The 501(c)(3) status, granted by the US Government in January 2004, means that donations to the GCFOS are tax deductible.

The organization is a network of people committed to the GCFOS’s goals.  While the group often uses the Grant County Animal Shelter’s facilities for its efforts, the GCFOS doesn’t own any physical space.

While the Animal Shelter’s facilities and staff are funded by Grant County, many services and levels of care that people who love animals want pets to have are not funded.  The GCFOS funds as much of that care as possible.  For example, the largest category of that care is emergency veterinary services for unowned animals who are injured, neglected, or sick.

Specifically, the GCFOS goals are to:

• Improve the quality of life for animals in the shelter and/or in Grant County’s care,
• Encourage the adoption of shelter animals to responsible owners with suitable homes,
• Advance spay/neuter programs as a means of reducing the number of animals relegated to the shelter,
• Educate residents to be responsible, humane pet owners rather than routinely disposing of their pets at the shelter, and
• Oppose cruelty to shelter animals in all forms, before, during, and after their time in the shelter.

Furthermore, underlying all these goals is the ultimate goal of minimizing and eventually eliminating the need to euthanize Grant County animals just because they are homeless.