Press Release

 

ASPCA Mission: Orange Report Highlights Achievements in Spokane

 

Data Reveals Increases in Adoptions, Spay/Neuter; Decrease in Pets Entering Shelter

October 8, 2008

ASPCA Media Contact

NEW YORK, October 8, 2008 - A report published by the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) highlights statistics that outline progress of the ASPCA® Mission: Orange™ partnership in Spokane, one of six target communities nationwide participating in the campaign - a focused effort to provide positive outcomes for at-risk pets (i.e., shelter animals).

The ASPCA’s Spokane Biannual Report (January-June 2008), details accomplishments and summarizes data provided by Spokane’s animal welfare partners: Spokane Humane Society (SHS); SpokAnimal C.A.R.E. (SAC); Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Services (SCRAPS); and Pet Savers spay/neuter clinic. Among the highlights are increases in the Live Release Rate*, adoptions, and spay/neuter.

“The ASPCA’s support of animal welfare organizations in Spokane goes beyond any previous community-wide efforts to help end the needless euthanasia of companion animals,” said ASPCA President and CEO Ed Sayres. “The ASPCA Mission: Orange effort has helped drive the effort to improve the lives of Spokane’s unwanted animals, and we’re happy to have played a role in this progress.”

The most recent comparisons - from January to June 2008 - compared to the same period in 2007, are as follows:

  • Live Release Rate rose by 2.7 percent (53.4 v. 56.1 percent), or 22 more cats and dogs (4,643 v. 4,665);
  • Total intake decreased by four percent, or 372 cats and dogs (8694 v. 8,322);
  • Adoptions increased by four percent, or 95 cats and dogs (2,671 v. 2,766); and
  • Targeted spay/neuter increased by 73 percent, or 1,698 cats and dogs (4,013 v. 2,315);

The four partner organizations led an aggressive spay/neuter effort, concentrating on feral and free roaming cats to reduce the number of cats and kittens entering the shelters. This effort also included offering low cost and free spay/neuter services to those caring for feral cats as an alternative to euthanasia; “Trapped Cat Tuesdays,” which provides additional incentives for feral and free roaming cat care takers to spay/neuter their cats at low cost clinics; and “MASH” mobile clinics held in targeted neighborhoods, focused on preventing increased populations in areas at risk.

Earlier this year, all participating ASPCA Mission: Orange partner shelters implemented ASPCA® Meet Your Match™, an innovative program that evaluates the behaviors and personalities of adoptable dogs, puppies, and cats and matches them with adopters whose preferences and lifestyle correlate, thereby increasing the chances for successful long-term adoptions.

*Live release rate refers to the percentage of animals that leave the sheltering system alive through adoption, return to owner, or transfer outside of the partner organizations. The formula for calculating LRR is total number of live releases divided by intake. By contrast, the term “save rate” often includes any animal that has not been euthanized, such as those whose outcome is not yet known/those still in sheltering system. For this reason, the calculation for live release rate will usually show a different percentage than save rate.

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Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is the first humane organization established in the Americas and serves as the nation’s leading voice for animal welfare. One million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501 [c] [3] not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. The ASPCA, which is headquartered in New York City, offers a wide range of programs, including a mobile clinic outreach initiative, its own humane law enforcement team, and a groundbreaking veterinary forensics team and mobile animal CSI unit. For more information, please visit www.aspca.org.
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