News Release

PIERCETON — The Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County has been awarded the 2022 Best Friends Animal Society Network Partner “Touchstone” award. This Lifesaving award was announced at the Best Friends annual national conference.

AWL was one of five shelters in the country, out of 3,700, to receive this award. The five shelters were chosen, based on their intake size, for saving the lives of cats and dogs at an unprecedented rate and for using creative solutions to maximize lifesaving in their community.

“Along with our amazing staff, executive director and board of directors, we are committed to working for — and engaging with — our Kosciusko community through educational programing, reuniting pets with their owners, a robust kitty fosters program and innovative adoption promotions,” said John Lantz, AWL’s board president. “These are all key pieces of our lifesaving strategy for abandoned and unwanted pets from Kosciusko County.”

The Animal Welfare League was selected for the Touchstone Award based on national shelter data and work from calendar year 2021. National, state and shelter level data can be found on the pet lifesaving dashboard published by Best Friends.

“It’s incredible to see so many shelters around the nation taking dramatic steps to increase lifesaving,” said Brent Toellner, senior director, national programs for Best Friends Animal Society. “Whether it be through new programming, progressive leadership or better collaborative partnerships, these groups are showing that lifesaving success is possible regardless of a shelter’s size or location.”