The Marshall County Animal Shelter, located in Moundsville, W. Va, is a no-kill shelter that cares for cats and dogs. This shelter has given pets a chance to find their forever homes. They have dozens of cats and dogs at one time, ranging from kittens and puppies to senior animals (10 years and older). The employees ensure the pets’ safety and give them the care and love they need.

According to their website, to adopt a cat, the fee is $60 which includes “spay/neuter surgery, microchip, FVRCP & Rabies vaccinations, FIV/FelV/HW testing, deworming, flea prevention, and 30 days of free 24 Pet Watch Pet Insurance.” To adopt a dog, the fee is $135, which covers “spay/neuter surgery, microchip, Bordetella/DHLPP/Rabies vaccinations, heartworm testing for dogs over 6 months of age, deworming, flea & heartworm prevention and 30 days of free 24 Pet Watch Pet Insurance.” The animals at this shelter are taken care of carefully and the employees ensure a stable care-system for the pets while they are there.

Since the shelter is mostly supported by local donations, they often ask for donations on their Facebook page or host special events in hopes to get people to adopt. Oftentimes, the shelter offers discounted prices or waived fees for a limited time to attract people for adoptions. Recently, the shelter held an event called “St Pittie’s Day” that lowered the fee of all pit bulls down to just $17, in honor of the famous St Patty’s Day holiday.

The employees always make sure to do a safety check of where the pets would be living and make sure the potential owners are fit to actually be pet owners. There is a process for the adoption, and for certain pets, ones with disabilities or pets that require a lot of attention and care, there needs to be a perfect match with the owners.

A few pet owners that adopted from the MCAS shared their experiences and stories about the process. Levi Goaddard, from Wheeling, adopted two kittens from the MCAS. Goddard says, “The shelter was clean, every animal seemed healthy and happy, there was food in every cage.” Goddard shared, “During the fostering process, the two kittens were sick, and they took care of everything.” Goddard also mentioned that during the time he was adopting, the shelter had a special “buy one, get one” deal, so he luckily was able to take two furry friend’s home.

Courtney Miles, WLU Alum, adopted her first cat from the shelter. Miles says, “MCAS has allowed me to come in and volunteer and spend time with the animals.” She went on to say, “They let me love on the cats and I was able to take my time picking out my future fur baby.” Miles also shared, “The employees have always been professional and extremely warm and helpful, and I would recommend anyone who is looking to adopt to go to the MCAS first.”

I was also lucky enough to find the best cat to adopt. Last September, I was able to have a cat in my apartment, so I made an appointment to see potential cats to adopt. The only cat I saw that day was Kylo, my playful, fluffy, all-black cat. I immediately knew I was meant to give him a forever home, so I ended up adopting him that day. The employees were very helpful with answering my questions and gave me information on how to help him adjust to a new home. The employees were very nice, and I could tell they also loved their jobs and being able to give pets to their new owners.

If you are interested in seeing the potential animals that are up for adoption, you can visit their website and fill out an application to schedule an appointment if you see a pet that you’d like to meet. For questions about the shelter or the animals, call the shelter at (304) 845-9770.