I would LOVE to work at an animal shelter, I just wouldn't want to have to run it for the rest of my life! I would be happy to work with you. :)

By the way, if any other teens would like to start an animal shelter or sanctuary, please let me know! If I do start one when I grow up, I'll need all the help I can get! :)

That sounds like a good idea, to start out small, and then as we get more experience we could add larger/more animals to it. And yes, the more the merrier, there are so many animals around our country that need help and loving homes, it would be great if there are more people that want to get involved in helping animals. :-)

When we were at Best Friends, I don't think I saw Felix. The horse I got to brush was called Roy. Other equines I saw were Curly Sue, Legs, Daisy, Uno, Slurpee, Cowboy, Sugar Baby, Red, Laura, Marshal, Chuck, Jewel, Speedy, River, and Rocky.
Okay, here it goes. :)
Well, all shelters need have a board of directors, and each person on the board must have something useful like special skills, special experience, etc. I would bring dog experience and caretaking. You probably would too, since you know lots about dogs.
I came across this set of questions from Best Friends website that would be useful to answer if we were to start a shelter. They are listed below:
o What species of animals are you planning to shelter – dogs, cats, horses, birds, or other?
o How many animals are you planning to shelter?
o Where will you house these animals?
o Who will help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
o What will it cost you to rescue these animals – i.e., time and money?
A good document to check out is on Best Friends' website. Type in "How to Start a sanctuary" in the search box, and click the first search result. There should be a picture of a cockatoo along with it. I am currently reading through it, and there is a lot more to starting a sanctuary than you think!
Sorry..I have to go! I'll be back later!

Yes, I live in the USA. (in Missouri) I mean that I would like to be a volunteer, not a full-time caretaker of an animal shelter. :) Anyway...

My family just took a 2-week road trip out west this spring. Our first stop was the Gateway Arch!

That's cool about your road-trip! :) About the animal shelter... I don't know. I LOVE to be around animals, but I'm not that much into animal shelters. (I mean, they're great, and I'd love to volunteer at one, I just don't think I'd want to make one my job. Sorry that I'm so confusing! I don't know how to put my feelings into words, I guess!) :) (do I use smiley faces and parentheses too much?)

Okay!
I know that people are more important, but God has given me a heart to help the animals. I hope you understand. :)
And it's fine that you use parentheses and smiley faces!

Sorry that I've been commenting so much, but I have something else to share. I came across this scripture in a magazine, and then sought it out in the Bible.
“A good man takes care of his animals. But even the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.”
—Proverbs 12:10
This is my backup. If God wanted us to take care of animals, He would have made sure to say so--and He did!

I like your ideas for the sanctuary. One thing I would add, if the person clears the home-check, then they would need to fill out some paperwork before doing a 3-day trial with the animal, that way we know who has the animal, where that person lives, etc. I will check out the set of questions you found on the Best Friends website, as well as do more research on starting an animal shelter. 1st question: I think that starting out with dogs, then cats, then equines and barnyard animals. I'm not too sure how I feel about birds and rodents. 2nd question: I think that until we had an actual facility, we could do a certain amount of dogs or cats, and as we grow, then add more and more animals. I'll get back to you on the 3rd question. 4th question: I think that it would be a good idea to look for people who might be interested in volunteering. 5th question: I'm also at a loss as to how much it costs to run an animal shelter/sanctuary. I love the names you have come up with, I particularly like Purrs and Pass, and New Hope. :-)

We would have the information about the person (from the adoption application) of where he/she lives before he/she takes that animal to their house for a 3-day trial period. If the trial period does not work out, we will talk to the person and discuss why the adoption wouldn't work out and what the animal was behaving like in a home.
Maybe, later on, we could save some rabbits, then maybe other rodents. Smaller birds may be a possibility--but I'm quite fond of them. My grandmother has two cockatiels, and I enjoy taking care of them.
Daisy and Red are my favorite horses at BFAS. I was thinking that when I grow up, I would adopt her, Legs, Uno, and Red. But to adopt one of Best Friends equines, you have to have Parelli Horsemanship skills.

If we were to start out with rescuing dogs and puppies, would we accept owner surrenders, strays, or go to overcrowded and high-kill shelters? I personally think that we should go to the high-kill and overcrowded shelters and animal control facilities. If we saved dogs from the high-kill shelters and animal control facilities, we would be saving more lives. But at overcrowded shelters, dogs and puppies are in need of being saved as well!
What types of dogs and puppies would we save? (My answer will be in parentheses; I would greatly appreciate your answers too!.) Would we save:
1. Newborn, orphaned puppies requiring around-the-clock care (it depends; if we have the time and supplies to give newborn pups around-the-clock care, we should definitely save them)
2. Orphaned puppies under 8wks (yes)
3. Orphaned puppies over 8wks (yes)
4. Sick or injured puppies (yes)
5. Pregnant mother dogs (yes)
6. Mother dogs with puppies (yes)
7. Healthy young, adult, and senior dogs (yes)
8. Sick or injured young, adult, and senior dogs (yes)
9. Fear-biters (I personally would not like to accept fear-biters; however, with time, dedication, and training, we could find out their fears and they may stop biting)
10. Aggressive dogs (most likely no; however, we could hire a professional trainer to train such dogs)
11. Shy and under socialized dogs (yes; shy and under socialized dogs are some of the most overlooked dogs in shelters; with time and training, we can help them to come out of their shyness)
12. Dogs with severe medical conditions (yes)
13. Dogs with ongoing medical treatment (yes)
14. Blind and deaf dogs (yes)
15. Dogs with less than 4 limbs or dogs that have a broken leg or legs (yes)
16. Dogs that have seizures (possibly)
If anything is missing, please let me know. Of course, it would depend on the situation if we would be able to save the types of dogs and puppies as listed above.
Even though our shelter or sanctuary would be no-kill, some animals still may have to get euthanized. For instance, if an animal is in serious pain but we have tried everything and there is no cure, it would be humane to have that animal euthanized. Do you agree?

This is what Best Friends says about the legal issues. It is from the "How to Start an Animal Sanctuary" article from their website. Here it is:
Legal issues:
Legalities may appear to have nothing to do with your desire to rescue animals. However, it’s an important part of what you hope to accomplish. If you don’t ensure that the legal side of operating a sanctuary is done correctly, you could jeopardize your whole operation.
Nonprofit status:
Tax exempt, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) status is acquired by filing the necessary forms with the IRS. You have to incorporate as a nonprofit in your own state before you can apply for 501(c)(3) status. It is helpful, but not essential, to have a professional (an attorney or accountant) do the paperwork. See the resource section for information on starting a nonprofit corporation.
There are many advantages to having nonprofit status:
1. Donors of goods, services, or money can claim their gift as an offset against their taxes, which may well increase how much they give.
2. Having nonprofit status lends credibility to your organization.
3. It ensures proper separation between the charity and personal finances.
Once you have completed the necessary paperwork, the nonprofit status may take around three months to obtain. You will be issued a three-year provisional tax-exempt status subject to fulfilling IRS requirements and submitting a Form 990 annually with the government. Form 990 details the money taken in and the money spent on behalf of the charity.
It is important to keep good financial records because without them, your nonprofit status could be revoked by the IRS. After three years, when the IRS is satisfied that you are running a legitimate nonprofit, you will be granted a permanent 501(c)(3) status.
Zoning :
We covered this area in an earlier section relating to the acquisition of property. But it bears repeating: Make sure that the place where you set up your sanctuary is zoned for this work. The welfare of the animals in your care may be at stake; you don’t want to be required to move your whole operation because of a zoning issue.
Insurance:
We recommend that you carry liability insurance. Insurance can give you peace of mind around visitors and volunteers should someone fall or get bitten by an animal. All states require you to have your staff covered by worker’s compensation insurance. Depending on your operation, there are also other types of insurance that you might need.
For more details about buying insurance, see the Best Friends publication called Insurance: Covering Your Tail. You can download it from the Resources section of our website.
Attorney and/or accountant:
It is wise to find an attorney and/or an accountant with nonprofit knowledge and sympathy for your cause. Though legal fees can be expensive, good professional advice is key to running your sanctuary correctly in the eyes of the law.
Release forms :
There are several areas where some kind of release form is appropriate. A release form lays out potential problems, or specific requirements, making a person aware of issues or requirements involved in adopting an animal, working with animals, or having an animal undergo a surgical procedure (like a spay or neuter). For example, in your adoption contract you can cover the limits of your responsibility for the health and behavior of an adopted animal. When you receive an animal, have the owner sign a release form stating that the animal is now the property of your organization.
You may wish to have any volunteers who are working with the animals sign a waiver, indicating that they know that working with animals can be unpredictable. In our spay/neuter program, we include a release clause for surgery in our admittance form. If you plan to board animals at your facility, then a release form would be advisable for that, too. You might want to talk to an attorney about which release forms or waivers would be appropriate for your sanctuary.
Kennel licenses:
Some municipalities require a kennel license, so find out ahead of time if this requirement affects you. Licenses are hard to get in some areas. For example, one municipality I know insists that all the neighbors in the immediate area have to agree to your housing animals before a license will be granted.
Wildlife and birds:
There are many regulations covering the housing and rehabilitation of wildlife and wild birds. If you want to be involved in this area, contact a local wildlife rehabilitator and find out what state and federal regulations govern this work.

When an animal arrives at our shelter or sanctuary, would we have a quarantine period? I think we absolutely should. During the quarantine period, we will have the opportunity to see if the animal has any diseases. If the animal suddenly falls ill during quarantine, immediate veterinary care should be sought out.
I think that the quarantine period should be at least 2 weeks long. What are your thoughts on this subject?

At Best Friends Dogtown, there is a colored-collar system. Dogs wearing red collars can only be handled by staff. Dogs wearing purple collars can only be handled by staff and people 18 and older. Dogs wearing green collars can be handled by anybody.
I was thinking--once we had obtained a shelter building--that we could have a similar collar system. Below are the colors of colors that the dogs and puppies would be wearing. I have also included what the different colored-collars would mean.
Puppy Area-Blue and Pink collars; these collars have no age-limits and signify if a puppy is male or female; blue for male, pink for female
Dog Area-Green collars- this dog can be handled by everybody; he gets along well with kids of all ages and tolerates being petted and/or touched all over his body
Dog Area-Blue collars- this dog can be handled by children 10-12 and up; these dogs may be large and have the tendency to jump up, play-mouth, or get irritable when somebody touches a certain part of their body
Dog Area-Pink collars- this dog is special needs and there is no age-limit for most of them (if there is an age-limit, it will be noted so on the dog's information sheet); pink does not signify gender, therefore male special-needs dogs can wear them
Dog Area-Purple collars- this dog can be handled by people 18 and up; these dogs have certain issues that deem them “inappropriate” for younger children to be around; this dog may be people-specific (doesn't get along well with all people), may play-nip, play-bite, etc.
Dog Area-Red collars- this dog can be handled by staff only; this may mean that the dog or puppy is new to the shelter, is in quarantine, or has an issue.

As sad as it is, I do think that in some instances-even for a no-kill shelter-that euthanization is necessary. I don't think that it would be fair to a potential adopter. If we were not to euthanize, then I think that it would be a good idea to remove that particular animal from the adoption/foster list and take care of the animal ourselves. I think that we should add dogs that have been in abusive situations to the list. I'm really liking the name Purrs and Paws. :-) No problem about the long comment, that is a lot of good information to know and to remember, and it's important to think of the safety of visitors, volunteers, employees, etc. And also how to start out an animal shelter/sanctuary. Yes, a quarantine period is important. We want to ensure the safety of all the other animals and the new arrivals too. Yes, I think that we should post pets that are available for adoption on websites like petfinder or adoptapet, but we should definitely have our own website. I actually found my puppy on Craigslist, so that might be an option too. I like the collar system, that's a good way to keep people from getting themselves hurt, or upsetting any of the animals.

Well, before an animal would be available for adoption, he or she would have already had all the vet care needed and be healthy for adoption. I would never try to adopt out a sick or injured animal or an animal that is aggressive in any way.
Just think about this: wouldn't it be considered cruelty to keep an animal living if it is in pain and there is no cure?
I agree about adding abused animals to the list. However, would we still accept the animal if he or she is unpredictable and bites? (Yikes!)
About the 3rd question. I was thinking that--when we first started out--we could foster the dogs and puppies at the Board of Directors' homes. Then, once we have the money and supplies, we could move to a facility or build our own facility to house dogs and puppies.
Maybe our name could be Purrs and Paws to start out with. And as we expand, that could be the name for the dog, cat, and house-pet area.
About posting adoptable animals on Craigslist . Well, I'm not a fan of that. People who don't want their dogs can post them on that site, and backyard breeders may do that as well. All in all, we shouldn't post our adoptable pets on a website where people are trying to "sell" stuff. We don't want our animals viewed as products. Do you agree?
I definitely agree that we should have our own website! Posting our pets on other websites would just allow people to see our adoptable pets without actually visiting our website.

So, when we decided to purchase land and build a dog and puppy facility, how many buildings would their be? At Best Friends, they have a dog admissions building, octagons with spacious indoor/outdoor runs for the dogs, a puppy admissions building, and a puppy preschool.
I was thinking that we should have dog and puppy admissions. They could be in the same building (separated!) or they could have their own individual buildings. I was also thinking that we could have spacious runs for the dogs and a puppy preschool for the puppies.
What do you think?
If we decided to purchase a facility, we could make accommodations.

I agree, I think that wide-open spaces would be better for the dogs. I personally, do not like to see dogs cooped up in cages all day, even if it is at an animal shelter. I think that having a building for puppies/young adult dogs and then a retirees building for the senior dogs would be a good idea. And yes, I think that a paradise for animals where they can run, play, and get the exercise they need, would be the best thing for them, especially if they are coming from an abuse case. BTW, I remember my Jack Russell having to take the Sentinel Spectrum chews, she doesn't anymore. Okay, I didn't think about the fact that people are selling on Craigslist, that's a good point, I agree with you on that. I'm not sure how we would work out the unpredictable dogs and biters, I'll have to think about that. Do you know what Parelli is? I'm not exactly sure.

Yes, we have gotten some snow. It's mostly melted away by now.
I would like to go to a Best Friends Pet Super Adoption event and adopt a dog or puppy. I want to have lots of dogs--maybe a cat or a horse--but I don't know how many right now.
Parelli is a horsemanship program that doesn't use force to teach horses.

Happy Thanksgiving to you too!

My family has a yellow labrador retriever, Nala. I think my dog would do pretty well at the city testing. Although she would eat everything she can find, and she loves to be petted by anybody, especially if you have food! But she is good at waiting at roads and cross walks and heeling.

It always feel so good to know that there are more animal lovers out there!
Not to be discouraging, but don't you live in Germany? I live in the US.
On a scale of 1-10, how much do you love animals? On a scale of 1-10, how much would you want to start a no-kill, not-for-profit animal shelter or sanctuary?
I'm sorry for all the questions. :(

Yes, I know all about parvovirus in puppies. While my mom and I were volunteering at the Puppy Preschool, we couldn't interact with these two puppies in the puppy building because their sibling had suddenly come down with parvo. Thankfully, with lots of treatment, that puppy got better and found a home. The two puppies--as well as the other puppies that were there--have also found loving, forever homes.
USDA licensed puppy mills only have to provide little more than food or water, and the cages only have to be 6 inches larger than the dog. The dogs there are often sick, and when they aren't able to reproduce anymore they are usually killed. And I don't think that the puppies from the puppy mills get any vaccinations at all! Of course, they probably receive something before being sold at pet stores. Did you know that it's legal for a licensed breeder to own 1,000 or more dogs and keep them in super small cages for their entire lives and breed them as often as possible?
Even though people are standing against puppy mills, the US currently has about 10,000 licensed and unlicensed puppy mills.
I have been to a mall that has a store that sells puppies from puppy mills. The store's name is "Furry Babies".