Peaceable Kingdom, a no-kill animal shelter on MacArthur Road in Whitehall, celebrated its open house last Saturday.

According to their website, "Peaceable Kingdom is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization supported by business and community partners and concerned citizens in the Lehigh Valley. Peaceable Kingdom provides care and shelter to animals that are lost, injured or abandoned. Peaceable Kingdom offers no-kill solutions to the growing crisis of dog and cat overpopulation. Whether it's rescuing animals stranded by natural disaster, holding all-night adoption marathons or educating the public on animal welfare, Peaceable Kingdom is always in the forefront to provide care for them."

Although the animal shelter has been operating since 1998 (through personal residences), in 2002 Peaceable Kingdom opened its first animal shelter building and moved to its current location in 2005. The building was previously being rented, but recently the Peaceable Kingdom board of directors was able to purchase the building thanks to fundraisers and private donations.

Families who desired to adopt a pet, individuals who were looking for more information on volunteering and even young children who wanted to donate money raised from a lemonade stand all attended the event.

Visitors could meet Diego, an energetic one-and-a-half-year-old American bulldog; Oreo, a sweet six-year-old cat; or Chance, an 8-year-old chihuahua who wags his tail even before one says, "Hello."

Some of the board members discussed their positions at Peaceable Kingdom and the needs and concerns of the shelter, such as the dire importance of spaying and neutering one's pets.

Crystal Ranko has been the medical director of Peaceable Kingdom for eight years.

"I'm in charge of coordinating everything medically related to the shelter, whether it's ordering drugs [or] making sure all of the animals here are seen. We also have an affordable pet clinic, as well, so I'm also the scheduler for those appointments," Ranko said. "We can help people spay and neuter, which is our primary goal as a shelter."

Dr. Jenn Mahan is the Doctor of Veterinarian Medicine at the shelter. She has been at the shelter since August but became a full-time addition in February.

"I perform all of the spays and neuters," she said. "I take care of all the shelter pets, keeping them healthy, physical exams [and] diagnosing any issues with them."

Additionally, Kathy Tomecek has also been working at the shelter for eight years and is the chairman of the Peaceable Kingdom board and the foster care program coordinator for the shelter:

"I am responsible for receiving all of the calls about people [who] find kittens. I help whoever I can help," she said.

Last summer almost 150 kittens were placed into foster care.

It wasn't easy finding a permanent place for Peaceable Kingdom to stay. Thankfully, Whitehall Township was very supportive of their mission and goals and gave the board a big "Yes, you can stay; we welcome you," Tomecek said.

To date, $61,325 has been raised to help pay off the building. The members of the board, volunteers and the community are looking and hoping to increase those funds to $475,000.

"At the end of the day, we're a rescue, and we can't just keep giving things away for free because we have bills, too, so we're hoping somebody will support us," Tomecek said.

Peaceable Kingdom's motto for the animal shelter is a quote by Albert Einstein and includes the shelter's own addition: "The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."

Peaceable Kingdom has chosen to do something.

Visit www.lvpeaceablekingdom.info for more information on the animal shelter, how you can get involved and a listing of their upcoming events.