Animal shelter retains no-kill status
Post-Tribune
February 09, 2016 - 3:02PM
The Porter County Animal Shelter released animal intake and outcome data for 2015 on Tuesday that confirms their continued status as a no-kill shelter.
The shelter also announced the launch of a new website.
Of the total 1,135 animal outcomes in 2015, just over 7 percent resulted in euthanization. That total was 80 animals, and 26 were euthanized for aggressive behavior and 54 for medical reasons.
A shelter must maintain a euthanization rate below 10 percent to achieve no-kill status. The shelter had 1,139 intakes for the year, with 1,135 outcomes. In all, 92 percent of the animals that came into the shelter were adopted, reclaimed by their owners, or placed with rescue organizations. About 1 percent of the animals were brought to the shelter after they were dead or died after they got there.
"It was a good year for the shelter and our animals," shelter director Toni Bianchi said in a news release. "We were able to make these achievements because of the support of the public, our partner rescue organizations, and a committed shelter staff. But we have more work to do."
Last year, 82 percent of the animal intakes were strays, yet only 24 percent of the outcomes were returned to the owner. Another 5.7 percent of the intakes were owner surrenders and 6 percent were adoption returns.
"We took a hard look at these numbers and found a need to better educate the public about resources to find and reclaim their lost animals, alternatives to owner surrenders, and helping potential adopters truly understand that adopting an animal is a serious, lifelong commitment," Bianchi said in the news release. "That was a big part of our decision to develop a new and more comprehensive website, so that we could try and reduce the number of animals coming into the shelter."
The new website includes categories for help in finding and reclaiming lost animals, as well as alternatives to the most common reasons for owner surrenders. It also has information for those thinking of adopting, including the cost of owning an animal, the supplies needed, choosing the right animal for their lifestyle, and planning the animal's homecoming.
Groundbreaking for a new shelter on Indiana 49, just north of the Porter County Expo Center, is slated for May. The new shelter will replace the current one at 2056 Heavilin Road, which county officials have long said is outdated and too small for the number of animals it handles.
"During Toni's short tenure as director, we've seen amazing progress at the shelter and it is fantastic that she is now proactively trying to reduce animal intakes through public education and awareness," said Porter County Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South, in the news release.
During the website development process, shelter staff compiled lists of the most commonly asked questions by the public, and identified areas where the public can be engaged in supporting the shelter's mission. There are also more than 80 subpages that include adoption success stories; volunteering; upcoming events; becoming a foster; the shelter's wish list; updates on the new shelter; low cost spay/neuter programs; and more.
"We've tried to develop a website that is user friendly and offers information that is truly educational and useful," Bianchi said.
The new website can be viewed at www.porterco.org/pcas.
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