Local philanthropist John Kramer has pledged $10,000 to the Flathead County Animal Shelter for major kennel health improvements, including air conditioning, if certain conditions are met.

He helps those who help themselves, so the shelter and its supporters will be expected to raise the other $33,714 it will cost to renovate the 13-year old facility.

“We were built as a short-term facility,” said Myni Ferguson, Flathead Shelter Friends volunteer. “We aren’t euthanizing the animals after three days anymore, and we have to adjust for that.”

The kennels are full and for a long time were too hot in the summer. 

Shelter Director Cliff Bennett said a quick solution was large industrial fans from Murdoch’s, but these cause problems, too.

Because many of the dogs at the shelter are not vaccinated, a fan blowing air and dander around has the risk of carrying disease.

“We actually just had a particularly virulent strain of upper respiratory disease,” Bennett said. “We have to run the fans and those are bad disease spreaders. It’ll cost between $15,000 and $20,000 for the air conditioning.”

The air conditioning is easily the biggest part of the $43,714 project, which seeks to give dogs more healthy room to run around and go outside in. 

Guillotine doors will be built in the wall of 25 kennels, allowing dogs to go outside simply by pulling up a string. Constructing the openings will cost $8,620 and the insulated doors $5,334. Vinyl fence panels for the outside enclosures will cost $3,360, gates for the enclosures will cost $5,130 and Plexiglas panels $1,270.

All of these measures are meant to keep dogs from fighting, spreading disease and increasing the likelihood of an owner (or prospective owner) of taking home a healthy dog. With 55 dogs currently at the shelter, it’s getting crowded and more difficult to keep the canines from spreading sickness.

Bennett boasts that not only does the shelter return one third of all its animals to owners (well above the one-in-10 national average) but it runs more than $30,000 under the budget the county has allotted. 

He also said the support the shelter receives on a regular basis from the people of Flathead County was amazing.

“People like the fact that we aren’t killing animals,” Bennett said. “We want to do anything we can to get dogs home faster.”

Kramer, an animal lover, has helped the shelter before. 

Ferguson knows the philanthropist and ran into him at the Whitefish Farmers Market, where the discussion of a pledge began.

“He’s supported us before,” Ferguson said. “It’s how we built ‘Smallville,’ the room for small dogs. He’s always happy to help, but he makes you work for it.”

Kramer started the Kramer Family Foundation just for projects like this, and he splits his time between California and the Flathead Valley. He could not be reached for comment.

Any money over the amount the shelter is hoping to raise won’t be wasted or go into the coffers, Ferguson said. It will go directly to the expansion of a new cat wing. The shelter currently holds 38 cats, including several kittens.

For more information, the shelter’s number is 752-1310. 

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.