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The Royal Oak Animal Shelter will continue to operate as long as funds are available. We accept donations from individuals and we partner with various groups and organizations to hold fundraising events.
Monetary Donations
Monetary donations are always needed; all of our animals receive full vet care, and as you can imagine our vet bills are through the roof! Checks should be made out to THE ANIMAL SHELTER.
If you would like to make a gift as an honorarium, please include the honoree's name and address in the memo section of the check. Acknowledgements will be sent to the honoree and a receipt will be mailed to the donor. Memorials are handled similarly, with the family of the memorialized person or pet receiving acknowledgment. (Click here for a downloadable "In Memorial Form" you can send with your donation.) All checks made payable to the Acorn Foundation are tax deductible for the donor, as the money serves a public purpose.
Checks may be mailed to or dropped off in person at the Shelter (1515 N. Edgeworth, Royal Oak 48067)
We provide receipts for all donations. If you mail in a donation, the receipt will be mailed to you within 3 weeks. If you do not receive a receipt, please contact the shelter to let us know so that we may insure your donation is acknowledged.
Volunteering
Volunteers are the back-bone of the Shelter; we are always in need of regular volunteers who can clean cages and/or walk dogs. Interested persons must be at least 18 years of age, or older; we do NOT accept persons needing community service hours at our facility. All completed applications must be turned into the Royal Oak Police Department (211 E. Third St.) and take about 2-3 weeks to process. Volunteers are needed between:
- Weekdays: 2:30pm - 7pm
- Saturdays: 9am - 12pm
- Sundays: 10:30am - 1pm
Click here to download a volunteer application.
Supplies donated to the animal shelter are always appreciated. Here are the items we need most:
- Large Outdoor Storage Shed
- Kitty litter
- Canned cat food (Friskies "Classic Pate" varieties)
- Dry cat food (prefer Purina or Whiskas)
- Purina Kitten Chow
- Fancy Feast canned Kitten food
Canned kitten milk (KMR)- Flat soft cat beds
- Litter pans (medium or large size)
- Kuranda beds for cats - New!!! (Click here for special shelter pricing))
Canned dog food (Pedigree or Alpo varieties)Dry dog food (please NO food with colored chunks)- Sturdy large dog toys (Okra or Kong brands, ropes, etc)
- Large rawhides (no knuckle kinds), Busy Bones, Jumbones, etc.
- Hand Sanitizer
- Bleach
- Dish Soap
- Black Trash Bags
- Examination gloves (size medium or large)
- Paper towels
Special thanks to Pet Supplies Plus for their ongoing partnership and successful kitty litter promotion. Anyone can buy a bag of kitty litter for the shelter from Pet Supplies Plus at 29402 Woodward and they will hold it for us until we pick it up; we make regular trips for bulk buying. You don't have to lift it, but you can donate it - what could be easier?
Thank You's
- Thank you to Mimi Staver who donated a portion of her book sales to the shelter during our Spook-tacular Adoption Event. The event was an overwhelming success and we can't thank all the volunteers and staff enough for helping out! It was a busy, busy day and we got a lot of animals place into great homes - thank you everyone!!
- Thank you to Catherine and family for cooking a wonderful spaghetti dinner! We had a great time at our Spaghetti dinner and raised a lot of money for the shelter - Thank you!
- Cynthia and Delores Concato - you ladies are angels in disguise! Thank you so much for picking us as your "pet project" and showering our animals with so many wonderful items.
- Thank you to Barb Jenson for donating portions of her book sales from her RO Farmer's Market booth!
- Thank you to LuAnn Linker from Wild Birds Unlimited for her consistent support of the shelter!
- Thank you to Gwen Ross, the Market Manager of the R.O. Farmer's Market, for the constant fundraising support and the special table at the Sunday Flea Market.
- Special thanks to our volunteer dog walkers who help our dogs stay well-exercised and many thanks to all of our steady volunteers who make the job go so much quicker.
We are looking for some serious dog foster families. Being a No Kill shelter we are almost always full with dogs (especially since we only have 8 kennels). By providing one of our dogs your home, you will not only be helping us by freeing up kennels, but helping a dog transition faster and more easily into his new, permanent home.
If you are interested in fostering, please be aware that you will most likely be fostering an adult, large-breed dog (i.e. Shepherd's, Labs, Pits). Many of these dogs have little or no training, so by taking the time to foster a dog, you will help teach him some much needed obedience and manners! Most of the dogs are young adults, but on occasion, we may have an older puppy (8 months, e.g.); very, very rarely we may get a young puppy (3 months).
Be aware that you might be fostering the dog for a period of several weeks or even months and if you need to return the dog for any reason before he is adopted, there may be a wait if cage space is not available. We are looking for "long-term" fostering, not just a weekend or overnight sleep-overs. Also, we are not responsible for any damages that may occur while the dog is in your possession.
How It Works
Before the dog leaves for his "vacation" at your house, we will take his picture and put his profile on our petfinder.com site (if it's not there already). When we get interested applicants, we will make an appointment for the dog and family to meet. If everything goes well and the family is approved, you will have to say "good-bye" to your new friend. When you are ready, you may foster another dog from the shelter. What happens if you fall in love and cant part with the dog you have? Let us know before we begin appointments and we'll go through the adoption process with you!
Still interested? Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Take them shopping, let them sleep in your bed, take them out on walks in the neighbourhood - we know the dogs will appreciate anything and everything you do for them! We will provide food, medical care, and any other equipment (crates, leashes, etc.) you might need. Click Here to download our foster form with more info; fill it out and return it to the shelter.