“Mr. Bubbles” is one of many felines looking for adoption at the newly-opened Ark Animal Sanctuary.
(Joseph Cyr)
HOULTON, Maine — After many long months of waiting, the first animals have taken up residency at the new Ark Animal Sanctuary.
Located at 102 Old Woodstock Road, the new Ark Animal Sanctuary was unveiled to the public , bringing an end to a nearly three-year journey. But the 30 cats in the Ark’s care had to wait until this week to check out the new building.
Lorraine Monfils, executive director for the Ark, said Thursday, March 23 that the facility finally received its certification from the state’s animal welfare department.
“It’s a huge relief to pass the inspection,” Monfils said. “We wanted to make sure everything was perfect.”
The shelter can accommodate up to 40 cats, with 10 in each of the four feline rooms. One room is designated for those cats that have tested positive for FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus). That room currently has seven occupants.
“We don’t have that many animals, and we certainly hope we don’t fill up to that point either,” Monfils said.
The Ark Animal Sanctuary is not a shelter. They do not receive funding from any towns and the facility is not a drop-off location for area animal control officers.
“We are for animals that have no other alternatives, like their owner died,” Monfils said. “We also have a special needs room if there are animals that have certain conditions that need to be addressed.”
Two dog rooms were in the process of being built, before funding ran out. Those rooms have been put on hold until additional money can be raised, Monfils said.
Piper, a cat who came to the Ark from Georgia, rests comfortably inside a play tower.
(Joseph Cyr)
The Sanctuary will be open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will be staffed solely by volunteers.
“We would love to have more volunteers,” Monfils said. “Once warmer weather arrives, I would like to have two people up here at all times.”
Volunteers are responsible for cleaning litter boxes, playing with the cats, and doing light cleaning duties, as well as providing pre-adoption papers to people interested in adopting a pet. Anyone that is interested in becoming an Ark volunteer is encouraged to call Monfils at 532-7387 or visit the group’s website at www.arksanctuaryme.com.
The first sanctuary was opened in November, 2013, at the same location, but was tragically destroyed by a fire in March 2014 that also took the lives of 16 cats. Fire officials were never able to determine the cause of that fire.
Ark officials spent two years waiting to get funds from their insurance company so they could start the rebuilding process. A memorial wall, featuring paintings of the cats that perished in the fire, is located in the main hallway. In addition, there is a section reserved for memorial tiles that people can purchase in memory of any animal they have lost.
The new facility was appraised at $280,000, according to Monfils. The group only received $80,000 from the insurance settlement on their previous building, so a tremendous amount of fundraising has taken place, and will continue to happen.
The roots for forming the Ark Animal Sanctuary began back in 2004 when Monfils and her husband Bob moved back to Houlton. She opened a pet grooming business — Hollywood Pet Salon — on Main Street and volunteered for a time with the Houlton Humane Society. But a desire to create a bigger, more open environment for pets in need soon began to grow for Monfils and the wheels for the Ark Animal Sanctuary were set in motion.
The mission of the Ark Animal Sanctuary, a non-profit organization, is to rescue and provide food, shelter, medical assistance, love and compassion to any animal in need, regardless of age and medical condition.
According to the group’s website, “We will take full responsibility of every animal placed with us until they find loving homes. The Ark is a no-kill organization. Euthanasia will only be considered when a veterinarian recommends it for the best interest of the animal. We believe every animal’s life is meaningful and they all deserve loving homes.”
