Current League Members

Jill Mitchell 

“When I was about 12 years old, I would ride my horse by the old dog pound. It was next to the golf course in the 1960s. I would stop and greet the dogs. They seemed so glad to get some attention and seemed sad when I left. At the time, I didn’t realize the fate of most of the animals. Maybe some were retrieved by their owners, but I never knew. 

Years later I was drawn to the shelter by a desire to help homeless or unwanted animals. It was now in a new location, but the animals still needed help. At that time, the animals at the shelter were euthanized weekly. The Saline Animal League was only allowed to clean up dog pens at first. It was so difficult, and I was heartsick when perfectly good animals were destroyed. It wasn’t happening because Animal Control wanted to put animals down. They just didn’t have a way to deal with animals that were impounded. SAL changed the kill pound into a no-kill shelter. While that status for the (now) city pound has recently changed, fast-forward to our unexpected, but new-found mission at our Red House Rescue where we will continue those values we hold dear!

Bonnie Harvey

“I moved to Marshall in 1997.  A few years later, I was looking for ways to meet new people, and because of my love of animals, I stopped by the local animal shelter one day to ask about volunteering. The immediate need was volunteers for Pet Adoption Days at the Kansas City PetSmarts on Saturdays, as I soon found out was one of the most important events SAL had been providing to the local shelter.. I transported dogs for many years to those adoption events. I also helped the staff at the shelter cleaning the catroom, doing laundry, picking up supplies, transporting animals for vetting and to rescues, walking dogs and helping with fundraisers for the League. It has been so rewarding to see how far we've come over the nearly 30 years since the League's inception. It takes a village to care for the many abandoned and sick animals that end up in our care at our now Red House Rescue where they get the very best of care from our wonderful employees and volunteers.”

Disa Farris

“I’ve loved animals all my life, and served as a volunteer with the St. Louis Humane Society as a high school student. I moved to Marshall in 1974, to attend college, and stayed to raise my family. I remember my young sons and I would “cruise the pound” which was a pretty awful place at the time, when we were looking for a puppy to adopt, and often donated items to the shelter. Years later, I adopted a beautiful black puff of a puppy from the local shelter in 2006. I was immediately drawn to how loving and caring the SAL staff was at taking care of this abandoned and sick little pup, before I scooped him up to give him his forever home for the next 13 years, and wanted to give back to this amazing organization that is Saline Animal League, which had been assisting in the humane running of the city shelter for quite some time. In addition to providing donated items throughout the years, lending a hand during fundraisers, doing some animal rescue transports, and working some adoption events, I also produce our SAL newsletter, and assisted in establishing this website for the League and our Red House Rescue. Yaaaayyy to our new Red House Rescue!"

Terrie Woodsmall

“Some years ago, I was working a booth at the Relay for Life when then-SAL president, Sheila, approached me about fostering a 6-month old puppy that had been horribly abused. He could not be adopted because there was a criminal case that had not yet gone to court (my husband said the puppy was in the Witness Protection Program!). I said yes and then became involved with the Animal League. At that time there were only a few members. Later, I was appointed the treasurer's job, and I maintain that role today for the League, in addition to working in adoption events, helping with fundraisers, and transporting animals.”

Amy Ludwig

“I went to Petsmart for supplies and saw a group of dogs for adoption. I met Marlene and we talked about fostering dogs. In June 2016, I was blessed with Mittens, my first foster. From then on, I have fostered 26 dogs for Saline Animal League, and had only one foster fail! There could have been more but they were adopted. The members who come to the city to work the adoptions are wonderful, hard working people, and I’m so proud that they are now friends of mine!”

Marlene Jeffers

“I got involved with the League in 2011. I was in the Liberty Petsmart store and saw Bonnie and Terrie setting up for dog adoptions on a Saturday. I couldn't believe how hard they worked to unload the van, set up, and then had to work all day. I told them I'd be back in the afternoon to help load up. I did, and that led to meeting the van, and working the adoptions, which eventually led to helping oversee cat adoptions at Petsmart. Fortunately over the years there's been people, like Amy, to fill in when I couldn't do all that needed to be done.”