Post by johnr on Dec 11, 2011 9:37:08 GMT -5
We all know that it's usually better for an animal to keep a home than to try to find a new one. In between never coming into the shelter at all and coming in and getting adopted into a new home is the seldom discussed status of reclaimed animals, which divide up into two main groups: (a) a small number who were surrendered to the shelter, but the owner reconsiders and reclaims; (b) a much larger number who come in stray but are reclaimed.
At BCAS, our stray cat reclaim rate is as depressing as it is almost everywhere. Of course, a lot of cats who come in "stray" are actually ferals or friendly by unowned wanderers or kittens born outside. These cats of course don't get reclaimed except in extraordinary circumstances (eg microchipped, tipped feral cats from a legal colony) and their vast numbers depress reclaim statistics significantly. But even obviously well cared for adult cats that come in are only occasionally reclaimed. It's a shame.
Dog reclaims are much, much better everywhere and are especially good at BCAS. When I started, the reclaim rate was about 55%. Since then, it's risen to 62%, as we've tightened up every protocol or procedure we can think of at out end. But I've long felt that some people just don't know HOW to go about looking for a lost pet and I've long wanted to get some sort of media outreach to the community. A local columnist, Kate Fratti, who has done a few very productive columns on our shelter and on animals more generally, took an interest in the issue and this appeared just today:
www.phillyburbs.com/blogs/news_columnists/kate_fratti/here-s-to-happy-reunions/article_1c3f2052-0dc0-5af9-afbc-ef93b89bf5ce.html
At BCAS, our stray cat reclaim rate is as depressing as it is almost everywhere. Of course, a lot of cats who come in "stray" are actually ferals or friendly by unowned wanderers or kittens born outside. These cats of course don't get reclaimed except in extraordinary circumstances (eg microchipped, tipped feral cats from a legal colony) and their vast numbers depress reclaim statistics significantly. But even obviously well cared for adult cats that come in are only occasionally reclaimed. It's a shame.
Dog reclaims are much, much better everywhere and are especially good at BCAS. When I started, the reclaim rate was about 55%. Since then, it's risen to 62%, as we've tightened up every protocol or procedure we can think of at out end. But I've long felt that some people just don't know HOW to go about looking for a lost pet and I've long wanted to get some sort of media outreach to the community. A local columnist, Kate Fratti, who has done a few very productive columns on our shelter and on animals more generally, took an interest in the issue and this appeared just today:
www.phillyburbs.com/blogs/news_columnists/kate_fratti/here-s-to-happy-reunions/article_1c3f2052-0dc0-5af9-afbc-ef93b89bf5ce.html
I look forward to learning much here