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Shelters work to keep  pets in adoptive homes

Animal adoption agencies revise rules and work more closely with owners.

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Animal shelters eliminate barriers on adoption

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By Kim Margolis, Staff Writer Updated 8:39 AM Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Before Terry Carlisle took over as executive director for the Society for the Improvement of Conditions for Stray Animals, he was a client, happy with the dogs and cats he adopted.

He assumed that successful adoption was the overwhelming public impression of SICSA, which was founded in 1974.

He was wrong.

“I thought it was a well-run place and people loved it,” Carlisle said. “Instead, I heard from people who were ticked off because they were told they could not have a pet.”

This feedback prompted Carlisle to make customer-focused changes like dropping a fence requirement for dog adoptions and cutting the interview time for a person wanting a cat to about 20 minutes, down from an hour.

A staff member now greets visitors and allows them to wander the cat and dog areas to look for a new pet. Previously, visitors had to be escorted.

SICSA is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Changes in fees

SICSA charges $145 for a dog, but has added variable rates for some purebred dogs. A purebred might require a fee of about $300 to $400, still less than half the price a pet store might charge, Carlisle said.

The Humane Society of Greater Dayton plans to do the same this spring, said Brian Weltge, executive director.

Increased fees will go exclusively to the spay and neuter program, but Weltge also hopes it ends up dispelling the myth that because shelter animals are more affordable than those at pet stores or from breeders, they are somehow not as good. “It sends the message that they are somehow damaged products,” Weltge said.

Meanwhile, the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center has gone in a different direction, reducing some fees for animals. This month is March Madness with some of the dogs’ cages featuring markdowns. It also has a discount called “Seniors for Seniors” where older pets are matched with older pet owners at reduced cost.

This process has meant that in some instances, the shelter spent more money on an individual animal than it received in adoption fees. But a loss to their bottom line can still mean a win for their mission.

“The community wants us to adopt animals out,” said Mark Kumpf, director of the county’s Animal Resource Center in Vandalia. “The old animal pound, which was catch and kill, is not acceptable.”

Helping owners cope

The shelter has responded to the reality of what the nation’s struggling economy has meant for pet owners.

When a pet is lost and taken to the Animal Resource Center, the owner must pay a boarding fee. If the person does not have the money to reclaim their pet, the shelter will allow them to work at the shelter for $10 an hour to pay their debt.

The shelter has also seen a stark increase in the amount of owners of large dogs trying to surrender the animals because they simply cannot afford to feed them.

Instead, they can arrange to get the owners a temporary supply of dog food and keep the animal in the home. “It’s a community situation,” Kumpf said. “The cost to keep them at home and work with someone is less than caring for them here.”

Local animal shelters

The Society for the Improvement  of Conditions for Stray Animals (SICSA)

2600 Wilmington Pike, Kettering

(937) 294-6505

www.sicsa.org

Humane Society of Greater Dayton

1661 Nicholas Road, Dayton

(937) 268-7387

www.humanesocietydayton.org

Montgomery County Animal Resource Center

6790 Webster St., Vandalia

(937) 264-5467

www.mcohio.org/animalshelter

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If there are food pantry's why is there not a pet pantry setup. Or is this part of the food pantry?
I would donate food to a pet pantry in a heart beat if someone was in need to feed their pet.
$200-$300 is not expensive when they have had their shots, neutered, food, etc.. PLUS consider the time you do not have to take care of this on your own. Time does cost $$.

Pet Pantry
4:58 PM, 3/10/2010

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If an individual truly wants to be a pet owner, then the cost to adopt a pet doesn't matter. The fact that there are so many unwanted pets being housed in animal shelters is a sad commentary on our society as a whole. My hats off to the animal shelters for working with pet owners to try to keep the pets in their owner's home during these difficult economic times. Would you rather have individuals who can't afford to keep their pets simply discard them like unwanted trash?

Jbug
2:56 PM, 3/10/2010

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In this day and age, $300 for a dog is not even really expensive. A dog from SICSA is spayed/neutered, up to date on all shots, and micro-chipped, not to mention the training & day to day care it has received. When a dog is adopted for $300, that dog helps save more animals. It helps to pay for the food and medical care to help more animals. Donations are important, but shelters cannot rely on donations alone to keep their doors open to take in more animals. Food and vet care aren't free.

soccersuzanne
11:29 AM, 3/10/2010

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Gunther,
$300 is not insane... it's expensive, I'll agree. But, not insane. I have volunteered at a dog rescue and the amount of money it takes to feed the animal, give them a health check-up and shelter them until they are adopted is pretty expensive as well. Not to mention several shelters get animals that are sick and need medications or procedures to get well. It's just like evrything else these... not cheap!

therick422
8:01 AM, 3/10/2010

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Just the fact alone that they state "its HALF the price that a pet shop asks" says they are not in it for the pets but the money, if they would continue with the interview process and cut the prices way down, more animals would be adopted, 300$ for a shelter dog is insane!

gunther
5:40 AM, 3/10/2010

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