LOVE YOU FUR-EVER: A Valentine for Ogden’s pets
Adoptable senior dogs at Golden Bark Foundation. Photos provided
Whether it stems from the smell of the Alphia dog food manufacturing plant in the morning or good, old-fashioned O-Town culture, one thing is certain: The people of Ogden love their pets.
Ogden is home to several pet-related organizations, businesses and events that make a difference for our furry friends, and many of them rely on public support to continue operating. Through adoptions, donations, volunteers and community love, these are some of the local places taking a paws-on approach to caring for our animals and details about how you can help.
The Golden Bark Foundation is a nonprofit organization based out of Ogden that is dedicated to rescuing and advocating for at-risk, senior dogs by fulfilling their immediate needs and finding love-filled “retirement homes.” By facilitating adoption, foster care and hospice foster care, which is the permanent homing of senior dogs that are not considered candidates for adoption, the Golden Bark Foundation gives them a chance to spend the tail-end of their lives in safety and comfort. Its website reads: “Every dog deserves a loving home to live out their golden years, no matter how many days, months or years they have left.”
How You Can Support: Become a foster, adopt a senior, help transport, volunteer time, donate supplies. Get more information by visiting the Golden Bark Foundation website.
Weber County Animal Services is a countywide provider of animal care, education and promotion of responsible pet ownership, and animal resources for the community. They host many programs and responsibilities, including shelter and medical care for animals, foster and adoption services, community feral catch-and-release spay/neuter programs, lost and found networking, and more.
How You Can Support: Foster or adopt an animal, volunteer or donate wishlist items. Get more information by visiting the Weber County Animal Services website.
The House Cat Cafe is a cafe and cat-sanctuary hybrid where visitors can get a bite to eat and a drink to sip before deciding if they want to spend some time with the whiskered (and adoptable) vacationers who are staying in the “cat hotel,” or hang out in the colorfully decorated lounge area. The kitty living quarters are adorned with all of the toys, climbing posts and hiding holes a cat could ever want, along with cat-themed board games and plenty of sitting room for the people coming to visit. A partnership with Weber County Animal Services allows the House Cat Cafe to ensure all cats are spayed/neutered and up on their vaccines before adoption. The shelter facilitates the adoption process.
How You Can Support: Visit in person at 341 27th St., adopt a cat or visit the House Cat Cafe website to donate or purchase wishlist items.
Whiskers Utah is a 100% volunteer-run nonprofit animal rescue that minimizes the risk of euthenasia for high-risk pets by taking in cats with special and medical needs and senior cats from Utah shelter partners and providing them veterinary care and opportunity for adoption. They take extra measures to help support newly homed cats stay in homes by providing education and resources along with promoting catch-and-release programs. Whiskers Utah does not have a brick-and-mortar facility but instead facilitates this care for the cats in animal shelters throughout Weber, Davis and Salt Lake counties.
How You Can Support: Foster a cat, volunteer, donate, or attend and bid at the Love Cats Silent Art Auction at Local Artisan Collective on March 13 and 14. Visit the Whiskers Utah website for more information.
