This calendar is intended to provide a prevue of coming events. Events sometimes get added, changed or deleted on short notice and may not be reflected on this calendar. You may therefore wish to check the Calendar and/or Upcoming Events for any last minute changes and/or additional information. You may also contact the shelter at 217.835.2538, or website editor at 217.891.0502, for additional information.
Coming events . . .
Farmers Market - Rochester, Multiple Dates (below)
(June 8 & 22, July 13 & 27, August 10 & 24, September 14, 12 to 3pm)
Italian-American Days - City Park, Benld, Saturday-Sunday, May 23-25
Volunteer Day - 807 Stewart Ave, Benld, Saturday, June 7, 8:30-11:30am
Annual Meeting - 807 Stewart Ave, Benld, Saturday, June 14, 11am
Clear The Shelters Month - On-Line Giving, August 1-31
Charity Golf Tournament - Staunton Country Club, Staunton, Saturday, August 9, Time TBA
Paws-A-Palooza - Community Park, Chatham, Sunday, September 28, 9am
Roadblock - Downtown, Staunton, Date & Time TBA
Trivia Night - Concordia Hall, 729 S Union St, Staunton, Saturday, November 2, 6pm
News and Events . . .
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Daisy, now Sandy, has settled into her new home nicely
Sandy getting cozy with Mr. Gary, her new feline companion.
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Sometimes you just want to get away from it all and enjoy a little peace and quiet. Here, Sandy has found her a perch high above the maddening crowd.
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Who's eyeballing who? Sandy and her new canine companion (who, since we didn't get his name, shall be known simply as "Dog"), checking each other out.
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Good evening! I just wanted to reach out and give some photos of Sandy. I adopted her in December of last year. I believe her name was Daisy? We changed it right when we got in the car. Sandy suits her. She is absolutely nuts, but the sweetest girl. Her and Mr.Gary, my old man are best friends. She finally adjusted to our brown lab and loves to follow him around. She keeps us entertained with her crazy personality and her love of taking things and hiding them. She has been the best cat. 04/30/2025
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May News Notes now available on website
You can choose either the MP4 or PDF versions of our e-news below. For the MP4 (top) make sure your sound is turned up.
To freeze the page on MP4, click anywhere on it, then click again when ready to resume.
To enlarge the pages on MP4, click on arrows at bottom right corner of page.
If you encounter any difficulties please call 217.891.0502 for assistance.
If you would like to have News Notes emailed to you, please send your Name, Address and Email to [email protected]
To freeze the page on MP4, click anywhere on it, then click again when ready to resume.
To enlarge the pages on MP4, click on arrows at bottom right corner of page.
If you encounter any difficulties please call 217.891.0502 for assistance.
If you would like to have News Notes emailed to you, please send your Name, Address and Email to [email protected]
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More pics of our Easter Animals . . .
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Buddy
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Dana
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Sissy
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Allison & Madison
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Mish
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Catsby
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Thanks to our great staff for putting this display together! You did good; have a Happy Easter!
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It's raining (treats for the) cats and dogs!
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The Bunker Hill Livewires 4-H Club made dog and cat treats for BAAP! Charlotte from the 4-H club dropped off the treats and snuggled with kitten Russell. 01/20/2025
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Shelter declares a "Snow Day"
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Entrance to the shelter.
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Clearing the parking lot.
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Small dog pens.
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Large dog pens.
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NOTE: No dogs are ever housed overnight in the outdoor pens shown above. They are only kept there for short periods of time during the day as appropriate and are closely monitored at all times.
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Local Scout comes to aid of shelter
In above photo, Scout Brady (sitting) has a well deserved smile on his face after completing his project to equip our Dog Exercise Pen with some badly needed equipment that he himself built. Below photo's are of Bella, a young Lab / Pit mix resting on some of the newly installed pads. 10/28/2024
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Carol and Olivia "go back to school"
Executive Director Carol and Shelter Manager Olivia Wise visited with the Gillespie High School CEO class on 10/17/24 to talk about how to safely interact with a large group of dogs. They are planning to have a 5k run on November 16th in Carlinville which is to include dogs. More details to come, but they have asked for us to join them for the event and bring our tag machine and, if possible, some of our adoptable dogs. 10/22/2024
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Little Beagle mix puppy Joose is looking dapper in his foster home. 09/22/2024
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Batman the cat found wounded in Mount Olive
Updated 10/22/2024
Batman's medical bills have been paid in full, thanks to the generosity of a good samaritan who wishes to remain anonymous.
Updated 10/22/2024
Batman's medical bills have been paid in full, thanks to the generosity of a good samaritan who wishes to remain anonymous.
We received a call from B and K Bakery in Mount Olive on Thursday that there was a stray cat running around dragging a hind leg. They asked us if we could help. The fact that they help us a lot at the shelter and do fundraisers for us a couple of times a year not withstanding, we knew that we had to help this boy. They tried to catch the cat on Friday so he could be checked out, but he knew something was up so he ran off at first, but they were finally able to collar him. The cat, named Batman, was taken to Dr. Helgen's office in Litchfield where they x-rayed him and determined that he had been shot with a Pellet gun in the back right leg. Since the pellet shattered his leg it had to be amputated.
The total invoice for Batman's surgery was $1558.88. Original exam, x-ray, and Feline test was $335.72. The surgery, bloodwork, go home medications, and a couple of Klaser therapy treatments was $1223.16. He had previously been taken into APL by a neighbor about 6 months ago to be neutered and vaccinated.
Batman is currently recovering from his surgery in a Foster Home until such time as he is deemed ready for adoption.
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Augie got adopted!
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Sunday, September 8th, was going home day for Augie, a young Poodle/Bernese Mountain Dog, pictured here with her new "mother". 09/09/2024
Our cats are now enjoying their new Catio
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Photos above and below show some of our cats exploring their new Catio. The new Catio allows our felines to get some fresh air whenever the weather permits. This addition to our shelter, made possible by a generous donation from one of our supporters, is one of several projects planned to enhance living conditions for the animals at our shelter. 09/13/2024
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Mister Z, one of our "alphabet" puppies finds his new home
Mister Z (right) seems a bit uncertain whether his new roomie is just being protective, or trying to take his toy away from him. 08/24/2024
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Chewy goes home!
Chewy, a 4 month old Blue Heeler, came to Petco in Springfield yesterday looking for a new home. He got that as well as a step-brother, Bowser, a Beagle, to romp around with. 07/28/2024
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Puppies go to library to improve their reading skills
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On Thursday, July 26th, Executive Director Carol Richards (wearing blue shirt in picture at lower left) and Shelter Manager Olivia Wise brought Mister T and Mister Z, a couple of adorable Pit/Lab mix puppies to the Public Library in Benld to entertain the children. Judging from the above photos it's hard to tell who had the most fun, the children or the puppies. 07/26/2024
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Marmalade and Wilma give a big paws up to their new quarters
Marmalade is the one with more visible white on his chin, he is also the one laying on his side under the cat tower. They are loving their newly remodeled cat room. 07/10/2024
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Volunteer Day a big success!
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On Saturday, July 6th, under a bright blue sky, a dozen or so volunteers turned out to help spruce up the shelter grounds at Benld Adopt-A-Pet, under the direction of Volunteer Coordinator Gina Gucciardo (holding straw hat). You did good guys and gals, and we THANK YOU for it!
07/07/2024 
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A night at the movies . . .
Thank you to Animal Medical Center and Skyview Drive-In for hosting a free movie night with donation collection for Benld Adopt A Pet on June 27th 2024. The community really showed up for the animals in need by donating 361 pounds of dry food and 100 cans of wet food! We are truly grateful for your generosity. 06/28/2024
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And a very happy birthday to you Josie!
Thank you and Happy 8th Birthday to Josie Buskik! Instead of getting gifts for herself, Josie asked for donation items for the animals at BAAP. Featured with Josie is kitten Raven. 06/24/2024
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BAAP Alumni Moses, now Diggory, celebrates 9th Birthday. You look great guy!
06/25/2024
06/25/2024
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Chewy decides to try the Foster life
Young puppy Chewy enjoyed his first big boy walk with his foster family. Chewy is a 10 week old Blue Heeler Mix that will be looking for a forever home once he is able to be neutered. At this time we do not know when he will be available as he hasn't fully dropped as of yet. Chewy is being fostered by staff member Allison where he has been learning how to walk on a leash, crate training, how to play with other dogs, basic commands, and potty training. 06/02/2024 
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Just in time for Mother's Day!
We had an extra special start to Mother's day today. Precious arrived extremely pregnant on May 10th and we came into six newborn babies today May 12th! Mom and babies are doing really well so far. While we may not know if this is her first litter, we are happy this will be her last litter as she and babies will be altered prior to adoption. 05/12/2024
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Morel wastes no time settling into new home
Morel, a Pit mix puppy, was adopted at PetSmart on May 4, 2024 and, as these pictures indicate, is settling in nicely with his new big sister at his new home. 05/07/2024
Morel, a Pit mix puppy, was adopted at PetSmart on May 4, 2024 and, as these pictures indicate, is settling in nicely with his new big sister at his new home. 05/07/2024
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Jacob volunteers day of community service to shelter
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On Sunday, April 14th, Jacob (5th grade) spent the afternoon volunteering at the shelter for a community service project for school. He loved the whole experience and Blue Jay even more! He made Kong treats for the dogs, shredded paper for our puppies, and spent a lot of his time playing with Blue Jay, a young Shepherd puppy, in our play yard. 04/16/2024
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Mercy Dog Training conducts training session at BAAP
Above: Representatives of Mercy Dog Training and BAAP Staff pose for group photo at end of training session.
We had a great day from Have Mercy Dog Training. It was very informative and nice to see different ways to reach the same goal but tailored to our needs at the shelter. We look forward to what the future brings for staff, volunteers and especially the animals. 04/15/2024
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Gillespie Daisy Troop 6135 pays visit to BAAP
Shelter Manager Olivia Wise (at left kneeling and holding Creme) with members of Gillespie Daisy Troop 6135, who visited the shelter Friday 4/12/24 to deliver some donations they collected and to spend some time with Creme. 04/15/2024
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BAAP receives generous donation from Mouse Races in Staunton
President Tom Allen of the Staunton Country Club, presenting BAAP Executive Director Carol Richards with a $1000 check as a donation from the money raised at the Mouse Races held in Staunton on March 16th. 04/14/2024
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Willie; wondering what happened to the sun
Staff members, including Makensie above, got to take a moment to observe the Eclipse. Willie, a Basset/Lab mix had a photo op when it was safe for him to be outside. All dogs and cats were kept indoors during the eclipse to protect their eyes. Maybe by the next eclipse they will have dog/cat safe glasses for them to wear. Ha-ha-ha. 04/09/2024
Kevin is in his forever foster home at last!
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A few photos of Kevin in his forever foster home and enjoying a nap in the sun. You can tell by the smile on his face when getting a kiss from his foster mom he is right where he is supposed to be. 04/08/2024
Note: When Kevin first arrived at BAAP we were advised it might be better to just "let him go", as he was in really bad shape and would require numerous expensive surgeries, but this is not what we are about, so with the assistance of our devoted supporters we raised the funds to pay for Kevin's surgeries and today he is a sweet happy boy enjoying his new life and home.
Note: When Kevin first arrived at BAAP we were advised it might be better to just "let him go", as he was in really bad shape and would require numerous expensive surgeries, but this is not what we are about, so with the assistance of our devoted supporters we raised the funds to pay for Kevin's surgeries and today he is a sweet happy boy enjoying his new life and home.
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More happy "tails" of adoptions taking place
Saturday, April 6, was a good day for adoptions at BAAP. Above photo shows Sassy and Polli, two young cats, preparing to leave for their new home together, while in photo at right Sparrow, a young Shepherd puppy who was adopted at Rural King in Litchfield, is shown getting acquainted with his new family. 04/08/2024
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Scrabble and Jenga are best of friends and often seen snuggling each other such as above. They'd love a home together or with other cats to help continue bringing them out of their shells. 02/05/2024
Update!
They say that if you wish for something hard enough, your wishes can come true. Well, Scrabble and Jenga must have been wishing really hard, because as of this morning, they are both now in a great new home -- together! 02/10/2024
Update!
They say that if you wish for something hard enough, your wishes can come true. Well, Scrabble and Jenga must have been wishing really hard, because as of this morning, they are both now in a great new home -- together! 02/10/2024
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Check out our Facebook page . . .
. . . just click on the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/benldadoptapet/
. . . just click on the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/benldadoptapet/
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Donate the easy way . . .
(Click on button below)
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Helpful Hearts
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09.03.2019
We have just revised the way our Helpful Hearts animals are listed on our website. We previously had these animals listed on both our "Adoptable Cats/Dogs" pages, as well as on a page entitled "Helpful Hearts". This resulted in both confusion, and a duplication of time and effort in maintaining these pages.
We now have our Helpful Heart animals designated as such on our "Adoptable Cats/Dogs" pages, and have deleted these listings on our "Helpful Hearts" page. Our "Helpful Hearts" page now contains only an explanation of how the program is administered, an example of our application to sponsor a Helpful Heart animal, and a link whereby you may download a copy of this application.
To choose a Helpful Heart, you need only go to the "Adoptable Cats/Dogs" page, where you will see a red heart and the words "Helpful Heart" following the animals name at the top of the listing. If an animal already has a Helpful Heart Sponsor, that information is displayed to the right of this. It is possible for an animal to have more than one Helpful Heart Sponsor.
If you have any questions about anything on our website relating to our Helpful Hearts Program, please contact us at 217.891.0502, or e-mail us by clicking on link below.
