Homeward Bound receives grant

The Petco Foundation Animal Sheltering and Adoption Program has awarded $6,500 to Homeward Bound Pets to help support the McMinnville-based non-profit’s shelter medical fund.

The grant will help HB Pets save more animals in McMinnville and Yamhill County, and it couldn’t come at a better time, said Ronnie Vostinak, executive director.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, job losses and shelter-in-place orders, Homeward Bound is facing financial shortages and increased demand for its services, she said. One of its major sources of funding, the Homeward Bound Pets Thrift Shop, is closed because of the pandemic.

In 2019, Homeward Bound had its busiest year since opening in 1975. It found homes for 675 cats and dogs that had been abandoned, surrendered or found stray.

Its low-cost spay and neuter clinic has performed more than 5,000 surgeries since it opened in late 2017. 

The organization also is accepting dogs from the McMinnville Police Department and Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office. It reunites lost dogs with owners and cares for those who aren’t claimed. Last year, it sheltered 279 dogs.

The nonprofit’s shelter is open by appointment for dog adoptions. For more information or to make an appointment, go to www.hbpets.org or the organization’s Facebook page.