MAAN needs home – December 24, 2009

Animal rescue shelter desperate for a home

Group booted from free space it had for 3 years

BY JOHN WISELY
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
December 24, 2009The Michigan Animal Adoption Network needs a new home for its office and to house animals awaiting adoption. To help, call the network at 248-545-5055, or go to www.mi-aan.org.

The Michigan Animal Adoption Network has found homes for thousands of pets during the last 15 years, but now it needs one of its own.

The nonprofit rescue group was notified earlier this month that it would have to vacate the rent-free office and storage space it has used for the past three years at the All American Pet Resort in Roseville because of liability issues.

“We had to set up overnight in a home office and get a new phone and a new fax,” said Marie Skladd. “We had to place the animals in foster care on an emergency basis.”

Skladd and other volunteers have rescued abused and neglected animals for years and sought to find proper homes for them. Three years ago, they were given office space and storage room at All American to keep the animals they were seeking to adopt out. “The previous franchisee paid for our phone and our fax and didn’t charge us rent,” Skladd said. “They even helped us care for our animals on a 24/7 basis.”

The Animal Adoption Network was notified last month that the Roseville pet resort, which had been independently owned, was bought by the All American Pet Resort’s national franchise. The franchise cited concerns about the adoption network’s animals being a liability for the pet resort if they bit someone.

The office space used by the network will be used to create more room for animals.

“We found that we would have less complications if we supported them monetarily instead of with the space,” said Art Rimbold, national president of the pet resorts. “We love them and work with them where we can.”

The Animal Adoption Network has only one full-time employee. Skladd volunteers, as does most of the staff. She said she hopes to find a place with some office space to conduct business and preferably a place to keep and care for animals waiting to be adopted.

“When they’re in foster care, it makes it kind of hard to do meet and greets,” with potential families, Skladd said. “We need someone to rescue the rescue.”

Contact JOHN WISELY: 313-222-6825 or jwisely@freepress.com

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