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To Catlovers

No-kill animal shelters becoming more common in Metro Detroit

Macomb County is investing into its aging animal shelter and related services with a goal of becoming a no-kill facility.
While not there yet, county officials say they’re making progress. Three years ago, the Macomb County Animal Shelter euthanized 70 percent of the animals it took in, putting down more than 5,000 — mostly stray cats.
So far this year, the shelter’s euthanasia rate is 16 percent.
“The goal at the end of the day is an animal would be better in a home then they could ever be in a shelter,” said Jeff Randazzo, the county’s chief animal control officer. “We owe it to those animals to get them out of there.”

Randazzo spoke Friday during the Getting to the Goal conference in Troy on no-kill shelters. The conference was sponsored by the Michigan Pet Fund Alliance and featured veterinarians, shelter directors and other animal advocacy agencies.

While many no-kill shelters are private, even government-run animal control facilities are striving to reduce the number of stray dogs, cats and other animals they put down. Last year, 24 counties had no-kill shelter options, compared with 10 counties in 2011, according to the Michigan Department of Agricultural and Rural Development. By definition, a no-kill shelter has a 90 percent or higher save rate in a year.

“Every year, we’re making progress,” said Deborah Schutt, chair of the Michigan Pet Fund Alliance. “Ten years ago, it was very uncommon, but as the word’s getting out, people are realizing they need to treat shelters as more of a business.”
That includes advertising the animals at the shelter instead of “letting them come in the door, locking them away and hoping someone would come by,” Schutt said.

When Randazzo took office in 2013, Macomb County officials reduced the number of animals taken in, implemented trap, neuter and release programs for stray cats and worked with other area animal rescue groups to find alternatives for overflow populations. The facility’s save rate jumped to 70 percent.
Changing the culture

To accomplish its goals, the county is carrying out a $600,000 renovation of its animal control building, which is more than 50 years old. Upgrades include five new heating and cooling units that will completely exchange the air in the building every 15 minutes.
“We have turned it more into animal control and not a warehouse facility,” Randazzo said.

The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office has also committed two prosecutors who take animal cruelty cases to court.

“When people see results and success, it motivates them and they want to keep going,” Randazzo said.

Oakland County’s animal control shelter saves more than half of the animals it takes in. The shelter’s save rate for 2013 was 71 percent.

Oakland County Commissioner Helaine Zack attended Friday’s conference with colleagues Marcia Gershenson, Michael Spisz and Shelley Goodman Taub. Zack said they are part of a group working for greater transparency with the animal shelter and hoping to improve conditions there.
“We’re trying to change the culture, working on an animal ordinance for kennel inspections,” Zack said. “We know our animal care center needs renovation or destruction and starting over. It’s inadequate.”

The Michigan Humane Society had a 64 percent save rate last year, but because it is an open admission shelter, it takes in any animals, said spokesman Ryan McTigue.

He says people need to remember than not all animals are adoptable.

“As a truly open admission shelter, we take in animals that have severe health or temperament issues as well. We will not close our doors to an animal in need,” he said. “However, we have a responsibility to the community to not place unsafe animals back into the community or prolong the suffering of severely sick or injured animals.”


'No-kill revolution'

One of the ways to move toward a no-kill situation is for cities to get away from having their own taxpayer-funded pounds and contract with nonprofits.

Dearborn switched from a municipal shelter 20 years ago and now relies on the nonprofit Dearborn Animal Shelter to take in all of the animals brought in by animal control or surrendered by residents. It has taken in hoarded pets on several occassions, even though space has always been an issue.

“We are not a no-kill shelter by definition, but we’ve moved in many of the directions that are suggested for it,” said shelter spokeswoman Sandy Boulton. In 2013, the shelter’s save rate was 75 percent.

The shelter relies on the Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter for funds as well as volunteers and foster homes. To help deal with space issues, they’ve added trailers on the property to separate cats and dogs.

“Implementing the trailers gives us modular housing units,” said Boulton. “Those are imaginative ways that help us to work beyond the brick-and-mortar.”

The shelter plans a capital campaign for a new building with more space, better air flow and overall better conditions for the animals.

“We want to save as many animals as we can,” said Boulton. “A new sheltering facility would definitely help us with that.”

Almost Home Animal Rescue League is one of those nonprofits contracted with the city of Southfield to take in any animals surrendered and brought in by the city’s animal control division. The shelter was started by Gail Montgomery in 2001 after she became disillusioned with “no-kill shelters” that still euthanized animals.

“We’re a never-kill shelter,” said Montgomery. “When an animal comes to us, young or old, marred or beautiful, we treat them like our own animals.”

Challenges for the shelter include space, funding and finding volunteers. Instead of putting down dogs that come in with behavior problems, Montgomery pays for them to go through training in the hopes of being able to adopt them out one day.

“In Southfield, it’s an even bigger challenge because of the animals that we get,” she said. “In order to have this shelter, we have to take in everyone and pay to care for all of the animals we get.”

As for Macomb’s commitment to no-kill, Montgomery says she is curious to see what kind of no-kill policies they will adopt.

“It’s a step in the right direction. At least some animals will live,” she said. “We’re on our way to the no-kill revolution, so to speak.”

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140907/METRO08/309070008#ixzz3D87GNOVn
 
That´s great that you are helping cats Dangerous_Diana.

Michael had some cats in his shortfilms, Black or White, Smooth Criminal and Remember the time but maybe he just thought cats added some mysteriously and unpredictable to it.

When the children were with Michael the children had cats, a dog, a rat and I think a bird too.

[video=youtube_share;SKx2WZoY2ks]http://youtu.be/SKx2WZoY2ks[/video]
 
Bob the streetcat

[video=youtube_share;MePaWG7g5FA]http://youtu.be/MePaWG7g5FA[/video]

I just read one of the books.
The author James Bowen had been homeless, had had drugproblems but now he was in some sort of social programme and had an apartment.
Bob came to the house, he wasn´t looking good then he needed some care.
Noone cared for him except for this former homeless guy who took him to the veterinarian-if I remember right the veterinarian was free but much needed medicin was quite expensive when you don´t have much money.
There are many persons who wouldn´t pay for medicin to a stray cat, but Bowen did

James Bowen say that Bob is a very special cat one of a kind, but I think there are many special homeless cats , special in many ways.
I think it´s very sweet with the paw footprint in the books at the book signing.
 
Re: to catlovers

That clip was hilarious, Galactus123! :D

Here's Hulsey, one of the ferals I care for (as much as they'd let me). She's cautiously friendly, but hasn't let me too close yet.

007_zps32f97c04.jpg
 
Re: to catlovers

I died laughing too with kitty's butt/tail preventing a good nap!! Sheila, I love tabbies, that girl looks gorgeous. I'm so glad she came across a friend of the cats :huggy: I know a few shy kitties like that, but it makes such a great difference in their lives to meet at least one human who is nice to them.
 
Re: to catlovers

Dangerous_Diana said:
I died laughing too with kitty's butt/tail preventing a good nap!! Sheila, I love tabbies, that girl looks gorgeous. I'm so glad she came across a friend of the cats :huggy: I know a few shy kitties like that, but it makes such a great difference in their lives to meet at least one human who is nice to them.
Click to expand...

I do too and she is so adorable! Today I got home early from work and she ran right up to me (YAY), even approached my boy, Vladimir when I brought him outside for a walk! He is a bit possessive, though. He growled at her and was in attack mode (which I wasn't too happy about, but kind of understood). I know cats are very territorial, but he wasn't as intense when I slowly introduced him to my land lady's cat. They're best buddies now and I'm keeping her, lol!

I guess I have to be more patient with him getting to know Hulsey.
 
Remember Me Thursday 25/9
Join the Pet Awarenes/s Campaign That Promotes Pet Adoption
Remember Me Thursday™ is a worldwide coalition of pet adoption organizations, celebrities and people like you, who raise awareness about the plight of millions of orphan pets around the world waiting for forever homes.
By lighting a candle on Remember Me Thursday, September 25, 2014, you are remembering those pets who have lost their lives but you are also shining a light on orphan pets in need of homes right now.
Light Up the World For Orphan Pets

Learn how you can light up the world for orphan pets as an organization or as an everyday animal lover. They need YOUR voice - let’s extinguish pet euthanasia together!
Thank you to all our Remember Me Thursday™ participating organizations! Countries from as far away as Australia and Japan are lighting candles and raising awareness for the orphan pets in their communities. Be sure to connect with our Remember Me Thursday™ Luminaries - a special set of celebrities who pledge to shine a light on the plight of orphan pets on September 25.

[video=youtube_share;oLh5J4W76FA]http://youtu.be/oLh5J4W76FA[/video]
If you can´t help pets active you can help in another way.
Here is something everyone who shops online can do to help
http://www.shoptogive.com/how-we-help.php
www.sponsorhuset.se
 
MIST;4044025 said:
Bob the streetcat

[video=youtube_share;MePaWG7g5FA]http://youtu.be/MePaWG7g5FA[/video]

I just read one of the books.
The author James Bowen had been homeless, had had drugproblems but now he was in some sort of social programme and had an apartment.
Bob came to the house, he wasn´t looking good then he needed some care.
Noone cared for him except for this former homeless guy who took him to the veterinarian-if I remember right the veterinarian was free but much needed medicin was quite expensive when you don´t have much money.
There are many persons who wouldn´t pay for medicin to a stray cat, but Bowen did

James Bowen say that Bob is a very special cat one of a kind, but I think there are many special homeless cats , special in many ways.
I think it´s very sweet with the paw footprint in the books at the book signing.
Click to expand...

Oh, I saw these books in the bookstore the other day. I definitely intend to read them :)
 
Re: to catlovers

SheilaMJFan4Ever said:
Flashback Friday: Vladimir at the vet, May 2013! He isn't a fan of doctor visits, but I don't blame him, lol!

Click to expand...

He's so sweet.
My cat knew before I even said it that I intended to take her to the vet and she used to hide (I always wondered how on Earth she could sense that?!).
 
Re: to catlovers

If you adopt one cat you are actually helping 2 cats. When you adopt a cat there is room for the shelter to take in another cat
 
How can someone be so cruel.
I don´t know if people who surrendered cats and dogs to her thought that she was taking care of them.
She gave them alive to her big cats.
Cruel to both small cats,dogs and the big cats.
You can see a wounded leopard it´s said that the woman fed it with a living doberman who of course tried to defend themselves.
There are many empty cages maybe other big cats too got wounds by dogs and cats and the wounds were infected, no veterinarian was called for
[video=youtube_share;gsh2DQx-krM]http://youtu.be/gsh2DQx-krM?list=UUcftblae5aEnraa34d1FPQg[/video]
I´m sure I read somewhere that the neglect was reported but nothing was done.that´s sad too.
 
No Bunny Left Behind

Finding the City of Alameda’s animal shelter is a challenge.
As I set out for a meeting there yesterday, it struck me as I drove into the parking lot that GPS has probably saved a lot of lives in shelters across the country.
It is set deep in the back of an industrial zone, past waste management and other government buildings, down a dead end street.
As many shelters across the country are, it was purposely built in the cheapest way, in an out of the way location, to warehouse and kill animals at the lowest possible cost.
And once, that is what they did. At one point, refusing to ignore the lack of veterinary care for the animals and unacceptable rates of killing, the volunteers revolted and the city fired them all.
But that was another time, another administration, worlds away from where the shelter is today.

By 2010, with rising costs, the City was spending close to $1,000,000 a year running the shelter and was looking to find a way out.
Enter the Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS).
Almost three years ago, this group of volunteers put in a bid to take over running it, offering to do it for $300,000 a year. The group fundraises to make up the difference.
In all fairness, the City’s police department continues to run animal control field services, but the deal—which the City accepted—nonetheless amounted to a significant savings: about half a million dollars annually.
It turned out to be the classic win-win.
Today, FAAS saves about 96% of all animals who enter the shelter. And while there is always room for improvement, on my recent visit, it showed.
At the shelter, I met committed staff members, well-cared for animals, and animal control officers coming and going with a smile on their faces, the look of people satisfied with a job well done. As soon as I walked in, someone said hello, asked me if I need help, told me about the 16 white kittens they had, and asked if I wanted to adopt one, all before I had the opportunity to say hello back. What a breath of fresh air.

They are part of a growing number of shelters that have rejected the excuses of why ending the killing animals is impossible, of why things have to be done the same way year after year, of why there is no choice but to accept the deadly results. And they are not alone.
While I was at the Alameda shelter, I received this comment on my Facebook page from someone in Petaluma, another city in the San Francisco Bay Area once beset by public acrimony over poor care of animals and high rates of killing (it has been slighted edited for readability):

“We figured out how to save over 97% of ALL our animals in an open admission city pound. By doing so, we have tons of donations, tons of volunteers, and tons of happy adopters. We run out of animals! In my experience, animal advocates arguing that we ‘have to kill’ animals (followed by the usual excuses…) is false… Kill shelters are on the way out. Modern, high achieving shelters are going to make sure of that.”
The City of Alameda is living proof.

Photos: Although my meeting was with a human, I met with some kittens, too. These two kittens are just a small number of the dozens available for adoption. There were dogs of all sizes. And a fair number of rabbits. I was glad to see that in addition to dogs and cats, no bunny was left behind… (See www.nathanwinograd.com/?p=14388)
Click to expand...
https://www.facebook.com/nathanwinograd
 
MIST;4051445 said:
No Bunny Left Behind

Finding the City of Alameda’s animal shelter is a challenge.
As I set out for a meeting there yesterday, it struck me as I drove into the parking lot that GPS has probably saved a lot of lives in shelters across the country.
It is set deep in the back of an industrial zone, past waste management and other government buildings, down a dead end street.
As many shelters across the country are, it was purposely built in the cheapest way, in an out of the way location, to warehouse and kill animals at the lowest possible cost.
And once, that is what they did. At one point, refusing to ignore the lack of veterinary care for the animals and unacceptable rates of killing, the volunteers revolted and the city fired them all.
But that was another time, another administration, worlds away from where the shelter is today.

By 2010, with rising costs, the City was spending close to $1,000,000 a year running the shelter and was looking to find a way out.
Enter the Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS).
Almost three years ago, this group of volunteers put in a bid to take over running it, offering to do it for $300,000 a year. The group fundraises to make up the difference.
In all fairness, the City’s police department continues to run animal control field services, but the deal—which the City accepted—nonetheless amounted to a significant savings: about half a million dollars annually.
It turned out to be the classic win-win.
Today, FAAS saves about 96% of all animals who enter the shelter. And while there is always room for improvement, on my recent visit, it showed.
At the shelter, I met committed staff members, well-cared for animals, and animal control officers coming and going with a smile on their faces, the look of people satisfied with a job well done. As soon as I walked in, someone said hello, asked me if I need help, told me about the 16 white kittens they had, and asked if I wanted to adopt one, all before I had the opportunity to say hello back. What a breath of fresh air.

They are part of a growing number of shelters that have rejected the excuses of why ending the killing animals is impossible, of why things have to be done the same way year after year, of why there is no choice but to accept the deadly results. And they are not alone.
While I was at the Alameda shelter, I received this comment on my Facebook page from someone in Petaluma, another city in the San Francisco Bay Area once beset by public acrimony over poor care of animals and high rates of killing (it has been slighted edited for readability):

“We figured out how to save over 97% of ALL our animals in an open admission city pound. By doing so, we have tons of donations, tons of volunteers, and tons of happy adopters. We run out of animals! In my experience, animal advocates arguing that we ‘have to kill’ animals (followed by the usual excuses…) is false… Kill shelters are on the way out. Modern, high achieving shelters are going to make sure of that.”
The City of Alameda is living proof.

Photos: Although my meeting was with a human, I met with some kittens, too. These two kittens are just a small number of the dozens available for adoption. There were dogs of all sizes. And a fair number of rabbits. I was glad to see that in addition to dogs and cats, no bunny was left behind… (See www.nathanwinograd.com/?p=14388)


https://www.facebook.com/nathanwinograd
Click to expand...

I completely support this! #SAVETHECATS #SAVETHEKITTENS :pray:
 
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