GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Happily Ever After, an animal shelter in Green Bay, hopes to find a home for every pet, a mission, they say, that's a community effort.
One of the first things you see when you walk into Happily Ever After is a photo of a barn. The picture is part of the non-profit's legacy.
HAE is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
"It started out of my parents house that my sister and I grew up in here in Ashwaubenon, in our garage," Marcus Reitz, director of branding and development, says. "That picture behind me is our grandfather’s farmstead and until this day, that property is our sanctuary location.”
The past two decades have been filled with the dedication and hard work of volunteers and the community.
“We have care morning, noon, night, overnights, to make sure these animals are loved," Katy Maier, program adoption manager, says.
The non-profit hopes to find a home for every pet. They offer education, adoption, low-cost spay and neuter services and sanctuary care.
“Happily ever after has a vision, to create a world where the life of every companion animal matters, every single one," Reitz says.
It's a mission, Reitz says, they can't accomplish alone.
“For the first 150 years since animal sheltering has really been around, our communities have looked to animal shelters to solve the problems, and really when you peel it back, the problem isn’t inside of shelters, the problem is outside of shelters, so we need to invite people in to be a part of a mission," Reitz says.
For Give Big Green Bay, HAE will be driving around the city in a limo filled with puppies.
They're also offering a 'Dog's Big Day Out,' where community members can take a dog with them for the day.
“It is open, it is welcoming, we want to share the joy that we have with these animals," Maier says.
