At a time when government programs are cutting back and lowering their expectations for the services they can provide, the Petaluma Animal Shelter has taken continued enthusiasm and new ideas to find homes for more animals, doubling its adoption rate in the past year.
In fact, the shelter found homes for 186 dogs in the last year, compared to 84 the previous year. And euthanasia rates have decreased by two-thirds in the same period, from around 30 percent last year to 11 percent today.
All that is thanks to a new approach that includes increased outreach for adoptions and help from volunteers, but most importantly, a focus on the needs of the animals.
"Most shelters use a very old model, and there is not much advancement in methods," said Jeff Charter, manager of the shelter. Many shelters are dealing with limited staff resources, and are forced to put down pets that they can not immediately find a home for, he said.
"Most shelters see euthanasia as a human workforce management tool," said Valerie Fausone, volunteer coordinator and volunteer dog trainer at the shelter. In fact, in Los Angeles, 650 pets are euthanized every year, she said.
"We are trying to stop that nonsense," said Fausone.
But Petaluma's shelter has long been known for its compassionate staff and support from the community.
"I've always enjoyed the atmosphere there," said Jenny Hopkins, a Petaluma resident who adopted a cat from the shelter in 2004. "It never seemed like a sad place, as many shelters do. The staff has always been upbeat, happy and seem to enjoy what they do."
When Charter became manager of the shelter in August of 2009, he put an emphasis on giving each pet individual attention to determine its needs. Some come with back-stories of abuse or neglect, and some have an unknown history. But volunteers give them temperament tests, train them to manage bad habits and let them exercise and socialize. Potential adopters are asked about their own living situation and habits to find a perfect fit for the animal. Euthanasia is now seen as an option of last resort.
Part of the success has come from trying to change the public perception of what an animal shelter is, said Fausone. Rather than a place for unwanted animals, it is a "bridge between here and there," she said.
"Instead of a dog jail, we are really a college, and those are the dorms," Fausone said about the kennels. "The animals are not &‘less than,' they are not deficient, they are just homeless," she said.
To help change that perception, the shelter has stepped up community outreach and marketing efforts. Using Facebook, Craigslist and other social media, Fausone has sought more volunteers, networked with other shelters and pet organizations, and actively recruited for people wanting to adopt a pet.
The shelter came as a big help to Holly Carmizzo when she was faced with finding a home for two young dogs that her mother left behind when she passed away recently. After Carmizzo and her sister looked for potential adopters on their own, they turned to the shelter, where she was interviewed about the dogs and their habits.
"I was shocked at how thorough the questions were. They were just so wonderful with us," she said about the staff.
"We left there with a wonderful peace of mind and knew we did the right thing," she said. "True to their word, they found good homes for the dogs immediately."
The city's funding for the Animal Services department, which runs the shelter, stood at $769,125 in 2009 but is just over $700,000 today. In fact, there was talk in 2009 of combining the shelter's services with either Sonoma County or Rohnert Park in order to save money. No decisions came out of the talks at the time, and while City Manager John Brown said that and other changes are on the table in today's economy, the shelter is doing well and nothing is currently in the works to consolidate services.
But at a time when the shelter's staff has been cut from 11 to five in the past three years, volunteer outreach has kept a consistent workforce of 100 part-time volunteers. Community support in the way of donations of both money and supplies has remained strong.
"We enjoy a lot of support from the public," said Charter.
The shelter also continues its spay and neuter program to help manage the town's animal population. A new spay and neuter facility was set up at the shelter just three months ago, thanks in part to donations from the community.
As city programs continue to face challenges, workers at the shelter hope to keep up the support and donations thanks to their enthusiasm and model focused on filling pets' needs.
"We take the status quo and turn it on its head," said Charter.
"We don't care if the dog is a 12-year-old one-eyed pit bull with three legs - we will find that dog a great home," said Fausone.
(Contact Philip Riley at philip.riley@arguscourier.com)
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