DELAWARE SPCA REDUCES EUTHANASIA BY MORE THAN 70% FROM 2008-2010

AS IT FULFILLS ITS PROMISE TO SAVE LIVES

“Live Release Rate” Approaches 80%;

Stanton and Georgetown Shelters Re-Home 3,220 animals  in 2009

STANTON, DE – March 24, 2010 – The Delaware Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the oldest and most experienced animal welfare organization in the state, today announced that it has dramatically increased its “live release rate” and reduced its euthanasia rate by more than 70% over a two year period spanning 2008-2009.

In early 2008 the Delaware SPCA adopted a policy under which only animals that were too ill or injured to recover or were a danger to the public would be euthanized. The objective was to dramatically increase the ‘live release rate,’ which is the standard many shelters use to measure their effectiveness in terms of reuniting pets with owners, having them adopted to new homes, or transferring them to rescue groups.

“In 2009 our live release rate was 80%, meaning that 8 of 10 animals that came into our shelters went on to a better life in a new home, were placed with a rescue, or were reunited with their owners ,” said Anne Cavanaugh, Executive Director of Delaware SPCA.

Cavanaugh spearheaded the efforts, in partnership with the organization’s Board of Directors, to increase live release when she took the helm of the organization in early 2008. The move was a radical shift in thinking for the organization, which receives no government funding and relies on private donations and grants.

“Reaching this point in just two years has been quite a journey, and we are not done yet. We realistically expect to reach a greater than 85% live release rate by the end of 2011,” Cavanaugh projected. “However, we remain keenly aware that saving animal lives costs money. Expenses directly linked to animal shelter, food and medical care have increased 180% since we began this process, which increases greatly the burden of fundraising.”

Attracting donations and applying for grants is a major endeavor. Earlier this month the Delaware SPCA announced it had hired Christina Motoyoshi to be the Director of Development.

 “Many people don’t realize that while our mission is to save animal lives across the state, we do so without any local or state aid,” said Motoyoshi. “Animals do not understand county lines, they don’t know about costs or paperwork; they only know they are lost, hungry or homeless. So it is our job to find the funds to help them.  It costs much more to save lives than it does to euthanize, and  many animals require more than routine care before they can be put up for adoption – some need emergency care, surgery to repair an injury, or several rounds of medication.  These expenses really add up.” 

By the Numbers

During 2009, the Delaware SPCA’s Stanton and Georgetown shelters took in 4,119 lost or homeless animals. Of those, 2,415 were adopted (1,453 dogs and 962 cats)  – and 239 were returned to their original owners. Another 585 were transferred to rescue groups with which Delaware SPCA partners.

The organization’s live release rate for dogs was 86% and 73% for cats. 

“These numbers represent a remarkable improvement compared to the not-too-distant past,” said Cavanaugh. “Our result for dogs is particularly good, considering that we have an animal control contract with the City of Wilmington. Our cat numbers have improved dramatically and I think we will do even better with cats this year.  We respond to many calls from the public regarding injured cats, many of which have been hit by cars, and unfortunately these cats have often sustained life-threatening injuries.” 

New Weapons Against Animal Homelessness

Adoption is an excellent way to combat animal homelessness, but preventing homelessness requires a longer term approach. In September 2009 the Delaware SPCA opened the Jane R. Haggard Spay/Neuter Clinic at its Stanton Shelter. It is the first and only high quality, high volume spay/neuter clinic in the state. When the clinic reaches peak performance (expected later this year), it will spay and neuter 7,200 dogs and cats annually – completely preventing unwanted litters.

In February 2010, the organization introduced a very colorful Spay/Neuter Transport Van which will travel the state, picking up animals from other shelters, animal rescue groups, trailer parks and other locations. The service will bring the animals to the Stanton Clinic for neutering surgery, and then return them in the comfort of the custom designed van, allowing for more surgeries – and fewer litters. 

“The new Delaware SPCA Spay/Neuter Transport Van will allow us to increase access to affordable neutering services at our new high volume clinic in Stanton,” said Cavanaugh.  “It gives us another way to raise awareness and remove obstacles to low-cost spay/neuter across Delaware.”

The transport program will help the SPCA to specifically target problem areas, and allow more focus on addressing the pet overpopulation problem in Sussex County.  While spay/neuter surgery will continue at the Delaware SPCA’s Georgetown shelter, transporting animals to the high volume clinic in Stanton will facilitate the organization’s plans to more than double the number of Sussex county animals it serves.  The SPCA plans to convert the Georgetown shelter to a high volume clinic in the near future. 

For more information about the Delaware SPCA, please contact Anne Cavanaugh, Executive Director, at 302/998-2281.

About Delaware SPCA

Delaware SPCA is the oldest animal welfare organization in the state. Established in 1873, it has provided continuous service to pets and their companions for more than 135 years. Today, Delaware SPCA operates shelters in Stanton (New Castle County) and Georgetown (Sussex County), providing animal welfare, adoption, spay/neuter and educational services throughout the state under the banner of “Give a Paw a Hand.” For more information visit www.delspca.org or call 302/998-2281.