Animal Shelters

I have been working on an article about animal shelters, and I am curious about something to those of you who know the shelters in your area, or perhaps work in one?

In my area, in the last few years, they have now stopped taking strays all together, they label them ferals, and turn them over to animal control to euthanize. They take owner surrenders only- by appointment only and they charge you to bring in an animal. They also have strange odd hours, none are open on the weekends, when it (to me anyway) seems like that would be when the working class is out to adopt. They do run adoptions through other pet places on the weekend, but you can only take so many animals in a van.

I am curious about your neck of the woods and what the hours and services are like for you there if you care to share.

Hmm well the no kill shelter around here really isn't a shelter per say. Kitty Angles is kinda a foster home for furbabbies . They have adoption days at petsmart of Satudays. I don't think their taking in any animals right now due to finacial trouble, but hopefully in a few months that will change .

I volunteer at the local spca, and they take strays and keep them for a certain period to see if an owner shows up, then deem them adoptable or not and go from there. We don't pick up ferals but if animal control brings them in they are usually euthanized. Any animal deemed "not adoptable" is put down. Owner surrenders do usually cost a small amount of money. But they are open 7 days a week 8-5 and no appointment is needed for anything. I don't know too much more about the process as I mainly volunteer in the Wildlife Center and the Barn Center and not in the cat/dog shelter. Reason being I don't think I could handle any more exposure to the many animals PTS than I already get.

Would love to read your article when you're finished with it.

We spent a lot of time at our area shelters last fall when we were looking for a dog to adopt. We needed a dog that would be gentle with our older dog and good with the cats, yet still playful & good for hiking, so the search took awhile, but we found our jewel Beth after a few months of hunting.

We have two large no-kill shelters and the city animal control downtown.

The city shelter hours aren't very good but have improved - they're now open Saturdays. They select a few dogs & cats out of the thousands that come in as adoptable, and put those in the adoption area to be kept as long as it takes to find them homes. Those animals don't have a time limit - all the other animals are held for 2 days, then euthanized. Their adoption kennel/cage area is very small, and you aren't allowed to bring in another pet to meet the one you're interested in adopting (there isn't any place to do this). Dogs and cats are housed in the same room. Fortunately, a bond election is on the table to build a larger facility, with more adoption space and space to increase the holding time to 4 days.

The older no-kill shelter in town is open very limited hours during the week, but it is open on weekends. They have a separate area for the cats, including a large area with an outdoor enclosure where cats that get along can roam freely. They have a waiting list for strays to be adopted, but in the 12 years I've lived in this city I've had many animals (I attract strays) on their waiting list and never have been able to get an animal in there. They charge equally to take in surrendered animals or strays. Their facility is nearly full of hard-to-adopt out pets with serious illnesses or behavior problems. When we looked there for a dog, it seemed like at least 70% of the dogs in their kennels were aggressive. To me that's kind of sad - it's nice that it's a no-kill shelter, but at the same time, tens of thousands of adoptable dogs and puppies are euthanized in this city every year, while these aggressive dogs live out their lives in the adoption cages.

The other shelter has a policy that they will only euthanize very ill animals that can't be treated, and viscious or aggressive animals. They moved into a much nicer facility this year. They are not open very late in the evening, but they are open on weekends. They moved into the new facility after I adopted my dog, so I haven't seen too much of the new place. They also have great education and screening programs for adopters. They accept pets on certain days by appointment - call to see if they have space, and if they do they will have you come in & they will determine if they can take the animal. I've turned in a few found strays to them. It's a lot easier to get a cat or small dog or puppy in then a large dog or puppy. They charge to take animals - the fee is determined by the animal's age.

p.s. Please don't think I'm evil for turning in strays to the shelter - our city has a HUGE animal overpopulation problem, and we have financial & physical limits on how many pets we can properly care for in our home. I believe they have a much better chance of finding a good home at the no-kill shelter than trying to survive on the street. Now that I'm in a house (instead of a tiny apartment with an irate landlord), if it's at all possible, I try to find a home for them myself. But the vet care is $$$, in addition to our own pets' care, and there are just so many.....

Forgot to mention it, but that seems really odd that a shelter would automatically label a stray feral without checking its temperament first.

I can kind of understand the limited hours b/c I think (might be wrong) most of the shelter workers are volunteers. I'm glad ours are open weekends - it does seem like that would increase the chances of matching cats w/ adoptive families.

I'd love to see the article when it's done, too.

The Montgomery County PA SPCA, where Tybalt and I volunteer (we do their Petfinder site) accepts strays. They keep all strays for one week before they become eligible for adoption. I am happy to say that some of the strays we have listed on Petfinder (noting that they came in as a stray) have been seen there and reclaimed by their owners!!!


They're open 7 days a week, from 10 AM to 5 PM on weekdays, 8-3 on weekends.

I am also happy to note that in the past 3 weeks, there have been NO euthanizations!!! (Other than terminally ill or fatally injured animals that have come in. I mean that nobody's been put down due to overcrowding.)

That's awesome news Sue!

The shelter that I adopted my last two from is a low-kill shelter. One thing is they DO NOT put a time limit on aging cats. They only kill cats with serious illness, i.e. leukemia, distemper, etc. They have what they call a "kitty colony" where all the cats that get along are free to roam. They have built a large play area for all of them to roam freely. I go in the shelter about once a month to donate food and play with the cats.


They charge $100 adoption fee and that includes: fixing, all shots, free vet exam, and 2 months free pet insurance plus microchip.

The name of this shelter is Anderson Animal Shelter located in South Elgin, IL.

My local no-kill Humane Society partakes in open houses and puts flyers up in Petsmart, and also Petfinder. They are very stinky there though. Should it smell really bad, like wet dog and pee all wrapped up in a stuffy building? They take care of the animals, its where I got amber, but I had forgotten how strong it smelled until I went in there recently to drop off a donation. They have a separate room for the cats and farther down in the back of the building is the kennels. i just think they should open the windows or keep the door open or something.

They are only open every other day beginning on Tuesday.

i have a cat shelter about 40 miles from me and i donate food to it and they still take strays, if they are wild they try and tame them so they can be adopted out, they have no time limit on the animal, i think they do a great job, there hours are also good, mon. wed. 1-4 tues. and thrus. 1-6 sat. 12-4, not bad you ask me, my local area has only a dog pound which is better than it was but still way toooo many dogs put down to soon, and then the humane Socitey has foster homes, which people foster the animal until its adopted, they have a calling service and you leave your phone no. and they call you back within 1 to 2 days, this is all vol. i hear a man and lady is wanting to start a cat shelter very near to me, i hope to learn more i would love to help out

There WAS a no-kill shelter in my town, but it closed a couple of years ago due to funding problems. I can give some information about what this shelter had been like.

During the years the shelter was open, you always had to call in advance to make an appointment to see any of the animals. Animals were kept in the shelter's isolation area for their first two weeks and were vetted, including being spayed or neutered. The shelter also attempted to locate the owner during this time. If an owner couldn't be found, the animals were available for adoption, and the shelter advertised a "pet of the week" in the local newspaper. Some animals were given exposure at local events, but this usually only happened during the summer months. While they were waiting to be adopted, the cats and dogs were kept in separate large shed-like buildings where they were allowed to roam freely.

Local veterinarians did all veterinary work for the shelter at half price. The adoption fees varied and depended on the condition the animal was in when it was rescued, and how much veterinary attention and care it needed. When a very young puppy or kitten was adopted, the new owner was given a half-price spay or neuter certificate to be used at the local veterinary clinic.

Now that this shelter is closed, strays are taken in by the veterinary clinic, and it costs $40.00 to bring an animal to the clinic.

Hmm, thats really interesting Hissy. It seems like they are steering away from the original idea of an animal shelter in your area How unfortunate for the animals it affects

For the ones in my area, 3 in a 7 mile radius, I havent noticed all those problems yet. They do tend to have difficult weekday hours but are still open on weekends. Prices are a bit high, approximately $100 per cat, and more for a kitten. However they still take strays. Jayce, my newest cat, is considered a stray. He was brought in by animal control for roaming one of the Mobile Home parks in the area. He was not fixed or very well cared for which leads me to believe he really was a stray and not just lost. Hes also a very strange cat

Anyway, they do charge a fee though when you bring your pet in. It differs depending on the animal. One unlikely to be adopted quickly (like a pit bull) will fetch a high price for them to even take it from you. Then they charge high to adopt it back out again.

I think that covers all your questions. Im interested in reading your article when it is done

Help Humane (no-kill) doesn't have a shelter per-say, just foster homes and weekend adoption clinics at a building that they lease. They are about to move into a larger building (their current is the size of a single car garage). They used to hold adoptions at a Petsmart on Sundays but the fosters were getting sick from the cages there. Petsmart hosts other rescue groups on Saturdays. The reason they only hold adoptions on weekends is that every volunteer has a full time job and their isn't enough volunteers to do it any other time. Fosters are responsible for bringing their pets to the adoption clinic each Saturday and Sunday.

Their longer term goal is to acquire land and a building for a permanent "shelter". Not in the true shelter sense, but more like a home where cats can roam free. Right now they have approximately 90 animals within their program (yes, they are small).

The only animals they take in are the really hard cases such as ferals, hoarder rescues, abuse rescues, kill shelter rescues that are about to be PTS and the occassional rescue from a vet who was ordered to put a problem (health or behavior) cat to sleep. They are helping me with the 3 that were dumped by me, but I suspect that I'm an exception since I volunteer there. I haven't worked with the dogs so don't know their sources, but suspect they get them mostly from animal control. If someone tries to drop off an animal, they first attempt education on what they should do to keep the animal, and if that is not an option, they provide information on how to post an add and explain why "free to a good home" is a very bad idea.

Wayside Waifs is another big group here. They take in just about anything, and I've visited them on weekends - they appear to be open to the public just about anytime. But they are HUGE here - I hear that their last fundraiser got them $500,000 - we're glad to get $100.

These are some of the services our humane society offers. They have business hours Monday - Saturday (no Sunday since this is a big Mormon state). And their stray policy is at the bottom. From what I hear some of our friends here say, these services and prices are pretty good!

Vaccination/Suture Removal hours are:
Tuesday-Friday: \t9:00 am to Noon.
\t1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Saturday: \t9:00 am to Noon.

The clinic is closed on Sunday and Monday.

Both vaccinations and suture removals are handled on a walk in basis.

SURGERIES
DOG SPAY: (Female) \t \t
\tUp to 50 lbs. \t$45
\t51 - 70 lbs. \t$55
\t71+ lbs. \t$65

DOG NEUTER: (Male) \t \t
\tUp to 50 lbs. \t$43*
\t51 - 70 lbs. \t$53*
\t71 + lbs. \t$63*
\t*includes E-collar to prevent licking & chewing incision

CAT SPAY: (Female) \t \t
\tAll Sizes \t$28

CAT NEUTER: (Male) \t \t
\tAll Sizes \t$20

There are additional fees for surgical complications, such as heat, pregnancy, or retained testicles.

VACCINATIONS AND OTHER SERVICES
DOGS \t \t
\tDog Vaccination Package (DHPP, Bordetella & Rabies) \t$27.50 (save $14)
\tDistemper combo + parvo/bordetella \t$22 (save $10)
\tRabies \t$9.50
\tCorona \t$10
\tBordetella (kennel cough) \t$10
\tLyme disease \t$15
\tAVID microchip implant \t$25
\tHeartworm test \t$20
\tHeartguard Plus (Heartworm medication): \t
\t \tUp to 25 lbs. \t$14
\t \t25 - 50 lbs. \t$21
\t \t50 - 100 lbs. \t$31
\tGiardia vaccination \t$12.50

CATS \t \t
\tCat Vaccination Package (PRTC, Leukemia & Rabies) \t$34 (save $6)
\tCat Vaccination Package (PRTC & Leukemia) \t$26.50 (save $4)
\tDistemper combo + rabies \t$20
\tDistemper combo \t$14.50
\tRabies \t$9.50
\tFeline Leukemia \t$16
\tFIP (Feline infectious peritonitis) \t$15
\tAVID microchip implant \t$25

Stray Animals

If you find a stray animal, we recommend that you first contact the Animal Control facility in the area where the animal was found, since this will provide the animal with a better chance of being reunited with his or her family. However, as stated above, we will accept any animal that is brought to us.

Fees
Receiving fees are as follows:
Each dog or cat (over four months of age)- \t$25.00
Litter of puppies/kittens (under four months)- \t$30.00
Exotic animals (snakes, iguanas or turtles)-
*Must bring in the animal(s) cage & equipment \t$20.00 each
Birds (Must bring in with its cage)- \t$15.00 each
Ferrets, Rabbits, & Guinea Pigs- \t$15.00 each
Rodents (Not listed above)- \t$5.00 each
Litters of rodents- \t$10.00 each litter
A mother with puppies/kittens will be $20.00 for the mother and $30 for the puppies/kittens.

These surrender fees help pay for the food, medication, and care that we provide for the animals we accept.

Within 50 mile where I live we have 4 no-kill shelters and 1 kill shelter. As far as I know only one excepts strays but they are usually fostered out to people who deal with strays or feral colonies (for example people with farms and ranches in need of rodent control).

The shelter I used to volunteer at doesn't except strays unless they are friendly and healthy since its mostly a free-roaming facility.

The no-kill shlters are mostly free-roaming (save for the injured, currently fixed, ill or cat aggression). They charge (Not completely sure) for drop-off and have websites. The hours vary on weekends. 1 is open on weekends and runs fairs with dogs as well in the yard.
Another one is closed on the weekends (last I looked). Yet another is open weekends but closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (Last I looked. The forth is by appointment since the cats are fostered out.

The kill shelter I am unsure of but they may take strays since they are part of the Animal Regulations. They charge for owner drop-offs and closed on Sundays with short hours on Saturdays. They haven't done animal adoption fairs but they have a website.

The Aurora,CO Shelter isn't open on weekends and only does adoptions between 11 am and 1 pm. by apointment only. you can't even look at their critters unless you have an appointment and it's only between that time period. I don't know about their intake tho. I just know their hours because I complained because I was looking for a cat and couldn't look at the cats there because I worked nites and slept during that 11-1 time period. and told them they had lost a very loving and caring home for one of their cats.

Well, being in a fairly rural setting we tend to think anything within 20 miles is close enough. Within that radius we have 2 no kill shelters and the animal shelter/Humane Socieity. I know absolutely no details about 1 of the no kill shelters, the other is a Siamese Rescue that I know very little about(tried to adopt a kitten from them and was pretty much turned down due to my numerous children). The animal shelter does indeed take in strays, holding them for a week before deeming them adoptable. They have weekday and weekend hours, though 2 weekends a month alot of their animals are at Petsmart Saturday and Sunday.

Here are a couple...

Located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Meow-Aid is a small, non-profit organization, committed to easing the suffering of homeless cats by sheltering them until a good home can be found, and by promoting the practice of spaying and neutering.

Meow-Aid is a no-kill operation run totally by volunteers. Many of our cats come to us half-starved, mistreated or terrified as a result of abuse or abandonment. We provide them veterinary help as well as food, shelter and lots of love. Our aim is to find good homes for them all.
Please support our cause. Thank You.

More info on their web site <http://www3.telus.net/meowaid>

And here's the URL for the BC SPCA <http://www.spca.bc.ca/>

Hope those give you the kind of info you are looking for.