Director News & Views

The year 2010 brought us many animals and many opportunities to fulfill our mission. We were able, with the help of our supporters, to assist over twenty-two low-income pet owners with veterinary procedures. We cared for over five hundred and forty animals during the year, found new homes for two hundred and seventy-eight pets and we were able to afford the spaying and neutering of all before they left our care.

Once again, for the third year in a row, our rate of animals leaving our care for new homes exceeded the state and national averages of shelters using Petpoint Animal Welfare software (over 1600 shelters nationwide). The statistics are favorable but don’t tell the whole story. Though we exceed other shelters, on average, in live release rates we do so at the expense of owners on our “wait list”.

Throughout the year we keep a list of animals whose owners can no longer keep them. The reasons vary and we do our best to accommodate the most urgent and pressing cases. Since we must remain available for the large numbers of stray animals coming through our system - we are an “open admissions” shelter and strays have first priority - we choose to admit the “owner surrenders” on the basis of available space so that we can avoid the unnecessary killing of healthy adoptable animals because there is no room.

This approach has its pitfalls the primary one being that we can not service the community as we would like because we are being limited by the constraints of the building in which we are currently housed. The size and design of the building constrain us in other ways too numerous for this document to cover.

Because we would like to be of greater service to the community, save even more animals and save more people from the angst of surrendering their pets to uncertain circumstances the board and staff of CAHS have embarked on a campaign to evaluate the potential of designing and constructing a more state of the art adoption, training, boarding and grooming facility.

An additional space would enable us to house more animals in a facility designed for longer term stays with access to activities for mental and physical stimulation. Additionally, by adding the capability for grooming and boarding, we can support our mission, education programs, low income assistance and develop and sustain new programs through generated income.

The coming few years can change the face of our humane society to reflect a community that truly cares about the animals and the people who love them. The choice is ours as a board and community. The animals have no say but they are the ones that need us the most. We thank you for your past support and hope that you will join us for our future plans.

Jodie Adams, Executive Director