Mission Valley Animal Shelter announces new manager
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POLSON – Raeva Corkill is the new leader of the pack at Mission Valley Animal Shelter.
“I was very impressed with Raeva’s work ethic as well as the many ideas she had to improve shelter operations,” said Launa Benson MVAS board president. “She has a passion for the Mission Valley Animal Shelter and the shelter’s mission. I am excited to watch her succeed in her management role.”
Corkill took over as shelter manager after working nearly two years as the MVAS’s weekend kennel attendant.
“I absolutely loved my job,” Corkill said. “The kennel attendant position helped me learn the ins-and-outs of the day-to-day operations of the shelter.”
Overcrowding is the biggest challenge at the shelter, which takes in more than 500 animals each year. Corkill looks forward to improving the shelter’s ability and effectiveness to handle the stray animal population in Lake County, particularly the stray dog issue.
“The stray dog population has grown to an extreme amount in the last few years,” said Corkill.
Benson agreed with Corkill on the severity of the issue. “The stray dog issue in our community is way out of control,” said Benson. “Our shelter is always full, and we have to continually turn people away because we simply don’t have the room.”
Earlier this month, both Benson and Corkill met with county, city and tribal officials in a strategizing session to come up with a plan on how to combat the growing stray dog issue within the valley. “Many great ideas came from the meeting,” Benson said. “One thing that is being worked on is having the same dog ordinances throughout the valley.”
Corkill said recognizing the volunteer and foster care programs are on her list of projects. “One of the future goals I have for the shelter is to plan and host a volunteer and foster appreciation days,” said Corkill.
She learned the importance of volunteer work at a young age: “I volunteered at the shelter in the summers when I was a teenager.” Corkill said that through her volunteerism, she quickly realized how vital volunteers are to the successful operation of the shelter and how foster families help reduce the number of strays in the valley.
For more information on how to volunteer or programs offered by the MVAS, which includes the spay/neuter clinics, vaccines and microchipping, check out the shelter’s web page at https://www.missionvalleyanimalshelter.org or call 406-883-5312.
Those interested in adopting are encouraged to check out the shelter’s Facebook account or visit the shelter at 36251 N Reservoir Rd. in Polson.
