Garden Party Celebrates Animal Shelters 50th Anniversary

Assemblymember Chris Tague and Senator Peter Oberacker give a proclomation honoring the Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley_s 50th anniversery at Garden Party hosted by Grapevine Farms

Mike West gives a speech at the ASSV Garden party celebrating 50 years 

COBLESKILL – The Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley (ASSV) celebrated its 50th anniversary at Grapevine Farms on Saturday. Food, refreshments, music, and a silent auction were arranged before the main speeches. The shelter offered an open house tour from 2-4 before the Garden Party event began. 

During the open house, shelter executive director Maggie Jackman-Pryor told visitors about how they managed the animals on intake while guiding them through the building. Each animal undergoes a 7-day isolation period to determine if they are carrying a disease and need treatment, and then get up to date on the core vaccinations before they’re ready for adoption. She also stated that dogs tend to be adopted quicker; the shelter must try extra hard to adopt out cats before rescuing more. They will also help people temporarily house pets while in transitional housing, “If we have more room we absolutely try to help,” Jackman-Pryor stated, “We’re small but we have a large impact.” ASSV currently has a lot of cute and cuddly dogs and cats eligible for adoption.

The Garden Party started at 4 pm. A booth was set up to collect the prepurchased tickets. Attendees talked before the main speakers began at 4:45 pm. Warren Sieme sang and played an acoustic guitar. Whiskey the miracle dog greeted everyone as they came, outfitted in a blue suit and hat. He is the amazing dog that survived a plane crash last November, and is on the tail end of recovery from his third surgery.

Senator Peter Oberacker and Assemblymember Chris Tague made a proclamation: “Now, therefore, be it proclaimed, that State Senator Peter Oberacker and State Assemblyman Chris Tague, in conjunction with the residents of Senate District 51 and Assembly District 102, proudly honor the Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley on the momentous occasion of its 50th anniversary, saluting the countless companions saved, the families completed, and the enduring spirit of compassion that continues to guide tis mission today and for generations to come.” Tague continued with “Schoharie county is one of the smaller ones, but has one of the best animal shelters.” Assemblyman Tague also stated that the ASSV vet clinic being built is meant to “be a safeguard in the health of the sheltered, and to break the cycle of neglect.”

Following the proclamation, Mike West spoke about how he and his wife, Cynthia West, routinely brought in animals. They are the family that adopted Whiskey. Mike West continued into ASSV history. He mentioned a local woman who had a continuous lawn sale and donated all the proceeds to the shelter. “Every animal that comes into the shelter is not loved, not cared for, or there is some tragic story behind it” West stated. He teared up as he went on. 

West also spoke about how the community raised money to build an up-to-date shelter in 2010. Then, in 2011 when the hurricane floods hit, the money went to helping all the animals in the county. “Every penny counted.” Through a lot of effort from the generous community, the new shelter was eventually built. 

Nicholas Juried contributed to help the Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley in 2023 to build an on-site vet clinic to be able to spay and neuter right at the shelter. “We realized we had to pull the bandaid off and start.” This project would save time and thousands of dollars for the shelter, as well as allowing shelter animals to be adopted quicker, since they won’t have to wait for an appointment at an external clinic. A veterinarian, Aprille Hadsell, is joining shelter staff with the plans for the ASSV’s Juried Animal Wellness Clinic to be her practice. 

“People unfortunately just drop animals off, that they just don’t want to spend the money on bills. And the last number of years… and we’re just a shelter but let me tell you, we’re aggressive, we don’t take no crap. If someone’s abusing an animal whether we have the power, we don’t have the power– we jump in and we take care of it. It’s that old saying: ‘you don’t ask permission, you ask for forgiveness.’” West concluded. 

He then turned it over to Maggie Jackman-Pryor. She re-introduced Cynthia West with Whiskey before she began. “As this year closes out, we are not just celebrating the past, but honoring what's coming in our future,” Jackman-Pryor stated. She delved into how the shelter collaborates with law enforcement, health care agencies, and fellow rescues. “Together we’ve expanded our reach, responded faster to crisis calls, and ensured that no animal is left behind. It’s a testament to what we can achieve when we serve not just our animals, but the community as a whole.” 

In 2022, the average length of stay for animals in ASSV was 63 days. However, this year has an average of only 29.5 days. The decreased length of stay has allowed the shelter to rescue more animals. Last year alone, ASSV helped 490 animals. This year, they’ve already rescued and helped 400, with a projection to surpass the record last year. “We’re setting our sights on a bright future.”

The shelter recently received an animal welfare grant that’s going towards the Juried Animal Wellness Clinic. This will let ASSV lower costs for the healthcare both for shelter animals and the community. The shelter is asking for help raising $50,000 by the end of the year for the completion of the vet clinic. “We still need the community's help to make this dream a reality. As we mark this golden milestone, 50 years of compassion, rescue, and advocacy, we look ahead with a bold challenge,” Jackman-Pryor concluded.

The Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley extends a tremendous thank you to the community for continued support and generosity, and Grapevine Farms for hosting the event. 

For more information, visit https://schoharieanimalshelter.org/