This past year simply flew by with the help of our community’s support for the Shelter. With each passing month we kept hearing increasingly positive feedback from many people that they were happy to come to the Shelter and see how well the animals were being cared for during their stays with us. Some changes in our daily operations allowed the Shelter to become highly accessible to all people, assisting with promotion of “ADOPT – NOT SHOP” to increase pet adoptions through us. Although we have accomplished much this year, we know that many animals are still in need and with that in mind, we will undertake the task of assisting as many as we feasibly can in the New Year.
Our annual statistics for 2010 are as follows:
As of December 31, we have found homes for 107 canines and 166 felines in 2010 for a total of 273.
2010 STATISTICS:
CANINES:
STRAYS: 78
REUNITED: 38
ADOPTED: 67
DECEASED/EUTHANIZED: 2
TEST DRIVE: 6
IN: 8
SURRENDERED:54
ADOPTED: 40
DECEASED/EUTHANIZED: 1
TEST DRIVE: 8
IN 5
ADMITTED: 132
TOTAL ADOPTIONS: 107
FELINES:
STRAYS: 187
REUNITED: 5 ADOPTED: 126
DECEASED/EUTHANIZED: :21
TEST DRIVE: 15
IN: 36
SURRENDERED: 54
ADOPTED: 40
DECEASED/EUTHANIZED: : 1
TEST DRIVE: 6
IN: 6
ADMITTED: 241
TOTAL ADOPTIONS: 166
TOTAL ANIMALS ADMITTED IN 2010: 373
PETS REUNITED WITH FAMILIES: 43
TOTAL ADOPTED: 273
TOTAL DECEASED/EUTHANIZED: 25
TEST DRIVE: 35
PRESENTLY HOUSING : 55
% OF STRAY ANIMALS RECONNECTED WITH FAMILIES: 48.72% CANINES 2.67% FELINES
187 stray felines brought to us with only 5 being reconnected with their families meaning only 2.67% of the stray cats brought to us were claimed by their families.
* We find this lack of parity with canines statistics disturbing and extremely sad as it seems to indicate that felines are being considered as “disposable”. * This statistic alone speaks to the need to spay and neuter your pets. As we have chosen to not euthanize for space or how long an animal is housed with us, you can see how the cat numbers can seem overwhelming at times and why we insist that people must first attempt to find homes for their unwanted cats before simply surrendering them to us.
We are striving to maintain the Shelter as a “low-kill” facility but this can only be done with the partnership of our community and surrounding areas. We are encouraging responsible pet ownership through all phases, including times of re-homing and responsible spay and neuter to reduce the numbers of unwanted litters of puppies and kittens that occur. Any pets adopted through us are bound by the spay/neuter clause of the adoption contracts so that we are not adding to the overpopulation problems.
This past year brought many firsts for us including: adoption fairs at the Swift Current Mall, our first attendance as an exhibitor at Frontier Days, our first local SPCA calendar featuring local pets, our first Dog Days of Summer event at the Shelter, our first 12 Strays of Christmas and initiating our Facebook site. This was also our first year to participate in IAMS Home for the Holidays program during which time we achieved the target adoptions that we set forth for that time period. We enjoyed our second time in the Frontier Days Parade and ran various draws as fundraisers.
Country Critters Grooming and Boarding as well as Salon J were our Santa again this year by collecting donations of supplies and cash to help support the Shelter! Many thanks to all who supported the cause!
To all of our adoptive families and volunteers, people who have donated in one form or another, our Board of Directors, all of the people who have volunteered at the Bookstore and who continue to support the Bookstore and last but definitely not least, my staff: MANY THANKS!! If I have missed someone that has supported us in other ways, please accept my sincerest thanks! Without the support and efforts of each and every one of you, this past year’s successes would not have been possible. Let’s make the New Year as stupendous as this past one.
Happy New Year and here’s to an outstanding 2011!!
Lisa Dyck
Shelter Manager
