The changing role of animal shelters

When you think of an animal shelter, what do you picture? Some people might still imagine an old-school dogcatcher, grabbing dogs off the street and taking them to the pound.

Animal shelters have come a long way since then, evolving into thriving adoption centers. Now they are on the brink of another transformation.

Animal shelters developed from impound facilities in colonial America used to house farm animals that got loose, according to Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff. As towns and cities expanded, pounds focused on housing loose dogs, for the health and safety of the animals and the public. Animals would be euthanized if owners didn’t return for them.

In the late 19th century, concerned citizens started to form private humane societies and organizations focusing on animal welfare, but euthanasia remained rampant.

As recently as 1973, more than 13 million animals were euthanized in U.S. animal shelters, according to The Humane Society of the United States. Then, in the early 1980s, there was a concerted effort to increase spaying/neutering.

“This approach, combined with public awareness and aggressive adoption programs, helped decrease the number of pets entering and subsequently euthanized in shelters,” said Dr. Sara Pizano, a veterinarian of Team Shelter USA, the University of Florida and the Million Cat Challenge.

Animal shelters became the adoption centers that we know them as today and started to add foster programs, surrender prevention programs and more, so that euthanasia rates are lower than ever before. In 2011, about 2.6 million dogs and cats were euthanized in shelters, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Last year, that number was down to 625,000, according to Best Friends Animal Society.

Animal shelter medicine and management has become a nuanced profession. In the veterinary field, shelter medicine is recognized as a specialty, with specific internships and residency programs. With increased knowledge and expertise, we’re succeeding at saving animals’ lives. Some animal shelters don’t even have full kennels.

This raises a question: If kennels aren’t full and animal shelters don’t exist primarily to house and adopt out animals, what is their role?

Leaders in the field say the next step is for animal shelters to become community resource centers that help individuals care for their pets. Shelters will help keep pets in the homes they already have and house animals only when it’s the best short-term solution.

“We must evolve animal welfare past century-old practices and approaches of filling shelter kennels with animals to a more proactive meeting of community animal needs,” said Marc Peralta, chief program officer for Best Friends Animal Society.

Some organizations already embrace this model, including Panhandle Animal Shelter. We’ve long had programs that support our community, like our helpline, pet food bank, low-cost spay/neuter services, Home To Home™ and more.

We’ve seen, and national experts agree, that this is much more cost-effective than housing, feeding—and then finding homes for—a shelter full of animals. That isn’t even mentioning the costs if an animal gets sick, which happens because anxiety from being in the shelter can decrease their immune response. Shelters help more animals by keeping them from ever entering their doors in the first place. Because of our community programs, Panhandle Animal Shelter helped more than 8,000 animals in 2019.

“The shelter should always be the last option, not the first resort, and when we use our finite resources to help people and pets stay together, it proves to be less expensive in the long run,” said Pizano, “and so much better for the pets and people who love them.”

Information: www.PASIdaho.org