What are other groups in Central Ohio doing?

So there's this buzz phrase "No Kill" and it has a lot of controversy surrounding it. People cry out "oh it's so cruel to keep a dog spinning in a cage or a cranky cat languishing for years in a cage just because you don't want to humanely euthanize it" The problem here is that those people assume that the same old  do-nothings would still be in charge creating this undesirable situation. People need to start thinking of No Kill as a process, not a policy. We are so very lucky here in Central Ohio to have all the foundations in place to make this revolutionary change. Let me explain. 

To achieve no kill, there have to be some major basic facets in place to do the following:

1.  Reduce the number of animals coming into the shelter.

2. Comprehensive adoption programs.

3. Some kind of program to deal with the feral cat population.

Ok so those are the basics- Spay/neuter to reduce numbers, adoption to get them out of your shelter alive, and feral cat programs to keep those animals out of your shelter who shouldn't be there in the first. These three things directly affect the number of animals that die in shelters each year. 

Guess what? There are amazing programs already in place in Central Ohio that do all three!

Spay/Neuter- we've got Spay/Neuter Clinics, RASCAL, NOMAD and Franklin County Dog Shelter just to name a few who are doing high volume, low cost spay and neuter. NOMAD is spaying/neutering 20-30 cats a day, and RASCAL does 40 spays/neuters a day! 

Capital Area Will tell you that they run an expensive voucher program, but sadly, they limit their vouchers to one cat per household per year. This is a huge waste of money that was granted to them by the Commissioners of Franklin County that could have been put to much greater use with a responsible group. 

Comprehensive Adoption- Ever been to "Mingle with our Mutts" at the Franklin County Dog Shelter? It is a wonderful event that boasts dozens of rescue groups and always draws a great crowd. To put it in perspective on how great this event is for adoptions- "Mingle" was modeled off an adoption even that is done twice a year by a very well funded group in Colorado- our group in Central Ohio does it twice a month! It provides a venue for breed-specific rescues as well as foster based networks to show their dogs off on a regular basis without the luxury of a shelter. It is held on the first and third Sundays - check out the website at www.minglewithourmutts.org for more information. 

Capital Area Humane Society does not offer their shelter for this event nor do they even participate. In fact, according to their own website "events page", there are only two offsite adoption events for the next 3 months. Nearly all of the events listed are fundraisers. Of course, they should probably focus on adoption events right in their own shelter since the adoption floor cages are ALWAYS EMPTY!

Feral Cat Programs- There is a wonderful group in central Ohio that is dedicated to the Trap, Neuter, and Return of feral cats called Colony Cats. That's exactly what they do-Trap the cat in a humane box trap, take it to a veterinary clinic in the trap to have it fixed, and then RETURN the cat back to the location from where it originally came. With a TNR program, you don't have to kill all the feral cats in your shelter but at the same time you are stopping them from reproducing. 

Capital Area will tell you they have a feral cat program. Despite the fact that they have a paid "Feral Cat Program Coordinator" the reality is that they put little to no effort into it and rely on volunteers from Colony Cats to bring cats week after week after week. Veterinarians who work the clinics become frustrated, as they are prepared for a full surgery day of 30-40 cats, but Capital Area has less than 10 cats that they've scheduled. If you want to donate to help feral cats, donate at www.colonycats.org and NOT the wasteful Capital Area program.

In addition to the basics we have groups in Central Ohio that work on legislation, operate pet food pantries, maintain a library for people to find information on behavioral issues and other pet retention education, offer low-cost veterinary care subsidized by donations, and build dog beds for shelter dogs in depressed counties. We also have SO MUCH support from businesses, local politicians, and our community that there is no reason we shouldn't be able to make great strides to save our companion animals, even the holy grail of "No Kill". 

The executive staff of Capital Area exploit this good will to keep themselves paid. For those of us who VOLUNTEER on behalf of the animals, who want to make real change, who dream of minimal euthanasia rates, who take in yet another litter of kittens or puppies, who spend hundreds or thousands of dollars feeding, housing, and vetting foster animals, their behavior is a slap in the face.