Two individuals in St. Joseph have be awarded for their efforts in animal welfare.

The St. Joseph Animal Shelter held a special gathering Tuesday in recognition of two who received awards from the Missouri Animal Control Association. Ed Vanover, a volunteer with the animal shelter was awarded the “Paws for Applause.”

“They’re given out annually and they’re based on nominations from individuals or employees that work in the animal control field,” said Holly Bowie, Animal Control & Rescue Manager.

Bowie also received state recognition.  She received the “John Rhodes Award” for her efforts in increasing the department’s live release rate.

“It’s something that we’ve taken a lot of pride in and worked really hard on,” Bowie said. “Basically live release rate talks about how many animals come in versus how many go out so we’ve increased our adoptions, our redemptions, and our animals going to rescue significantly over the past few years.”

Bowie said the live release rate in dogs has gone from 40% to 80% in the past five years.