The Flathead County Animal Shelter has been here before: lots of animals, not much staff and not nearly enough money. But with a new nonprofit organization and a burgeoning foster care program, never before has the shelter been so well-equipped to take on these challenges, even as stark economic realities continue to bring more pets to its doorsteps.
Years ago, the Flathead Spay and Neuter Task Force was created, which Myni Ferguson, president of the Flathead County Animal Advisory Committee, said “turned off the faucet and we’ve been mopping up since.” In other words, it was the first big step toward solving the county’s animal control and care issues, but only one step. Over the past two years, the shelter has taken several more bold steps forward.
Under the leadership of director Kirsten Holland, the shelter has started a foster care program and, more recently, a nonprofit fundraising organization called Flathead Shelter Friends. In her 25 years of animal care service in the Flathead, rarely has Ferguson been so encouraged.
Flathead Shelter Friends’ first major fundraiser will be a “flea market” held on May 9 at Advanced Powder Coating at 3247 U.S. 93 South. The idea is that people who are doing spring cleaning can donate anything they don’t need – from knick-knacks to furniture – to be sold. All proceeds go to the shelter.
The fundraiser comes just as the shelter is preparing for the inevitable flood of springtime kittens and puppies. Staff and volunteers have already been busy with the influx of animals stemming from the economic downturn. Some people arrive with pets because they’ve lost their home, others because they’ve lost their jobs and others because they simply can no longer afford them.
Aurora Paulsen, administrative assistant and volunteer coordinator for the shelter, said some arrivals have been heart-wrenching.
“We’ve seen quite a few people come in with tears with pets they’ve had their whole lives,” Paulsen said.
The shelter thus far has managed not to exceed its capacity this year because, even as more people bring in cats and dogs, more are coming to adopt as well. Paulsen and Flathead Shelter Friends president Carmen O’Brien said it’s a sign that people are aware of the widespread money troubles and, if they are financially capable, are showing compassion by taking on the abandoned pets.
Along with the diligent efforts of the task force, the shelter also does its own spaying and neutering, which wasn’t the case in the past. But Paulsen said: “We’re always walking a fine line” with overcapacity, a problem exacerbated by under-funding. The Humane Society and other organizations take some animals, but can only handle so many.
In the fall of 2007, the shelter was placed under the jurisdiction of the county’s health department. Despite what Ferguson calls a “very supportive health board,” the shelter has continued to have funding struggles, leading to the creation of Flathead Shelter Friends. Due to the financial woes, the shelter’s kennels and other resources are “totally inadequate,” Ferguson said.
O’Brien said the nonprofit plans to do “anything that will help reduce the burden” of the funding shortfalls.
Crowded and under-funded animal shelters aren’t uncommon in the United States, nor are the problems posed by the economic slump. Many shelters have been turning animals away while others have been forced to resort to euthanasia at a high rate. But the Flathead County Animal Shelter has largely avoided both of those troublesome trends.
Flathead’s shelter prides itself on a low euthanasia rate. While some facilities have time limits – maybe a couple of weeks – that determine if an animal should be euthanized, Paulsen said Flathead’s does not. Nor does it euthanize healthy animals for space. Paulsen said only unhealthy or problematic animals, if they haven’t been adopted after time, are euthanized. Also, under Holland, adoption efforts have ramped up considerably.
The foster care program helps maintain the low euthanasia rate, as well as promoting better animal health and behavior overall. A sick animal or one with behavioral issues doesn’t generally respond well to a shelter’s atmosphere. Sickness spreads in the confined space, or it at least persists, while the stress of living there also takes its toll.
A part-time trainer and veterinarian, along with volunteer veterinarians, do a great deal to address health and behavior problems, but there are simply too many animals to keep up with all of the time.
These animals often need a home with one-on-one interaction, space to roam, a healthy diet and obedience training, even if only for a couple of days or weeks. The foster care program provides this. Also, it allows foster parents both the opportunity to help an animal in need and the chance to see if they’re ready to take on a pet full time.
“I don’t think it will ever get to the point that we don’t need a shelter, but it’s getting better and better and better,” O’Brien said.
People can view all of the shelter’s resident cats and dogs available for foster care or adoption by logging on to www.montanapets.org/fcac. Also, anyone interested in learning more about Flathead Shelter Friends’ fundraisers can call Carmen O’Brien at 844-2641.