You might be surprised to learn 5 – 7 million animals enter animal welfare and control agencies each year in the United States, with 3 – 4 million animals euthanized each year. While there has been great improvement over the last two decades, a total of 60 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats are euthanized across the United States. To us, this is an outrage. We are very proud of our 2012 live release rate of 72.6 percent, but there is still so much work to be done in our community to save animal lives. Overpopulation is a community issue, and local animal welfare and control groups need support to solve the problem. Our agency offers sterilization, adoptions, a foster program, and medical and behavioral rehabilitation, and still averages 65 animals coming through the doors every day. HSPPR is a resource for homeless and abused animals, not a “kill shelter.”

We do want to be a resource for pet owners who have no other options, but we highly encourage owners who are willing/able to take the time to find the right home for their pet to do so, whether it be on Craigslist or using other methods. We would rather have an owner, who knows their pet’s personality best, be able to find a suitable home. In fact, 40 percent of animals in households in the United States were rehomed through the friends and family network. While animals leaving HSPPR are spayed/neutered, we offer subsidized low-cost spays/neuters in the HSPPR hospital to help pet owners ensure their pets are sterilized and not contributing to pet overpopulation. In 2012, our veterinary team sterilized more than 900 owned animals through this program.

Direct interaction with adoption animals at HSPPR is the best way to ensure a good fit for your household. However, because we know animal photos on our website drive people to the shelter, we are working toward providing more information about animals available for adoption. Most animals, 70 percent, come in as lost pets with no known prior medical or behavioral history. Despite this additional challenge, our knowledgeable staff and volunteers evaluate the animals for health and behavior. This provides helpful information for potential adopters to consider and our volunteers are working on a project to add more information about the animals to the website.

We also feel very fortunate to have the support of local media in helping us spread the word about animals looking for a new home. Last month alone, HSPPR was able to take advantage of nearly 80 opportunities to promote animals in local media, leading to adoption almost immediately. This does not include pets featured on HSPPR’s Facebook page and other social media outlets. We are lucky to have multiple channels in which to promote animals, giving us a much greater reach in finding potential adopters than the average individual.

We are very proud of the progress we have made, but as always, we are pushing ourselves to do better. As residents become more aware of the problems facing homeless and abused animals today, we can work together to further our mission: a compassionate society where animals are cared for and valued. Readers can help by adopting homeless animals from HSPPR and local animal rescue organizations. Or, if you are interested in our volunteer program, please visit http://www.hsppr.org/volunteer.