Animal aid

LAURIE EDWARDS | Laker Weekly

The Franklin County Humane Society's adoption shelter has about a dozen dogs and a few litters of puppies available.

LAURIE EDWARDS | Laker Weekly

More than 30 felines roam the Franklin County Humane Society's no-kill adoption shelter kitten room; President Donna Essig said they're inundated with kittens.

Faye Hicks has seen a lot of tears lately. The adoption-specialist manager at Franklin County Animal Shelter said most of the people who have been leaving their animals there the past few years don't want to do it. The slow economy, which has led to lost jobs and the downsizing of living quarters that don't always allow pets, has forced pet owners to make the difficult decision.

"That's heart-wrenching," said Hicks. "We don't give them false hopes, but we do tell them we'll do everything we can to find a placement."

That's easier said than done with pet surrenders accounting for about 69 percent of the shelter's intake in 2009, up from 29 percent in 2004, according to Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The Bedford County Animal Shelter is in similar straits. According to VDACS, pet surrenders made up 51 percent of the shelter's intake in 2009 versus 23 percent in 2004.

"We'll have folks who are moving for one reason or another, they don't have a house anymore or they have to go into an apartment," said Scott Polinek, Bedford County's shelter manager. "They're the common sense items we would expect in a down economy."

As surrenders have increased over the past few years, both county shelters have been working in greater capacity with nonprofits and rescue groups to find placement for adoptable animals.

Thanks to those efforts, Bedford County has been able to lower its euthanasia rate slightly -- 65 percent in 2009 versus 67 percent in 2004 -- even though the number of animals taken in almost doubled.

In Franklin County, where the shelter was decried for years as a slaughterhouse, euthanasia rates have dropped 40 percent, from 86 percent in 2004 to 46 percent in 2009. The decrease in euthanasia rates coincides with Hicks' hiring at the shelter a few years ago.

"When I took the position in Franklin County, I did inquire if they would let me ... make every effort to place [the animals]," said Hicks. "We've got a board and we've got a director that encourages anything that we can do as far as rescues and transfers."

The Franklin County shelter works closely with the Franklin County Humane Society, a nonprofit that operates a no-kill adoption shelter and a low-cost spay/neuter clinic.

"We work with them quite a bit and try to take available dogs out as quickly as we can," said Donna Essig, president of the Franklin County Humane Society.

Cats are much harder to place because they breed so often, she said. A mature female can breed up to five times per year and produce litters of up to eight kittens, said Essig.

Mary Beverley, president of the Bedford Humane Society, a nonprofit that offers a low-cost spay/neuter clinic and plans to build a no-kill shelter, said unsterilized cats, both stray and pets, are a huge problem.

"There is, unfortunately, a feeling that cats are a dime a dozen and a throwaway," she said. "The way that people think about cats is, 'Don't worry, there will be more in six weeks.'"

While county residents might not worry about the how many cats are being round up by animal control officers or being dropped off at the shelters, the county governments do.

Every animal taken into the county shelters means another adoptable animal has to be pushed out. Plus, the care or euthanasia of each animal costs money.

"Taxpayers, they don't realize how expensive it is," said Beverley. "If people really think about it, they'd just be shocked."

Both county shelters also work extensively with out-of-market pet rescue organizations. Many animals are transferred to northern states such as New Jersey and New York, which have seen significant decreases in available animals because of strict spay/neuter laws, said Polinek.

Both counties' animal shelter and humane society representatives agreed the only way overpopulation and high euthanasia rates can be better controlled is to change the way county residents view spay/neuter.

"People in rural communities just think differently than people in a city environment," said Beverley. "I don't mean that in a bad way. I just think it's different."

Both humane societies offer spay/neuter at more than half the cost of most veterinarians. The Bedford Humane Society uses a sliding scale for low-income clients that can bring costs as low as $10, said Beverley.

To help families struggling to keep their pets in the down economy, the Bedford Humane Society also offers an AniMeals program. People registered at Lake Christian Ministries or the Bedford County Resource Center can apply to receive pet food, said Beverley.

Polinek said he encourages struggling pet owners to do all they can to try to hold onto their animals because dropping them off at the shelter isn't a guarantee they'll find a new home.

"If you can't take care of the animal, bring it in and we'll do our best to get it placed," said Polinek. "If you are going to keep your animal, have it spayed or neutered."

View pets available for adoption

Bedford County Animal Shelter: co.bedford.va.us/res/animal

Bedford Humane Society: bedfordhumanesociety.petfinder.com

Franklin County Animal Shelter: franklincountyva.gov/animal-cont

Franklin County Humane Society: plannedpethoodrockymount.com