“What is happening at
the Pittsylvania Pet Center?” If you
were not involved in the voting, and talks around building the new Pittsylvania
Pet Center you may have heard or asked this question around town these past few
weeks. This is my first article in the Chatham Star Tribune so I thought I
would take this opportunity to clear up the questions.
The first question being asked is, “Who is running the new center?’ The Lynchburg Humane Society is managing the
operations at the new Pittsylvania Pet Center.
The county of Pittsylvania owns and built the new facility and are
responsible for the building and the costs associated with maintaining the
building. The Lynchburg Humane Society is responsible for hiring and paying the
employees of the center and for all costs associated with caring for the pets
including feeding and medical treatments.
“How is this different from before?” Prior to our involvement the Animal Control
officers were responsible for everything related to the pets at the county
pound and relied on help from local organizations, the SPCA of Pittsylvania
County and Happy Tails to place and transfer pets. “Are you replacing these organizations?” We are not taking the place of the SPCA of
Pittsylvania County, they are an independent 501C3 whose mission is to help the
pets of Pittsylvania County find new homes through fostering or transferring.
They had a vital role in making the new Pet Center a reality and will continue
to play an important role in the facility’s success. They have assisted the Pet
Center with transferring dogs to rescue partners and are great friends. Happy
Tails has also proven to be a great partner.
They have assisted with many projects, providing supplies, volunteering
and we expect these roles to grow.
“Who is working at
the center?” The fifteen people who
work at the Pet Center are all community members of Pittsylvania and
Danville. We will have staff members
periodically come from Lynchburg to train and assist but when you walk in to
the center you will see people who you may know.
“Are you replacing
the ACO’s?” The Lynchburg Humane Society and employees of the Pittsylvania
Pet Center have nothing to do with the Animal Control side of this
partnership. The ACO’s still fall under
county management and are a separate department. They bring us the pets they pick up and we
house them and care for them and once their stray hold for the pet is up (7
days without a collar and 11 days with a collar) we assure that the pet is given
what it needs to find a new home.
“How much is this
costing the county?” The county is paying us $260,000 to manage the new
shelter for the community. This fee is
much less than what the county would have spent to do it themselves. In fact, we project that it will cost us
$432,660 to run. So why are we doing
this? The reason is simple, we want to
end the suffering of pets in this region, not by euthanasia, but by helping
them find new homes. Last year 81% of
the dogs made it out of the old pound alive in Pittsylvania County, which isn’t
bad, but only 22% of the total dogs/cats made it out of the contracted public
shelter in Danville. 22 percent means 2,706 were euthanized, that is 52 a week
on average, or 7 a day.
We are doing it for those 7 pets a day. We may not be responsible for the operations
in the other shelters in this area but we want to be a resource and help. We want to bring our life saving philosophy
and practices to this area, create a happy and pleasant environment for people
to help with the pets, we want to work with local vets so pets without owners
are valued and get the treatment they deserve.
We want to bring value back to pets and make their lives important. In
the month of July 106 pets came in to the new Pittsylvania Pet Center and 100%
made it out alive.
“How can I help?”
You can help by simply visiting, bringing in food or bedding, volunteering or
fostering, taking advantage of our free and low cost spay/neuter services,
focusing on all the great things happening at the Pittsylvania Pet Center and
of course, by donating financially. We
will not succeed without the support of the people in this area. This is your center, your pets and your
people, only you can ensure the success of your Pet Center. To follow our
events and adoptable pets please like our Facebook page; The Pittsylvania Pet
Center or visit our website www.Pittsylvaniapetcenter.org
Comments
Post a Comment