Agency - Mackenzie's Animal Sanctuary

~To find loving homes for abused, abandoned and neglected dogs.
~To spay/neuter our rescue dogs to stop the cycle of unwanted litters.
~To assist in public education for the betterment of our local animal community.
~To maintain the highest standards of care for the animals, including veterinary care.

Description:
We are the largest no-kill dog sanctuary in the Midwest and are dedicated to finding homes for abused, abandoned and neglected dogs.

Mackenzie's is federally recognized as a 501 c 3 non-profit organization and is solely funded by private donations and does not receive any local, state or federal funding.

Some of the activities our volunteers assist us with are:

~Exercise
~Reinforcing Training
~Voice recognition enrichment (reading)
~TLC
~Walking
~General Cleaning
~Canine enrichment preparation
~Educating the public to who we are/what we do
~Office Support to the Volunteer Coordinator,
Adoption Coordinator, Office Coordinator,
or Marketing/Fundraising Coordinator.

Orientation:
~Generally held twice a month on Saturday mornings at our main kennel building.
~For those that are not able to come on Saturday mornings, if scheduling allows, we can sometimes do orientation and training on Thursday or Friday mornings upon request.

~Email jschrier@mackpack.info or check our website: www.mackenzies.info for upcoming dates and times. The website also has a link to our volunteer application.

~Please complete application and receive confirmation prior to attending an orientation.


Time Commitment:
~Once our two training sessions are completed, volunteers are able to volunteer at the kennel as they have time available to donate.

~Other volunteer opportunities that may be closer to home include fundraisers, special events, material and donation box distribution. We pair first time event volunteers with veteran volunteers for in the field training.

Age Requirements:
~To work independently in the kennel, volunteers must be at least 16 yrs old.
~Volunteers ages 8 through 15 years of age may volunteer in the kennel with full time accompaniment of a parent or legal guardian.

Other Areas of Volunteer Interest:
~Holding donation drives for toys, treats, bedding, making homemade dog treats (we have recipes), have your own MAS fundraiser - "pop cans for pooches", "coins for canines", bake sales, car washes, lawn mowing, snow shoveling, leaf raking, "dance for dogs", "animal party", charge admission for an event as "cash for canines" or "presents for pooches" or any other great ideas you may have.

~Indivduals with home businesses such as Rubbermaid, Scentsy, Avon, etc. have also held personal one time/multi-time awareness/fundraisers too!

~Do you think you have another way to help? Please let us know!

History:
The Azzar family founded Mackenzie’s Animal Sanctuary in August of 1999 after the passing of their beloved dog, Mackenzie. We go to area shelters and rescue adoptable dogs that might otherwise be euthanized. We use SAFER testing and Meet Your Match testing as well as our multi-step adoption process to place our dogs in loving forever homes.

Contact person: Jorel Davis, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email)

Address:

8935 Thompson Rd. Lake Odessa, MI 48849 (See a map)

Directions:

From the west: Take I-96 East - Exit 52 M-50 Lowell/Charlotte. Turn south (right) Drive south 5 miles until you come to a red flashing stop. This is 92nd St. Turn east (left) Continue east on 92nd (M-50) for 6 miles. You are almost there when you pass the Pleasant Valley Church and Michigan Dutch barns, both on your right. Look for a silo with a white top and green stars, then a mail box with the number 8935 on the south (right side). This is the drive way. You will also see a large grey stone with “Mackenzie’s Animal Sanctuary” carved on it to your left. Follow the driveway between two barns and then down a hill, the last large, white building on the left. This is the main kennel, that is where you want to be. Parking lot next to the building has four parking spots. If that is full continue up the hill and park on the right.