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The grand opening took place in store on Jan. 14 at 751 10th St. in Fortuna. All proceeds from the store benefit the abandoned and homeless animals at Miranda's Rescue. The store and shelter both operate as businesses that depend on donations to pay their bills. Donations for the thrift store can be scheduled for a drop-off or made anytime during store hours from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. All profits derived from the store are allotted to pay for the costs of running the animal shelter. "What donations don't pay for my wife and I do," said Shannon Miranda, executive director of Miranda's Rescue and Miranda's Rescue Thrift Store. "We do grant writing. The grants are getting better." He said out of his love and compassion for animals, Miranda first opened Miranda's Rescue in 1995. The shelter is located at 1603 Sandy Prairie Rd. in Fortuna. Miranda is available at the shelter anytime on Saturdays, while appointments are mandatory for other days. Miranda said his mission is to place every animal in a good, loving home. He said the shelter is a no-kill facility. He said only in rare cases has he had to put an animal to sleep. Almost all of the animals at the shelter are adoptable or treatable, he said. Miranda's Rescue has about 40 cats and 20 dogs up for adoption. The shelter is also home to horses, llamas, geese and pigs. "It's pretty much any animal -- large and small," Miranda said. To adopt any animal, one must fill out an application and pay a small fee to help cover some of Miranda's costs. The cats and dogs are spayed or neutered and have had some vaccinations. Some of the pets are housebroken and have obedience training. The fee to adopt a dog is $80 and for a cat is $30. Pet store prices often demand more than $1,000 for a purebred dog. To bring in a dog, Miranda said he asks for a $50 fee. "If they want us to help out with their situation, I feel their dog's life should be worth at least $50," he said. "Obviously I wouldn't kill an animal over money." Miranda said he had to install surveillance cameras to deter people from simply dropping animals off at the shelter. Miranda said he feels he offers a fair method for animals to be brought in. He said the animal shelter needs donations such as litter, food and blankets for the animals. The store accepts donations of all kinds. Some of the items for sale at the thrift store include clothing, books, video games and music. Both Miranda's Rescue and Miranda's Rescue Thrift Store are in need of volunteers. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Shannon Miranda at 725-4449. Every dollar spent at the store goes to the animals. As an added incentive, they may still have Nirvana's "Nevermind" on compact disc or Led Zeppelin's classic "Led Zeppelin II" on vinyl.
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