Many of you know I am a strong supporter of charity, particularly in the area of animal rescue. It is a subject near and dear to my heart and one I am proud to participate. All my animals are rescues. Over the years I have helped the rescue organizations as much as I can and will continue to do so. It is good and much needed work.
This morning I had a couple of interesting conversations with members of the public. One was a client, the other, an acquaintance I was surprised of their perception of the St. John’s SPCA. The client mentioned her son wished to rehome his doberman but was having problems doing so. The dog was a great dog but there were health issues in the family requiring him to look for another home. When I mentioned the SPCA, she stated they did not wish to surrender the dog as he would be put down if no homes were available. I quickly corrected this impression and encouraged her to contact the local SPCA if they were no longer able to care for the dog. When I mentioned this conversation to an acquaintance, he expressed similar views. He said “ euthanasia is what they do”.
I was disappointed. This sentiment is far from reality and if people think that way, perhaps they need to be educated to encourage a change in their perceptions.
Before I present the stats to support my views, let me preface this by stating a few things.
I have been involved with the St. John’s SPCA off and on at many points over the last 12 years. I have seen it grow and mature into a very fine and respectable organization. Is it perfect? No organization is. I can state with all honestly though that it is dedicated to improvement, is always innovating and is shaping into an organization which can be a template for any similar rescue. In the last three years I have been their animal consultant, have helped train the staff and volunteers on dog care and enrichment, have helped implement and oversee their formalized canine behavior assessment. It is an ongoing labour but one I believe is helping make a difference. I am also proud to sit on the board of directors, a more dedicated group of people you will not find anywhere.
I can emphatically say that I would not be affiliated much less be so intimately tied to the organization if “euthanasia is what they do”.
Did you know that the St. John’s SPCA meets the definition of a “no kill shelter”? That is something I am very proud of and it is something that every shelter which falls within the definition should be proud of. The definition for “no kill” is not universal by any means. There is no ruling body that defines “ no kill". However the accepted standard is that a no kill shelter has a 90% or above live release rate. To put it in more solid terms, more than 9 out of every 10 animals admitted to the St. John’s SPCA are placed into homes. Considering the number of animals admitted, the health issues faced, and the behavior issues accepted, this number is amazing.
The St. John’s SPCA achieves this through a number of different means including but not limited to;
1. A trained and dedicated staff and volunteer base
2. Partnerships with community groups, businesses and organizations
3. A foster and community outreach program
4. Programs such as SNAP helping low income pet owners spay and neuter their animals
5. An animal assessment, enrichment and behavior modification program
6. A partnership with a dedicated veterinary hospital
The work being done at the shelter is admirable especially considering funding problems, resource and space issues inherent in working with any similar rescue.
Did you know that the St. John’s SPCA has not euthanized any animal due to space or length of stay in years? The goal is to track and reduce the length of stay as much as possible for our animals. Some amazing work is being done in this regard. I look forward to the day when we see the length of average stay numbers drop into the single digits. It is both a worthy and achievable goal.
If you have not done so, take a visit to the St. John’s SPCA. Talk to the staff and volunteers, see the changes. Look for ways to get involved. Volunteering with the organization is worthwhile. The time you spend, and the effort you give benefits so many. There are also numerous ways to help. Walk the dogs, hang out with the cats, help out with fundraising, volunteer at the thrift store, participate in a charity event….there are ways for all to get involved regardless of ability and talents.
Come on out, check us out! I think you will be happy you did.