by Suzyn Barron, President of Warwick Valley Humane Society, Inc.
Did you know we have utilized every available space to house unwanted animals when cages and kennels are full? For instance, in 1996 we rescued 15 dogs from a small local cabin along with cats, pigeons and an iguana. We had to set up free standing cages in our then garage to house these dogs because our kennels were full. In 2001 we added a pole barn to the grounds for emergency housing and fundraising events where we have cared for large numbers of cats, rabbits and more recently, an assortment of species, all from neglect cases. Currently half of this outbuilding is now our “Rabbit Habitat” housing 8 rabbits and 5 domestic rats. In 2019, another neglect case forced us to use the garage once again for 11 spaniels from local AKC registered champion breeders, both now on the Orange Country Animal Abuse registry. This is not to brag about what we do, but tell you we do what we need to do without resorting to euthanasia. But not every shelter may be capable of a forced expansion or financially able to handle the influx of animals that they are experiencing, many on a daily basis. Capacity constraints are a real issue when cages fill up and/or funding and adoption numbers decrease. Many government funded municipal animal control facilities are forced to take in strays and surrenders. Whereas, our contracts require only stray dog intakes and does not subsidize other pets including cats.
Accepting surrendered pets is based on space availability and why the pet is being surrendered. For some reason some people think that their “problem dog or cat” will be wanted by another family when they are not willing to deal with the problem such as poor manners, aggression, scratching, lack of using the litter box, medical issues, etc.
So if not open admission, then we must classify our shelter as limited access. Also not a popular concept with those opposed to the “no kill” movement. Because that means turning away unwanted (surrendering) pets. AI defines “limited access shelter” as “an animal rescue organization that can choose which animals to accept and is not legally or operationally required to take every animal that arrives”. Many limited intake shelters focus on adoptability and are selective regarding age and health. For our organization, our limited intake is mostly based on space restrictions which is why we use a waitlist. And includes liability reasons for known aggression which may include a bite history.
My question to you is what do you want our organization to be for the community? Open intake or limited access? Because we cannot be both. If you need or want to give up your beloved pet, would you be willing to wait for space or try other known means of placement, like family and friends? But please not Facebook or Craigslist, Would you be willing to help with the cost of care when surrendering? What kind of animal shelter would you support, open or limited admission? And would your answer depend on your situation?
Pet of the Week:
