Walton County Animal Shelter Volunteer Group

Transcription

1 Walton County Animal Shelter Volunteer Group MAKING MIRACLES HAPPEN EVERY DAY FOR THE HOMELESS DOGS AND CATS OF WALTON COUNTY, FLORIDA VOLUNTEER ANNUAL REPORT 2016

2 2016 A TRANSITIONAL YEAR FOR TEAM WCAS Welcome to the second Walton County Animal Shelter Volunteer Group Annual Report. Thank you for your interest in following our journey from a group of loosely organized (mostly) women to a team of more than 40 devoted animal rescuers! 2016 was an interesting year for the Miracle Makers of Team WCAS. The shelter experienced some managerial and staffing changes, and of course, we saw new members come and old members go. But every successful group experiences growing pains and, in our case at least, the challenges of 2016 helped make us even stronger and more committed! Thankfully, even with the challenges we encountered during the year, we were able to keep the shelter euthanasia rate for dogs less than 20% which is considered low-kill. Of course, we know we can do better and we shall our goal for 2017 is be under 10%, perhaps even to the point where dogs are only euthanized for behavior or health issues, not for space. Keep reading to learn how we plan to do that! We call ourselves the Hardest Working Volunteers in Town would you like to join us?

3 Adoption Events In 2016 we only missed two Saturdays of doing events. One as a result of a crazy monsoon and the second was on Christmas Eve. Otherwise, every single Saturday, you would find us at one or more local venues doing our darndest to find forever homes for our precious shelter dogs and cats. Adoption events are hard work and require some serious coordination and cooperation. But we have it down to a science and as often as not, come away from an event with at least eight adoptions! Sometimes double that! There s nothing like the euphoria of helping shelter animals find their forever homes as a result of your commitment and hard work. Our adoption events save lives. Come play with us! ADOPTION EVENTS BY THE NUMBERS Total Number of Adoption Events in Shelter Open Houses 10 Shelter Lives Saved by Adoption Events 393 (estimated) Special thanks to: Pet Supermarket, Fort Walton Beach Laura s Pet & Horse Supply, Niceville Petland, Fort Walton Beach Gras Fest, Defuniak Springs Diva Days, Mossy Head Tractor Supply Company, Defuniak Springs Bass Pro Shops, Destin, Florida and of course, the Walton County Animal Shelter, Defuniak Springs

4 THE FOSTER PROGRAM The Walton County foster program is a huge factor in our success. At any given time, we have shelter animals in foster care which means there are open kennels at the shelter giving other animals more time. One foster family can save a dozen or more lives every year, without the commitment of adoption. In fact, we often encourage potential adopters to consider fostering instead of adopting! Is it hard to let your foster pet go? Oh yeah. But isn t it harder knowing a dog or cat died because a foster family wasn t available? FOSTER PROGRAM BY THE NUMBERS Dogs* in foster care in Active Foster Families in Average number of dogs* in foster at one time 30 Returned dogs kept out of the shelter (dogs who were adopted but returned and went straight to foster instead of taking up a kennel at the shelter) 52 *Data for cats not available, but we do have a cat foster program too.

5 THE VOLUNTEERS (AKA THE WALTON COUNTY MIRACLE- MAKERS) Have you always wanted to help save shelter animals but weren t sure exactly how? VOLUNTEER! While you might not think volunteering at a kill shelter sounds like a good time, let us assure you that it will change your life. We have an amazing group of volunteers who are committed to saving shelter dogs and cats and to having fun while we do it. You can participate as much or as little as you like; there are so many ways to help and every hour volunteered can truly save a life! VOLUNTEER PROGRAM BY THE NUMBERS Average number of active volunteers 35 Volunteer Hours at Adoption Events in ,590 (estimated) Average 90 volunteer hours per event Volunteer Hours at the Shelter in ,800 (estimated) Total Volunteer Hours in 2016 (events + shelter + other) 12,040 (estimated) That s more than 200 hours a week! Average Distance Driven to Volunteer 35 miles (each way)

6 WHAT DO VOLUNTEERS DO? Hold adoption events, interact with shelter animals, write About Me s for kennels, assist shelter staff with visitors, bathe dogs, arrange grooming, arrange outside veterinary care, provide food to animals with special needs, create RED ALERT albums, recruit new fosters and volunteers, take pictures of shelter animals, advertise shelter pets on Facebook, maintain Petfinder page, post Craigslist ads of FOUND dogs, exercise dogs in the yard, conduct temperament testing, solicit donations for shelter, maintain multiple Facebook pages, market adoption events on Facebook, Petfinder and Craigslist, reach out to rescues for special needs animals, follow-up with adopters after adoption, transport dogs to foster, adopters and rescue, watch for missing pets at the shelter. Respond to event inquiries, transport supplies and animals to events, purchase, store and maintain event supplies, review and process adoption applications, verify landlord information, conduct home checks, collect adoption fees, solicit donations for medical treatment. Develop and nurture relationships with rescue groups, develop and nurture relationships with local veterinarians, participate in community events and create positive PR for the Shelter and the Walton County Sheriff s Office. That s about it.

7 MAKING MIRACLES HAPPEN ON FACEBOOK Facebook is the hub of the rescue world. If you want to save shelter animals, you have to be on Facebook and we are! We created and maintain the Helping the Animals of Walton County Facebook page which helps us Make Miracles Happen Every Day (and Night)! HELPING THE ANIMALS OF WALTON COUNTY FACEBOOK PAGE 11,100 Followers as of 2/25/2017 Up from 8,973 as of 3/1/2016

8 HEARTWORMS, HEARTWORMS, HEARTWORMS (AND OTHER MEDICAL TREATMENT) Unfortunately, heartworms are a fact of life in the South, especially among shelter dogs. In other shelters, heartworm positive dogs are routinely euthanized, regardless of their adoptability. However, our volunteer group is committed to NOT allowing an otherwise adoptable dog to die simply due to the negligence of their prior owner. We raise every penny that is used to treat heartworms through donations and product sales the volunteer group receives no financial assistance from the shelter for outside medical care. Heartworm treatment averages $200. Thanks to Dr. Blackwood and the Walton County Animal Clinic for working with us to save our heartworm positive dogs! HEARTWORM TREATMENT BY THE NUMBERS Number of Dogs Treated in Total Amount Spent on Heartworm Treatment in 2016 $6,317 Total Amount Spent on Other Medical Care Provided in 2016 $5,000 (estimated; exact figure to follow)

9 SPECIAL CARE FOR SPECIAL ANIMALS From time to time, dogs and cats come into the shelter with special needs that will require extra time, patience and/or medical care before they can be adopted. In other shelters, these animals would likely be euthanized simply due to a lack of space and resources. But not on our watch! We do our very best to give every animal a chance at a happily-ever-after. Sometimes that means pulling a dog with mange out of the shelter and fostering him or her until the mange clears. Sometimes it means bringing a scared-to-death dog or cat into a foster home to help them learn to trust. And sometimes, it simply means providing hospice care to an elderly animal so that they don t die in a shelter. Here are just a few of the special needs animals we saved in Dorry Fear biter Sadie Incontinent senior Bob & Baby Terrified, pregnant Dezzy - Terrified Babs Fear biter Blossom Emaciated, sarcoptic mange, HW+, infested with parasites Charlie Broken jaw Luna - Blind Precious Sarcoptic (contagious) mange Sweetie Pregnant senior Putzz Extreme lethargy & refusal to eat Isis Overbred, HW+, various skin issues Peekaboo Paralyzed senior Savannah Contagious ringworm Chip Significant fur loss, heart murmur Buddy Fear biter Girlie - Pregnant Jada - Pregnant Poncho 15 year old with various lifethreatening issues Xena Severe demodectic mange Jersey Terrified, shut down Lady Crippled hind end Peanut 17 year old with genetic deformities Shawnee - Parvo

10 DOGS & CATS TO RESCUE! Rumor has it that our shelter is extremely rescue-friendly which means that rescue groups from around the Southeast are more willing to pull dogs and cats from us than, perhaps, shelters closer to home. It s worth the extra time and effort to come to Walton County! We do everything we can to assist rescues from temperament testing to transporting to temporary fostering. We love our rescues and want them to continue to love us! ANIMALS RESCUED IN 2016 (AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE VOLUNTEER GROUP): 326

11 SPECIAL FRIENDSHIPS WITH SPECIAL PEOPLE In our five years with the Walton County Animal Shelter, we have developed close relationships with individuals and businesses who help us do what we do. We d like to give a shoutout to ALAQUA ANIMAL REFUGE THANK YOU Laurie Hood and the rest of the Alaqua family! We can always count on you to help out when we are faced with a situation bigger than we can handle. It s been a wonderful relationship; one we hope will continue for years to come. PRIMO DOG BED & BISCUITS Our relationship with Primo has been a godsend. Primo fosters up to four shelter dogs at a time, and has been instrumental in helping us find them fantastic homes. They have also made space available at their Niceville facility for dogs who were adopted but need to be returned, thus keeping the dogs out of the shelter. WE LOVE PRIMO! DR. BLACKWOOD AND THE WALTON COUNTY ANIMAL CLINIC We would not have survived 2016 without Dr. Blackwood. We just can t say enough THANK YOU s to do him and the clinic justice. He stepped in when we needed him and is always available to help out our foster animals. Just know we appreciate you more than we can say! THE DEFUNIAK BREEZE HERALD The local newspaper carries a nice big promo every week for the shelter! We can always count on them to support our efforts and share our news! Thank you! THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING A PART OF OUR MIRACLE-MAKING TEAM!

12 WHAT S AHEAD IN 2017? While we are proud of what we have accomplished since the inception of our volunteer group in 2012, we know we can do better. And we shall. Here are some of our goals and initiatives we hope to implement in 2017: Increase the number of weekday shelter volunteers. Create a more structured shelter volunteer program with scheduled duty, wing monitors, formal recruiting and orientation days. Significantly increase the Return to Owner percentage, currently at only 30%, with better advertising of incoming stray animals. Recruit more cat-focused volunteers and foster families. Maintain and improve our strong working relationship with shelter staff and the Walton County Sheriff s Office.

13 HOW YOU CAN HELP Would you like to help the Walton County Miracle Makers? Here s how! Volunteer at the shelter and/or adoption events! Foster shelter dogs and/or cats! Transport locally and/or across the country! Donate money for heartworm treatment! Donate supplies (food, towels, leashes, crates the list is nearly endless!) Follow and share from our Facebook page! For more information on how you can help us keep Making Miracles Happen for the shelter dogs and cats of Walton County, please visit and follow our main Facebook page at and contact us there. We d love to have you join us! The Walton County Animal Shelter 365 Triple G Road Defuniak Springs, Florida