Snake River Animal Shelter and is looking forward to being a part of the great community of Idaho Falls. SRAS is grateful to have Anthony help us fulfill our mission to serve the animals in need.


WOW!
Thank you to all of you who have helped us be this successful in placing so many pets
in their Fur-ever homes! 
Celebrating Life- Ratana's Story
  Ratana’s story is not your typical beginning for a Siamese kitten. She arrived at SRAS abandoned with her siblings in a box left at the Snake River Animal Shelter front door, on a cold October morning. She was seven-weeks-old at the time and had some obvious injuries either from birth or a previous owner accident. After some TLC from a local vet it was determined that her injuries couldn’t be put in a cast but would have to just heal with time, so off to a loving foster home she went. With so much transition Ratana took a turn for the worst and had to be returned to SRAS for some extra attention. Under the attentive care of the SRAS cat technician she made an amazing recovery and now is a budding young diva living with her very own bachelor! Ratana was always a tender loving kitty and is now growing into the most gorgeous creature on the planet! 

You can help The Snake River Animal Shelter earn donations just by shopping with your Fred Meyer Rewards Card!

  • Link your Rewards Card to The Snake River Animal Shelter at Fred Meyers Link (Click Here)  
  • Whenever you use your Rewards Card when shopping at Freddy's, you'll be helping SRAS earn a donation from Fred Meyer.
  • At the end of each quarter, Fred Meyer will make a donation based on the accumulated spending of the Rewards customers linked to SRAS.
  • NPO number 93442
2017 Cat Mascot Tips

Did you know that most cats are lactose intolerant? A cats taste buds may enjoy this treat, but their stomachs certainly do not. Milk contains lactose which cats have trouble digesting. They lack the lactase enzyme after they stop drinking their mother's milk. Cats can get diarrhea, cramps and stomach upset from lactose. Just plane water is the best drinking option for our feline friends.



Coming Up!
New themed months with specials on cats each month, be sure to check'm out on Facebook
January 2017 Theme
Volunteer Orientation -
January 11 Is Cancelled
The Volunteer Orientation  that was set for January 11th has been cancelled.  We will notify everyone of the new date as soon as possible, we apologize for any inconvenience. 
     Considering a vacation?  Book a vacation with
     and a portion of the proceeds will go to Snake River Animal Shelter!
February 2017 Theme
March 2017 Theme
2017 A Focus on Felines
  You may have noticed this issue of the Snake River Animal Shelter Newsletter has a focus on  our  furry, feline, critters. That isn't because we want to neglect our canine friends. It's about education, 68% of our local stray cats are being euthanized each year. None of us wants this to happen and the best way that we can help relieve the burden off of our local city shelter, who manages these animals, is by adopting out more cats faster and by spaying/neutering these cuddly creatures. In 2017 we want to see a significant decrease in the number of felines euthanized in Idaho Falls. Help us make Idaho Falls a No Kill community by spreading the word on cats; get them Spayed/Neutered if you own a Kitty and if you don't own one yet but are considering an addition to your family come on down to the Snake River Animal Shelter and adopt a cat today!
     Brilliant Hacks Every Cat Owner Needs To Know

- Wrap thin rope around the legs of end tables to create scratching posts.
- Adding some dry green tea leaves to the cat litter box will help reduce unwanted odors.
- Create a fun and inexpensive game for your cat using an old cardboard box and a ball.
- Learn about your cat's body language from these simple charts so you always know what they're telling you!
- Draw a circle around your pet's food bowl with chalk to keep ants away.
- Hide the litter box inside a chest or cabinet.
- And remember, if your cat is blinking slowly at you, it means they love you :)
We had an overwhelming amount of support over the Holidays!  We have such a great community full of individuals with a heart for the animals!  We truly cannot do what we do and could not have the success that we have without people like you! 
We would like to say thank you, to our generous friends!
Potandon Produce Employees
Brandy Boots began raising funds for SRAS by providing breakfast at work.  Potandon Produce and other employees contributed and purchased breakfast to support SRAS.  They raised and donated $1,000.00!
Compass Academy Lions
  Olivia Owens and friends at Compass Academy raised donations at their school and made blankets for all of the kittens and cats at Snake River Animal Shelter. 
We Got New Leashes and Collars From AlphaGraphics!
We got leashes and collars that say "I Found My Fur-Ever Family at Snake River Animal Shelter" from AlphaGraphics - Idaho Falls! Thank you Katherine Lee, Colton Lee, Jeff Powell, Aubrie White, Travis Powell, and Lynn Nelson! We are so excited about our new leashes!
Thank You Allstate

Thank you Destiny Williams from the Scott Brown Allstate Insurance Agency who volunteered at SRAS and earned a $1,000 donation from the Allstate Foundation to SRAS through her volunteerism! Destiny, you are Awesome!


Holy Rosary Catholic School

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to the entire school and especially Margaret Jones 3rd grade class at Holy Rosary Catholic School, for gathering food and toys for the cats and dogs at SRAS. What an amazing thing for these kids to do for our animals!

*ASPCA*     *Best Friends*    *Bill Maeck Foundation*    *CHC Foundation*   
*Cross Foundation*    *East Idaho Credit Union*    *Fine Dirt*   *Green Kids Club*  
*Keith Kennedy Architecture*   *Maddie’s Fund*   *Marilyn Paarman*    *Petco*    
*Sylvia Medina & Bruce Miller*    
*Teton Toyota/Volkswagen*  *Voigt Foundation*   *Wackerli Subaru*    *Walmart*
   Many thanks to our Monthly Sponsors who pay $1500 during their sponsor month in order to cover an animals food and medical care for an entire year. Thank you for caring for the animals in need,
you're the cats meow!
January 2017 - Becky Holzemer
February 2017 - Teton Toyota Employees
March 2017 - Jim Delmore & Jackie Stephens
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Enjoy a happy and prosperous New Year!