Snake River Animal Shelter
December 23, 2020
The new year will mark a new chapter for the Snake River Animal Shelter. Executive Director Kristin Sanger is stepping down and a new executive director will take her place. Sanger’s final day will be Dec. 30.
Sanger has accepted a new job as treasury management officer at East Idaho Credit Union. She plans to stay involved at the shelter by serving as a volunteer.
“Everybody has their season and it was just feeling like it was time to move on professionally. I had an opportunity open up to me at East Idaho Credit Union with full benefits. My family really needed the benefits, especially with the pandemic and health concerns surrounding that. The pandemic really motivated me to make this career change,” Sanger said.
Taking her place will be Stephen Buzzell. Buzzell, a police officer for nearly 17 years, ran the Rexburg Animal Shelter from 2003 to this past August. In that time, he increased adoption rates, decreased euthanasia rates and formed partnerships between other shelters.
Buzzell is excited at the idea of starting at Snake River Animal Shelter because it sees around double the number of animals per year compared to the Rexburg Animal Shelter. He also likes that, as a nonprofit, the Snake River Animal Shelter is able to primarily focus on finding new owners for homeless animals.
“I’ve got big shoes to fill. … But I’m looking forward to the chance to help more people and animals,” Buzzell said.
Sanger has been running the shelter since it first opened its doors in 2015. In that time, she has overseen the adoption of more than 5,000 animals.
Under her leadership, Snake River Animal Shelter has been a factor in lowering local euthanasia rates, Idaho Falls animal control officer Danyelle Harker told the Post Register in a 2019 interview. Between 2008 and 2014, the Idaho Falls Animal Services cat euthanasia rate stayed between 70.6 percent and 78.3 percent. Then, in 2015, the first year of Snake River’s existence, the cat euthanasia rate dropped to 68.35 percent for the first time. Each year, the percentage has continued to drop until it reached last year’s record low of 20.68 percent. Dogs saw a similar decrease, falling from a 36.45 percent euthanasia rate in 2008 to 1.36 percent in 2018. Other factors include the Idaho Falls Animal Shelter closing its drop box in 2018 and participating in spay and neuter programs.
Snake River Animal Shelter’s initial step in lowering that rate was to provide a place for as many animals as possible. Even for a no-kill shelter, it rehomes an unusually large number of animals. The Snake River Animal Shelter has a 99.7 percent live release rate, accounting for the animals that go into a shelter come out alive.
Sanger is most proud of the programs she has designed and implemented at the shelter. These include children education programs, medical care programs and spay/neuter programs. Her favorite program is the Idaho K-9 Academy. The idea started after Sanger realized 17% of the animals adopted from the shelter were being returned, mostly due to behavioral issues. The Idaho K-9 Academy improves behavior in shelter dogs so they are less likely to be returned, assists dog owners with their pets’ problem behavior so they don’t end up at the shelter and trains shelter dogs to be service animals.
“I’m going to really miss the animals. I’m going to miss the staff and people. Everybody that comes in here to adopt an animal, honestly, are really fantastic, salt of the earth individuals. The best people are involved in animal welfare,” Sanger said.
Most Recent News
Former Victoria man’s diabetic alert dog helps him get back to life
June 2, 2021
When Luke Hengen’s diabetes worsened in his early twenties, it stripped him of the outdoor activities where the country kid felt at home. Countless wilderness adventures and years of hard-fought football games took a toll on his body, to the point where he could no longer sense when his blood sugar was too high or […]Students Get Therapy Dog
January 8, 2021
When middle school students return to class on Jan. 11, they’ll find a new face at the door: Daisy. Daisy is a therapy dog and the personal pet of Rob Kreger, principal of the Rock L. Butler Middle School. The five-year-old golden retriever is not a school pet or mascot, but rather a working dog […]Therapy Dogtor
January 8, 2021
Last March, Caroline Benzel, a third-year medical student, began to notice the stress and discomfort her nurse friends were feeling from the pressures of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. “[Personal protective equipment] can be really rough on the skin,” Benzel, 31, tells PEOPLE. Benzel and her 3-year-old Rottweiler, Loki (who’s also a therapy dog) hatched a […]Therapy Dog Pups
January 8, 2021
When Stanley the miniature fox terrier’s owner passed away, the little dog started a ‘paw-some’ new role – bringing puppy love to some of the Gold Coast’s oldest residents. After Carinity Cedarbrook Diversional Therapist Julianne Staff adopted Stanley, he began visiting the aged care community at Mudgeeraba as a therapy dog. Therapy dogs help to […]Puppy Cams
January 7, 2021
A nonprofit is providing an unusual form of therapy for those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic – puppy cams! “You spend five minutes with a puppy and try not to smile,” said registered nurse Robin Lingg Lagrone. Lingg Lagrone says watching little furballs wag their tails and prance on their paws helps […]Pet Committee
January 7, 2021
When Moore County’s school doors were abruptly closed earlier in 2020, two- and four-legged volunteers from the Moore County Citizens’ Pet Responsibility Committee (PRC) were in their 12th year of presenting a six-session Pet Responsibility Education Program for fourth-graders. The PRC quickly shifted gears and placed its program materials online as part of a home […]The Right Rescue Dog
January 7, 2021
If your New Year’s resolution is to add a canine family member, good for you. Somewhere out there is the perfect puppy or adult dog for your family. You have a lot of things to think about when you begin to look for that new family member, puppy or dog? Large or small? Purebred or […]Police Dog Attack
January 7, 2021
A resolution headed to the Duluth City Council on Monday could put to rest a lawsuit filed by Teri Lynn Ehlers, an employee of the Patch Motel, who was bitten by a Duluth police dog named Oakley. Former Duluth Police Officer Marc Johnson was a registered guest of the Warroad establishment May 28, 2018, when […]PAWS With A Cause
January 7, 2021
Pebble Hill Plantation and the Thomas County Public Library are pleased to announce the upcoming Enlightening Bites program, “PAWS With a Cause,” on Friday, January 8, 2021 at noon in the Flipper Room of the Library. The program is being presented by Jeri Anderson, field representative. Anderson is recently retired from the City of Monticello, […]Police Canine Team
January 7, 2021
Kingston Police revealed in a news release late Wednesday afternoon that they’ve been keeping a four-legged secret for roughly three months. The force announced it added a second canine unit, with the arrival of police service dog Dak this past October. He is working with Const. Jeff Dickson, while police service dog Bask is working […]
