Stray and unwanted pets have filled shelters for years. Many no-kill shelters are full of them and in our area are often so full they are almost never able to take any more in. It is sad to see so many of these pets unwanted. Spaying and neutering is still the best way to help decrease the population of unwanted pets.There are approximately 60 dogs euthanized every week in the county in which I practice; most of these are strays that are diseased and malnourished, but the numbers are astonishing. At a recent meeting of veterinarians, county supervisers, attorneys, and law enforcement officials involved with our county shelter, we discussed the current situation with the shelter and what steps we can take to make it better.
Our goal is to develop a better system for pet owners to reunite with their lost pets, and help facilitate adoption of unclaimed pets, here in our county. To do that, we have some big obstacles to overcome, however. The short version is that our county population has grown by leaps and bounds over the last 15 years and with it, so has the number of shelter animals. When the current county shelter was established it was merely an afterthought; the facility was not equipped or staffed to operate like a modern shelter. Due to budget constraints and because the shelter is under the authority of the county, with sherriff deputies and trustees providing the management and care for the animals, the public cannot be allowed to come in and visit the animals; there's simply too much liability. Only the owners of picked-up strays are allowed to come to the shelter and their pet is brought to the front for positive identification and then relinquished.
So, ideally, we'd like to build a modern shelter facility that the people of our county can be proud of and interact with, in order to make the situation here much better. Right now, that simply isn't possible, given that there is no budget for it. We will be looking into grants and other means of financing this future endeavor, but you have to crawl before you can walk, so for now we are starting small...
We've challenged county officials to create a website/page dedicated solely to the shelter that can be used to post each pets' picture on, along with a brief description of the pet and where it was found. There will also be a link to each participating veterinarian in the county so potential adopters can find a veterinarian quickly. We also discussed using facebook to help adot pets as well. Once this photo gallery is up and running, people that are interested in adopting can view the animals picture and choose a pet. That pet will then be sent to the veterinary clinic of their choice to be viewed, in person, and interacted with; if selected for adoption, the veterinarian will then spay/neuter the pet and update its vaccinations at a discounted rate and will provide the newly adopted pet to the new owner immediately thereafter. Although not ideal, it is the best method we currently have to enhance our county shelter.
In addition to being involved with the shelter program and it's future enhancement, our clinic is currently considering a pet ID tag program, where we would offer an engraved ID tag and collar, on the spot for every puppy and kitten at the time of vaccinations. This is in addition to our rabies tag and permanent microchip ID that we already offer. We feel that every ID option we can offer will help get that pet back into its owners arms.
If you have ideas on how to help, or if you have information about grants or other funding methods for our county's shelter send them to my email.
picture credit: http://nodogaboutit.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/dogs-a-letter-from-a-shelter-manager/
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