February 4, 2004

Pet Adoption Network has home

Author: The Detroit News Ursula Watson

The Michigan Animal Adoption Network celebrated the grand opening of its 2,400-square-foot facility in
Livonia last month.

The move from the Pet Supplies “Plus” corporate office in Farmington Hills makes it easier for those wanting to adopt or view 60 spayed or neutered and vaccinated animals each Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Before the new facility opened, the nonprofit’s foster
care volunteers would bring animals to a different Pet Supplies Plus location during adoption Saturdays.

“It was like a traveling road show,” Amy Wettlaufer,
network manager, said. The facility is not a shelter, Wettlaufer said. Volunteers provide foster homes for animals until they are adopted.

The network, founded in 1994, is an umbrella
organization for the Animal Care Network, the
Adopt-A-Pet program and the Lost and Found Network.

The network’s adoption program has found homes for 2,000 animals. The group also handles calls from low-income pet owners who need assistance with the care of outdoor pets in Wayne and Oakland counties.

Schedules are provided for pet owners to participate in several Protect-A-Pet Low Cost shot clinics sponsored by the group each year.

The group, which has has an annual operating budget of $100,000, relies on public donations to provide such services, Wettlaufer said.

Each weekend, volunteers give doghouses and fresh food and water in clean bowls to owners who need assistance with their outdoor pets, Wettlaufer said.

“Volunteers are the backbone of the organization,” she said.

How to help

What: The Michigan Animal Adoption Network

Where: 31639 W. Eight Mile

Hours: 9 a.m. 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, with animal
adoption on Saturdays only from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Information: Call (248) 474-2646 or visit
www.mi-aan.org.