I love good news. And the good news is that the new WAIF animal shelter is, at last, well on its way to becoming a reality. For those of us who have been waiting for this new shelter for so many years, decades in fact, the progress that’s been made toward the much-needed new one is very, very exciting.

On land already purchased, the new shelter area is fenced with chained link, the building site cleared, the trail system in, the septic system in progress, and the multipurpose barn building due to be completed by volunteers in October.

I encourage you to stop by and see the progress for yourself. The new shelter is up the road a bit and kitty-corner across 525 from the old shelter just outside Coupeville.

If you want to go inside the fenced area and explore the site, call Claire at 360-221-0321. Nothing would make her happier.

So much has already been accomplished that, once you see the area for yourself, your imagination will easily see the whole completed complex. It’s a happy experience. You will know that this shelter is, finally, really going to exist.

The architectural drawings are long finished; all permits acquired; all plans in place. All that is needed now (this won’t surprise anyone) is the money to finish the job.

WAIF, a community-funded nonprofit, is almost halfway (with $1,400,00) to its goal of $3,000,000 to begin the final stages of the building project (with a final goal of $3,800,000 to include ongoing expenses).

WAIF has been solid and steady for years in moving toward actualizing its shelter goals — and doing it without going into debt.

The old shelter is falling apart. It doesn’t even have potable water. It’s built on a landfill that emits noxious fumes. The time for getting the new shelter up and  running is now, within the next year. How exciting it will be when that happens! How proud our community will be.

WAIF needs any donation you can afford, however large or small.

Through WAIF, our community can responsibly control the population growth of cats and dogs, and take as good care as possible of needy animals already in our midst — animals who are, through no fault of their own, temporarily homeless and need a sheltered place to regain their health and find a forever family.

As a community, we can do this. How good our community will feel when the new shelter is, at last and soon, accomplished.

– Betty Azar

Freeland