CAPS Struggling to Stay Solvent “We are overflowing in animals,” says a local volunteer

On August 2, the adorable spotted momma dog with big, brown eyes, Patsy, had 14 puppies, making the fourth litter born this year at the Churchill Animal Protective Society. CAPS is the local, non-profit, no-kill shelter for dogs and cats in Churchill County, located on Pasture Road near NAS Fallon.

CAPS has been a fixture in the community since 1986, when a group of volunteers got together to try to help with the excess animal problem across the community. Existing primarily on the generosity of volunteers and a contribution of $17,000 from Churchill County, members of the organization were thrilled in 2022 when the city and the county together purchased and approved buying a pre-engineered building and agreed to move CAPS out near the sewer treatment plant off Moody Lane.

But county budget cuts this year nixed that project, and the staff and team of dedicated volunteers are now scrambling to keep the dogs fed and the organization afloat. 

“Our donations have been drastically down since the county said they would help,” said Genevieve Jaslowski, CAPS volunteer and dog trainer, “people have told us they thought we were getting help, and so they haven’t been donating as much.”  

Jaslowski said many programs have had to be cut due to lost donations, including the SNAPS program, which helps low-income families with spaying and neutering.

Volunteers and staff are furiously working on fundraising efforts that have allowed CAPS to continue operating, but there is a long way to go to meet immediate needs, including a new boiler with a $10,000 quote, improvements to the well—volunteers continue to haul water in daily for the dogs to drink—and repairs to the kennel floors that come with a $40,000 price tag.

Besides the structural fixes needed, Jaslowski said that having people come to adopt dogs is really the biggest need right now. “We are full all the time. Anytime there is an open kennel, we go pull a dog from the city shelter to help them out.” CAPS currently has 18 dogs on site.

Jaslowski said as a trainer she is happy and willing to assist anyone to get set up who would be willing to foster animals from CAPS. Anyone interested in adopting or fostering can call CAPS at 775-423-7500. 

Anyone interested in donating to CAPS can do so through their website at capsnevada.org, through Venmo at Churchill Animal Protection Society, mail to PO Box 5128, or through the GoFundMe site at https://gofund.me/d9e491b8.