12-20-06 PWP proposes to take over animal shelter

by Wendy Martin - http://www.masoncountydemocrat.com/
Representatives of Pets Without Parents of Mason and Logan Counties offered to relieve Mason County officials of the headache and many of the expenses of operating the Animal Shelter at Teheran by taking over the operation of the shelter and many of the costs.

Veterinarian Terri Dudis, Vice President of the organization that is now into its third year, revealed that Pets Without Parents has formed a unique partnership with Petsmart Charities to include Mason County in their Rescue Waggin’ program.

While the Rescue Waggin traditionally partners directly with animal shelters or pounds, their relationship with PWP is unique given its foster network and relationships with two county pounds. The proposal would improve conditions for all animals held at the shelter, including providing beds, outdoor runs, a washer and dryer for the facility, medications and cleaning supplies to reduce the incidence of disease, fleas and ticks, and also bring the shelter into compliance with state requirements.

“There is a law that requires that animals which are adopted be spayed or neutered and micro-chipped,” Dudis noted. “Our proposal would bring the shelter into compliance and decrease the cost of running the pound and the burden to the taxpayers.”

If Pets Without Parents operated the shelter, they could obtain free food for the animals through major manufacturers. They would also qualify for discounted prices on vaccinations, and decrease euthanasia costs by at least 50%.

Prior to PWP, very few animals were ever adopted out of the Mason County pound and the euthanasia rate was over 90%. Even with the new extended hours of operation, only approximately a dozen dogs have been adopted directly out of the pound over the past year.

She said she thought that they could adopt out many, if not most, of the dogs in the Logan and Mason county pounds through the Rescue Waggin Program.

Through the Petsmart Rescue Waggin’ program dogs from areas of high pet overpopulation – where they face almost certain euthanasia – are taken to shelters in areas where adoptable dogs are in demand.

“They would take all the dogs from Mason County that are adoptable,” Dudis said.

“They have deemed there is a huge need in our county...Our euthanasia rate is way off their scale and they were very impressed with the need here.”

To qualify for the Rescue Waggin’ program, animals will have to be certified as healthy by a veterinarian, and evaluated behaviorly to make sure they will make good pets.

Dudis said that she and other PWP Board members and volunteers will donate their time to the shelter. She added that she and other members of the organization are going to be trained and certified in assessing dogs behaviorly to ensure they will make good pets.

“They have to be vaccinated and have a health certificate to cross state lines,” Dudis added. “We will do that, and they will reimburse all costs.”

She said she thought they could adopt out every single pound dog in Mason and Logan counties. “And it doesn’t have to just be out of the pound. If we get a call about someone with a litter of puppies they don’t want, we can take them, too.”

As shelter partners with Petsmart, PWP could be awarded money to do a wide variety of other activities.

For example, they could obtain grants to spay and neuter pets for owners across both counties and fund improvements to the pounds. Petsmart Charities has already offered to provide beds so that the dogs do not have to sleep on the concrete floor.

According to the PWP proposal, the operation of the Rescue Waggin’ program will be best served by having PWP administer the operation of the Mason County Animal Shelter.

“We hope the county would continue to operate the animal control function, but we would administer the pound,” Dudis said.

“It will cost us pennies, and just our time to get all the animals ready to go, and in a year or two we hope the census in the pound will be next to nothing,” Dudis said.

Susan Oldham, PWP President, told County Board members that the organization is in good shape financially. They received $15,000 in revenue their first year, and raised $52,000 their second year.

They just received $100,000 from a trust this year, she added.

County Board members agreed to look over the proposal and expected to discuss it after the first of the year