Dear friends and supporters: The 216 calendar year was an exciting time at Kanawha-Charleston! What s most exciting is that we re closer to our goals than ever before! Our goal at KCHA is not simply to save every adoptable and treatable animal that enters our facility. It s to ensure each and every animal in Kanawha County is safe and loved. I m happy to tell you, we re on our way! As little as five years ago, KCHA admitted 1, animals per year 4% of whom were surrendered by families that felt they d run out of options. In 216, through our efforts to keep pets with the families that love them, we reduced that number to just 5%! Our pet retention program provides resources to pet owners in need, including supplies, training tips, behavior advice, and low-cost spay/neuter. For other animals 4,941 of them to be exact KCHA serves as a vital safety net whose doors and hearts are always open. In 213, we made a pledge to end unwarranted euthanasia of sheltered pets. But we didn t stop there! Today, not only are we striving to save every adoptable and treatable animal that calls KCHA home, but we re providing a quality of care unmatched in West Virginia shelters. KCHA s veterinary team, led by Jamie Totten, DMV, has increased the quality of medical care afforded to sheltered pets. The team provides lifesaving emergency medical treatment, routine wellness care, and ensures every pet adopted from KCHA is spayed or neutered before leaving our facility. Compassionate care is our first priority, and can t be achieved by our veterinary team alone. KCHA s animal behavior team focuses on making our facility fun for pets! Daily playgroups, in-kennel enrichment, toys, and treats help pets overcome kennel-related stress. Happy pets are healthy pets! Julie Hypes, Animal Behaviorist, provided behavior modification training to 258 dogs at risk of euthanasia. The result? Less than 1% of dogs admitted to KCHA in 216 were euthanized for aggression. As the county s lead agency for humane law enforcement, KCHA s Humane Officers field thousands of calls annually. This year, we rescued 249 animals from 22 abusive and neglectful situations, and proudly achieved Kanawha County s first animal cruelty convictions resulting in jail time (three of them!), including its first dogfighting conviction. When a historic flood ravaged our county in June, KCHA staff and volunteers worked tirelessly to provide relief to furry flood victims and their families. We delivered food and supplies to hard-hit areas, distributing more than 1, lbs. of food daily to Kanawha, Clay, and Greenbrier Counties. Together with the American, we provided free veterinary care to 2,292 pets impacted by the disaster. The Petco Foundation continues to be a partner in lifesaving at KCHA. In November, we were awarded a grant to purchase a mobile adoption and spay/neuter vehicle to reach even more people and pets. We can t wait for it to hit the road in summer 217! Despite our remarkable progress, there s still work to do! The demand for our resources continues to grow, and we are limited only in our ability to fund safe, efficient, modern updates to our facility and programs. With your support, KCHA will continue to grow its impact for pets and people in need. Chelsea Staley, Executive Director Jessie Shafer, Director of Development 1 www.adoptcharleston.com
Cats Dogs Other Total Owner/Guardian 67 156 3 226 Stray 1,452 1,78 2 2,532 Seized/Custody 341 1,123 58 1,522 Return 75 222-297 Clinic 261-361 Transfer In - 2 1 3 Total 2,35 2,842 64 4,941 Admissions by Type Admissions by Species Admissions by Condition 6% 7% 5% 1% 8% 6% 41% 31% 51% 58% 86% Owner/Guardian Seized/Custody Clinic Stray Return Dogs Cats Other Appears Healthy Sick Injured Admissions by Age Admissions by Jurisdiction 8% 3% Dog 242 968 1,632 2% 6% 32% 2% 2% Cat 355 1,12 668 45% - 1, 2, 3, Neonate Juvenile Adult Charleston Dunbar Kanawha County Nitro Out of County South Charleston St. Albans UKV 2 www.adoptcharleston.com
214 Admissions by Year 215 216 2,271 2,165 2,35 2,967 3,61 2,842 Cats Dogs Cats Dogs Other Total Adoption 1,154 1,549 13 2,716 Transfer 31 64 46 717 Return to Owner 11 293 1 35 Return to Field 336 - - 336 Clinic Out 84 276-36 Died in Care 193 16 2 211 Euthanasia 263 16-369 DOA 4 5 2 11 Total 2,76 2,885 64 5,25 Outcomes by Type Outcomes by Species 7% 4% 8% 1% 7% 41% 6% 54% 58% 14% Adoption Transfer Return to Owner Return to Field Dogs Cats Other Clinic Out Died in Care 3 Euthanasia DOA www.adoptcharleston.com
Euthanasia by Reason Euthanasia by Age 1% 9% Dog 6 35 65 2% 61% Cat 53 121 89 5 15 2 25 3 Illness Injury Behavior Failed to Thrive Neonate Juvenile Adult Cat Annual Live Release Dog Total 23% 5% 12% 77% 95% 88% Lives Released Deaths Live Release by Year 216* 214 77% 86% 95% 96% 216* KCHA began using a new software system in July 215. Due to the conversion, live release rate is calculated differently than years prior. The 216 live release rate takes into consideration neonatal kittens who expired in care. For years prior to 215, the rate does not include kittens who expired in care. 212 8% 64% Cats Dogs 4 www.adoptcharleston.com
Animal Health Illnesses by Month 16 Cats 4 14 12 3 8 2 URI 6 4 2 Panleuk RW Admissions Dogs 12 4 8 3 6 4 2 2 URI Distemper Parvo Admissions 3 Surgeries performed at KCHA* 6 25 262 255 274 26 5 2 23 4 15 172 3 2 Spay/Neuter Other Admissions 5 1 5 5 2 4 8 Jul-16 Aug-16 Sep-16 Oct-16 Nov-16 Dec-16 *KCHA s in-house clinic began its operations in summer 216. The clinic serves sheltered animals only; no public services are offered. 5 www.adoptcharleston.com
214 Behaviors & Enrichment Dogs Euthanized for Aggression 215 216 2.6% 1.9%.9% 77 57 26 97.4% 98.1% 99.1% Adoptable Euthanized Length of Stay 216 215 214 16.3 17.3 19.4 23.4 3 42 Length of Stay (LOS) Critical factor in shelter management, with implications for animal health, wellbeing, sheltering costs, and a shelter s ability to save lives. The longer an animal is confined, the greater demand for interaction and environmental enrichment to prevent confinementrelated stress and behavioral disorders. Paraphrased from UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program 1 2 3 4 Cats Dogs Animal Help Desk Pet Retention Call Type Cats Dogs Total Calls Received 1,3 341 1,344 Animals Impacted 1,646 2,993 4,639 15% 3% 9% 29% Low-Cost Spay/Neuter 9% 3% Cats Dogs Total Coupons Distributed 2,366 1,294 3,66 6% 13% 13% Stray Cat Stray Dog TNR Low-cost S/N Training Tips O/S Resources Lost & Found Other 6 www.adoptcharleston.com
Our goal at KCHA is not simply to save every adoptable and treatable animal that enters our facility. It s to ensure each and every animal in Kanawha County is safe and loved. With an estimated 13, owned dogs, cats, horses, and other critters living in Kanawha County, that s a lofty goal. Together, we can make it happen! Here s how: KCHA Care-A-Van! In November, the Petco Foundation awarded us with a grant for a mobile adoption and spay/neuter vehicle. Our goal for the Care-A-Van is to bring people and pets together outside our facility s walls. The Care-A-Van will increase KCHA s impact in Kanawha County and beyond. Look for the Care-A-Van in summer 217! Its services will include: Adoption events, rain or shine Wellness clinics, including affordable vaccinations and microchips Spay/neuter Disaster response Animal control seizures Save more cats! KCHA manages cat admissions to ensure humane and compassionate care. By scheduling admissions and prioritizing cats who need us most sick, injured, pregnant, neonatal, declawed we can prepare staffing, housing, and resources appropriately. Nationwide, this approach has proven to increase adoptions while decreasing disease, euthanasia, and expense. In 212, KCHA saved the lives of 8% of cats in its care. Today, we re saving 77%. While 77% is a dramatic improvement over where we ve been, it s not where we want to be. With your help, we will consistently save more than 9% of cats. Plan: Increase the quality of care by staffing isolation ward and nursery with skilled veterinary assistants; Update treatment protocols, and document progress daily. Focus on recruiting and training new foster families to care for cats and kittens until they re ready for adoption. Prepare for kitten season by hosting Kitten Fostering 11 workshops, updating foster handbook, and fill foster kits with supplies necessary for a successful experience. Promote Beat the Heat campaign to spay/neuter cats before kitten season. Drool School! It s never too late to teach an old dog new tricks! Fun, affordable classes and workshops will enhance the human-animal bond, and make life with Fido a walk in the park. Coming summer 217! Puppy room renovation. Who can resist puppy dog eyes? Naturally, our puppy room welcomes more visitors than any other ward at KCHA. Unfortunately, its appearance and functionality doesn t reflect our commitment to the pets that call it home. We dream of a safe, efficient, modern space where puppies can grow and play until adoption. Serve the underserved. With the highest rate of drug overdose deaths in the United States, poverty and unemployment rates above the national average, and approximately 32, Kanawha County residents living below the poverty line, the demand for KCHA s resources continues to grow. According to a study by HSUS, 87% of pets in underserved communities are not spayed or neutered, and 77% have never seen a veterinarian. Because we know the love for pets transcends beyond socioeconomic circumstances, we dream of a community outreach program that provides free veterinary care, supplies, and resources to impoverished people and pets. Beyond that, two neighboring counties, Lincoln and Clay, lack any resources for animal welfare. Neither county has a shelter, humane officer, nor veterinarian. Boone County, another neighbor, has one veterinarian and a dog pound staffed by a dog warden only. Together, Kanawha, Lincoln, Clay, and Boone counties are home to 46, impoverished people and their pets. It s our long term goal to expand our reach beyond county lines to serve animals who need us most, regardless of their zip code. 7 www.adoptcharleston.com
Adoption center and dog park! An animal shelter facility, regardless of an organization s success, staff s enthusiasm, or a community s perception of its work, often evokes negative emotions in the hearts of animal lovers. Cramped, overcrowded cages appear heartbreaking, and limited financial resources are almost always spent on animal care before facility repairs and maintenance. This is the case at KCHA and thousands of other shelters nationwide. Built in 1996, KCHA s 1, square foot facility is home to 277 kennels and cages. Our largest dog kennels are just 18 square feet, less than half of the Association of Shelter Veterinarian s Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelter s recommendation of 48 square feet. Additionally, KCHA s facility is off the beaten path from where Kanawha County residents live, work, and play. With 3 animals in care on average, KCHA can be overwhelming, crowded, and loud. Adopters are faced with hundreds of animals, many that appear similar, and choice paralysis is common. ASPCA research suggests reducing the number of animals on the adoption floor by 4% doubles the adoption transition rate (number of pets adopted versus number of shelter visitors). With these things in mind, KCHA dreams of a satellite adoption center in Kanawha County s busiest neighborhood, downtown Charleston. Our plan for an adoption center includes a modern space with thirty adoptable animals, retail sales of pet food and supplies, and an adjoining ten acre dog park. 8 www.adoptcharleston.com