MINOT, ND ( KXNET ) — Dogs and cats play an important part in the lives of a lot of North Dakotans, but one animal shelter helping those cats and dogs in the area is in danger of possibly shutting down for good.

Souris Valley Animal Shelter leaders say they know there’s been a lot of mistrust in the community because of miscommunication or lack thereof with the previous team.

New leadership is working on being open with the community.

To keep their doors open, they say they need $250,000 for the entire year.

Starting on July 9, they launched three phases to restore the trust in the community and let people know they are about to change.

On August 6, they launched phase three which had their expenses, their income, their deficit, and their call to action which was strategically planned with a rebranding event on August 10.

“And that statement is the quality of life for our animals will always come first and we need large and small donors alike to help us get through this and those donors need to know that we want to give them something to believe in again. Let’s restore the faith, let’s rebuild the trust, and let’s turn this around together,” said Haley Burchett, the communications and development specialist at the Souris Valley Animal Shelter.

Before they asked for more, they wanted to restore and change the company culture.

Some of the largest issues why they lost the community’s support are out-of-state transports and the lack of understanding of why they can’t spay and neuter due to financial hardship before adoption.

The team is passionate about making sure the animals aren’t cooped in the kennel all day by giving them affection and exercise.

Taking care of a dog costs $35 a day and they can house up to 17 dogs, for cats it costs $25 to house up to 18 cats.

This doesn’t include the operational costs to keep the facilities running and the animal care team.

“People need to take that into consideration. We are the only large-capacity shelter there is and it costs half a million dollars plus to keep this place functional. So it costs a lot, there is a lot to pay for, and we can use all the help we can get,” said Burchett.

They don’t get any government funding, only funding from their events, grants, and donors.

If they do close, they are going to make sure the animals go to loving homes.

If you have questions, they would like to answer them on the right platform.

People can help out in multiple ways if they can’t donate money, like adopting or fostering pets, volunteering at the shelter, or donating cat litter and wet cat and dog food.

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