Just so you know, there is hope. I used to volunteer at our local shelter walking dogs (having to go back to work put an end to that for now). We had a wonderful woman who decided to make a difference for all the animals at our shelter. She began organizing people who wanted to volunteer and set up a schedule so that twice a day, every day, people come in to walk and play with the dogs. Same thing with the cats (okay, not walking, but petting and brushing them). This really helps to socialize the animals and they are not so hyper or afraid of people when prospective owners come in to look. Also, the volunteers would make notes about the animals so that people would know how the animal behaved. Even a few dog trainers would volunteer their time to work with some of the more problematic animals. This lady then began making contacts with all kinds of rescue groups and other organizations, and got a web site set up to show what animals were available and told as much as they knew about the animal. Lots of public education about spay/neutering, almost all the vets in the area offer low-cost (sometimes no-cost) spay/neuter for animals adopted from the shelter. The result - the euthenasia (sp?) rate for our shelter dropped from almost 40% to 3% - that's right THREE percent! Pretty incredible! I volunteered there for three years and during that time the only animals put down were those that were too sick (literally dying of cancer) or too vicious to be adoptable. Oh yeah, she also set up a non-profit that was used to pay vet bills for animals that came in needing treatment (the countly only has a budget to spend about $30/animal on vet stuff). Some of these animals only had flea allergies or food allergies, some had broken bones, etc. Perfectly good animals that most people would pass over because of their medical condition, but with treatment were easily adopted. We also have incredible people up here who are willing to adopt all kinds of animals with disabilites - blind, deaf, missing limbs, etc. There were even a few who took home dogs that they knew were dying, but wanted them to have a good last few months. I don't think it's just people in our area; I think if given the knowledge and opportunity people will really step up to the plate and try to make a difference.
So, it is possible for things to be different at the shelter. It does, however, take some very dedicated people to make such a difference. Good luck, and remember - every action done with love, no matter how small it may seem, does make a difference to all in this world.
Liz
So, it is possible for things to be different at the shelter. It does, however, take some very dedicated people to make such a difference. Good luck, and remember - every action done with love, no matter how small it may seem, does make a difference to all in this world.
Liz
