The President of Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue says they're not sure what to make of a letter received from the city.

Earlier this week, we broke the story that the organization had requested support from City Council towards establishment of a permanent animal shelter. Michelle Neufeld says the city has acknowledged their letter, and simply stated it will not be taking any further action at this time.

"We're not quite sure what that means," says Neufeld. "We're thinking maybe our letter was misinterpreted."

According to Neufeld, her organization was hoping for a definitive answer on whether or not the city supports the idea of an animal shelter.

"We weren't necessarily asking for a handout or anything like that," she says.

Neufeld says the letter from the city is a little disappointing, calling it brief and lacking explanation. She notes they would like to know whether or not the city even wants such a shelter in Steinbach. If it doesn't support such a facility, Neufeld says they will look elsewhere.

Neufeld says they are now wondering where to go from here. She says they might write another letter to City Council, just to get more clarification. The organization is currently working on its charitable status; after which they will then apply for government grants. Neufeld says they haven't heard if there are any grants available from the City of Steinbach, but notes if there are, they will definitely pursue those.

The President says they have received a lot of feedback since the story went public this week. She notes a lot of people support the idea of a permanent animal shelter and are asking City Council to do the same.

So far in 2016, Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue has adopted 30 cats, 4 dogs and 1 rabbit. In addition to that, there are 11 cats and 1 dog currently in care. Neufeld explains they have tried setting money aside to be used towards opening a shelter. But she says in 2015, they raised approximately $19,000 through fundraisers and 80% of that money went towards pet care, including medical supplies and food.

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