text: I am a crazy cat lady and proud of it nnBeing a volunteer here has been so fulfilling on many different levels It has made me feel so good to be able to help out with something that I feel passionately about You can tell that the staff puts a lot of effort into taking care of these animals they accept in A lot of times people will say oh I cannot do it it is too sad But the thing is it is not It is actually so great because these animals come here and find loving homes instead of being on the street or in an environment that is toxic I rarely see animals there for a long time I think that is a testament to the way they are treated while they are in the facility nnNow I will admit I am not the biggest dog fan so I help out in the cat shelter I can talk about that with a lot more knowledge than the dog side They just built a new cat facility on their property so they have their own shelter The cats are all set up in a huge room They have two rooms for people to play with the cats when they are looking to adopt them These rooms are also used for cat cuddling That is what I do when I volunteer I get to take the cats out so that they can play be cuddled or just run around Then the cats are able to get out of the cages and get used to human contact nnThe other great thing about the ARL is that they have foster parents who take in cats and dogs while they are waiting to be adopted This way they get a great home environment and it relieves the facility of having too many animals at one time At different points in the year the adoption rates are different depending on the amount of animals they have Cat rates are usually cheaper in the SpringSummer because there is more coming in and dog rates are cheap in the late summer months The added bonus of adopting a pet from the ARL is that they are spade or neutered when you adopt them It is actually cheaper then taking them to a normal vet on your own nnI would STRONGLY recommend coming here to check out the animals and hopefully find your next furry friend OR you can volunteer They have volunteer informational sessions the first Saturday of every month After that you only have one training session to complete and you are ready to volunteer nnJust check it out if you are curious You will not regret it Your new furry friends will appreciate it as well