KILLEEN - Little Brandy was ready to go to a new home when Michelle Redden unlatched the gate to the kennel and carried the squirming 4-pound Chihuahua to the waiting arms of her new owners.

A match made in heaven, it seems, but that is often not the case.

In fact, those matches and mismatches are all part of running a non-profit no-kill animal facility in Bell County, and that is something Ginger Smith-Holme is accustomed to as the shelter manager of Second Chance Animal Shelter in Killeen, as is Redden, who helps run the shelter for the Salado Humane Society.

Both are similar in that they are 501(c)3 facilities and operate purely on the kindness of others.

“They come from the general public, we have the Combined Federal Campaign, the United Way and sometimes different organizations and businesses donate to us,” Ms. Smith-Holme said.

The Fort Hood Officers Wives Club, Toyota, Wal-Mart and Target also play a vital role in ensuring that all those dogs and cats in the facility get that second chance at a good home.

Second Chance, known as the Centex Humane Society, has been a part of the Bell County community since 1975, but they’ve been at their current location since about 1998.

The Salado Humane Society previously operated through the use of foster homes for unwanted animals.

However, all of that changed last year when the shelter received a grant from Pet Smart to build a kennel and a storage facility on their property on Cedar Creek Road off Farm to Market Road 317.

Ms. Redden and her husband, James, used the money to obtain the materials from Lowe’s in Temple and built both buildings themselves.

“It took him three months,” Ms. Redden said.

So how much does it cost to operate a shelter like these?

The cost is unknown for the members of the Salado Humane Society because the facility is still brand new, and the costs often vary, but Ms. Smith-Holme said it can cost about $25,000 per month to care for the dogs and cats in her shelter.

Of course, both shelters come by much of what they need at no cost, with the exception of veterinary costs.

“All of the dogs that we adopt out have had everything done,” Ms. Redden said.

That includes all shots, spaying or neutering and micro-chipping and that is why the adoption fee is in place.

“We are lucky that we have some veterinarians that will do that for us,” Ms. Smith-Holme said. “Every adult animal that leaves our shelter is spayed or neutered about 99.9 percent of the time.”

To adopt a dog from either facility can cost as much as $150, but that depends on the size of the animal, Ms. Smith-Holme said.

Local merchants always seem to pull through for the shelters, Ms. Smith-Holme and Ms. Redden said.

Of course, more is needed to help out Kitty and Fido, and that includes, supplies, funding and a helping hand.

“We need money, but we always need volunteers,” Ms. Smith-Holme said.