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POINT PLEASANT — The Mason County Animal Shelter has added a welcome addition thanks to a $13,000 grant.

The grant, awarded by the Robert and Louise Claflin Foundation, funded the construction of a 30-by-40 foot concrete pad with a carport type aluminum permanent cover. Under the carport are a number of five-by-10 foot kennels.

The addition, which sits behind the shelter, will serve several purposes. It will allow animals housed at the shelter to be in a safe, outside environment while their inside kennels are being cleaned and dry. It allows dogs to be outside with the benefit of adequate shelter. It can also serve as a place for potential adopters to spend alone time with a specific dog outside. The new outdoor kennels are not meant to be used for any permanent or extended overnight housing of animals.

Last week, the new addition to the shelter was shown off to County Administrator John Gerlach, Stephen Littlepage who administers the Claflin Foundation, Wetzel (Doc) Fields who is the secretary of the Claflin Foundation and Harry Roush who was hired to work on the special plaque dedication outside the structure. Though Brent Sang of French City Builders was not there, Gerlach said he also deserved special mention for his help on the project.

This is the third Claflin grant the shelter has received. The Claflin’s, who were from New Haven, had no children of their own and were said to be immersed in community and church activities – they attended New Haven Church of God. They focused on personal health and wellness, enjoyed reading and strongly believed in academic achievement in the education setting and realized the betterment of self in the classroom of life.

The couple was also devoted to the care of stray animals in the community by providing food, companionship and sometimes, shelter to cats and dogs, which makes the donation to the animal shelter fitting, to say the least.

Fields said he hopes more people become aware of the Claflin Foundation and what it can give back to the community.

The Claflin grants are awarded every fall in the areas of personal health/wellness, literacy, education, arts/music, animal care, health maintenance and prevention. For those wishing to find out more about the Claflin grants, call Littlepage at 304-675-1360.

The Mason County Animal Shelter is in need of adopters to provide homes to loving animals. The shelter is open from 1 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday. Many dogs, cats and particularly kittens have recently been taken in at the shelter which can be reached at 304-675-6458.