Puyallup Animal Shelter Faces Financial Hardship, Asks Community for Support

A Puyallup animal shelter has asked for the community's support to help it avoid foreclosure on its East Main Avenue Facility.

In a message posted to its website, Sunny Sky's Animal Rescue says the trouble started when it received conflicting information from Pierce County about its tax-exemption status as a nonprofit. When the shelter's mortgage company found out about the owed taxes, it demanded Sunny Sky's pay the mortgage in full, according to the shelter.

Sunny Sky's is now attempting to raise $30,000 to pay the taxes and buy time to sell the property. A little more than $2,000 had been pledged to online fundraising site GoFundMe and $50 to a second site, as of Thursday morning.

Sunny Sky's was founded in 2010 by Dr. Illina Berton and was granted status as a 501(c)(3) in 2011, according to its Facebook page. To make a donation to the shelter via GoFundMe, click here.

Here is Berton's entire message about the financial situation, as posted on Sunny Sky's website:

The county had told us that we qualified for an exemption on our property tax because we are a 501c3. Then they said we didn't qualify. Then they said we did. Then they weren't sure. Then they said we did. Then they said we didn't (not kidding). However, during this time, the taxes due were accumulating to the point where they are now. We thought that, since we qualified for the exemption, it wouldn't matter. Then our mortgage company found out about the taxes and called in the note- demanding we pay the whole mortgage due and the taxes.

We then listed the property for sale, as we have equity in the property. However, the mortgage company are not very cooperative and they have decided to try to have the property placed in receivership on Monday (March 25). If that happens we will likely be evicted and we will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the building. We have been trying to contact a lawyer, but can't find one on short notice. Our hope is that if we pay the taxes, then the judge will not place the building in receivership and we will have adequate time to sell and move and some equity to be able to do so. It is possible that if we just pay one years taxes ($10,000) then that *might* be enough to stave off the mortgage company. We will still need to move at the end of it all, but we have applied for grants and local funding that will hopefully come through.

We have been actively trying to work with the mortgage company, but they do not want to assist us at all. It seems to be their fondest wish to get us out of this building. The county has, unfortunately, continued to provide us with misinformation, that has had seriously negative consequences.