One of the first things anyone who works at the Animal Protective League will tell you is how great the people of the city and surrounding areas were in response to the June 10 tornado that destroyed the bulk of the facility’s property.
If all goes well, construction to either rebuild the existing facility or build a new one elsewhere could begin in just a few months. While the APL can always use a hand financially from donors, adoption center manager Meara Gietl says it is in need of more volunteers in the wake of the tornado, which did $1.2 million in damages.
“For what we want to continue to do for the community, we could definitely use more volunteers,” Gietl said. “For example, on weekends we do off-site adoption events at PetSmart, and we need people there who can talk to other people about doing adoptions and getting that set up. We still need some animal care volunteers, specifically with dogs. We have some dogs at the Office of Emergency Management, so we need to people to clean, feed and walk them three times a day. And, any volunteers who are able to help with our foster care program would be amazing. The need for foster parents has basically quadrupled overnight.”
Amazingly, none of the animals were killed during the tornado, despite roofs that were sheared and damage to the structures themselves. The APL is waiting for some insurance issues to settle before firm plans on a new facility can be made. So, in the meantime, it’s still all hands on deck.
“And, we’ve gotten so much support from the community, which we’re very grateful for,” Gietl said.
This article appears in October 29-November 4, 2026.
