Shelter Me: Almost Home Animal Shelter

PENNSAUKEN, N.J. (WPVI) -- This week's Shelter Me Winner features a dog that was saved by a shelter. And now it's the shelter that needs to be rescued.

"When they found Norm, he wasn't in good shape, but they took him in," says Jerry Magrann.

Norm was found behind a bar with burn marks, mange and obvious neglect.

"Since he was found at a bar, he was named Norm," said Magrann, who adopted the dog in December 2014.

Rescued by the Almost Home Animal Shelter in Pennsauken, Norm was nursed by the staff from neglected to nurtured.

"He adjusted very well as soon as we took him home," said Magrann.

Nancy Welsh has been saving animals in Camden County for ten years.

"It's great when we see the success stories," says Welsh, executive director of Almost Home. "It makes it all worth it, even when you have bad days."

Almost Home is having some bad days right now, because the shelter's funding has been discontinued. Supporters are trying to raise funds to stay open.

"The plan is for us to close," Welsh told 6abc. "It's going to take at least $100,000 to get us started to change a few things in here."

Those changes would add vaccination and wellness clinics along with cosmetic improvements to the building.

But first, the shelter needs to relocate its current population of rescue animals.

"The animals that we have now have to find homes," said Welsh.

Those animals include dogs like Roger and cats like Skippy.

Sky is three years old and fully recovered from a mean case of mange. Now she's looking for a place to run.

And Harmony is between two and three years old, a blue pitbull mix who was abandoned by her owners.

Smudge was saved from a hoarding situation.

And Destiny came to Almost Home scared and neglected, but has received lots of love and plenty of long walks at the shelter.

Now she's ready to find that forever friendship.

If you're interested in Destiny or if you'd like to help the shelter as it tries to survive, you can visit the Almost Home Animal Shelter's Facebook page.

And if you'd like us to share your shelter success stories, post a picture to the FYI Philly Facebook page using #6abc Shelter Me and tell us where you adopted your pet and how much they mean to you.

Action News will feature your stories on upcoming Shelter Me segments.