for the animals - Chemung County SPCA

Q and A with Barbara McLean:
Explanation of Free Adoptions on Spay Day
On Spay Day 2010, February
23, the Chemung County
Humane Society and SPCA
decided to offer adoptions of
any spayed or neutered animal
with all fees waived. During
this one-day promotion, nine
animals - seven cats and two
dogs - found loving homes.
We received mixed responses
to this promotion with opinions
ranging from delight to
dismay. This did, however,
teach us one valuable lesson:
that we need to communicate
with the public the motives
behind our promotions. In this
article, we will explain why
we chose to offer a free animal
promotion and what it meant
for the shelter.
Q. Why did you decide to
offer free adoptions on Spay
Day?
A. The idea of a free adoption
promotion is now commonpractice
in many animal
shelters across the nation.
These promotions are usually
used to highlight harder to
place animals and help them
get adopted. The nationally
recognized Society of Animal
Welfare Administrators
(SAWA) recognizes the benefits
of this type of promotion
and advocates its use. Many
humane societies, including
The Michigan Humane
Society, Lollypop Farms in
Rochester, The Cleveland
Animal Protection League,
Sacramento SPCA and many
others, run free animal adoption
promotions. We decided
to try this type of promotion in
our shelter and see what kind
of results we got.
Q. Doesn’t the concept of a
free adoption devalue the
animal?
A. In a word, no. In 2006,
the American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(ASPCA) did an in-depth
study on free promotions.
They found that, “Eliminating
adoption fees does not devalue
the animals in the eyes of the
adopters.” The focus is rather
that these animals are valuable
and should have a home, that
is why they are getting the
special attention of a promotion
offering them with fees
waived.
Q. Does this mean you were
just giving animals away?
A. No, we still made it mandatory
to have an approved
adoption application. Many
people don’t realize how well
we screen potential adopters.
We check their veterinary
history if they have ever
had a pet before, we check
with their landlord to see if
they can have a pet or check
if they do indeed own their
own home. We even make
sure people have a source of
income before they adopt.
Every person who adopted a
free pet on Spay Day had an
approved adoption application.
We did in fact deny some
people a free animal on Spay
Day because the animal wasn’t
a good fit for them or they
did not meet our screening
criteria.
Q. How much money did the
shelter lose by running this
promotion?
A. Not as much as you’d
think. Many people do not
realize that we do not make
any money on adoptions. We
are lucky just to break even. It
costs us, on average $10 per
animal care day. One animal
care day is equal to the cost of
caring for one shelter animal
for one day. Since we hold
stray animals for six days
when they come into the shelter,
we spend at least $60 up
front on each one. Not to mention
that the average length of
stay for most shelter animals
is 19 days. That’s $190 per
animal. Our $80 adoption fee
for cats and $125 adoption fee
for dogs doesn’t even begin
to cover the cost of caring for
the animals at the shelter. It
actually costs us more to keep
them here longer, not to mention
it can have costly effects
on the animal’s health.
Hopefully this sheds some
light on the motives behind
our decision to offer free
adoptions on Spay Day. Please
know that we would never
knowingly let any of our animals
go into unfit homes. We
are only trying to think about
new, creative ways to get our
animals out of the shelter and
into loving, forever homes as
soon as possible.
Summer Pet Safety
Tips
Summer may seem like a long
way away, but it is never too early
to think about summer pet safety.
Here are some things you can do to
make sure your pets enjoy the warm
weather in a healthy way.
1) We may beat the heat by chillin’
out next to our air conditioner.
Your pets would love to join you
inside, so if at all possible, let
them take a break from the
heat as well. If it’s not
possible to let your pet inside,
make sure they have shade and
plenty of water.
2) Don’t leave your pets in the car!
You’ve heard it time and again,
but in a matter of minutes,
your car can turn into an oven.
3) Our pets are our babies. You
wouldn’t leave your baby unattended
in the pool, so don’t let
water-loving pooches swim by
themselves. They can get tired or
run into trouble and need your
help.
4) Barbecues are often a hallmark of
summer. Make sure your pets can
be included too, but in a safe way.
Ask your friends not to serve your
pets alcohol. This may seem
funny, but it can lead to many
problems including dehydration,
depression and sometimes a
coma.
5) While you’re grilling up a storm,
it may be tempting to feed your
pet some scraps. This is fine, but
in moderation. Overindulging
your pet can lead to a belly ache if
you’re not careful.
Hopefully, by following these summer
safety tips, you and your pet can
have a happy, healthy summer.
Hours:
Monday -- 11am - 4:30pm
Tuesday -- 11am-4:30pm
Wednesday -- 11am-4:30pm
Thursday -- 11am -4:30pm
Friday -- 11am-7pm (open late)
Saturday - 11am-4:30pm
* Open 6 days a week! *
Chemung County Humane
Society & SPCA, Inc.
2435 State Route 352
Elmira, NY 14903
Phone: 607-732-1827
Fax: 607-732-6351
Website: www.chemungspca.org
Email: develop@chemungspca.org
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