Tour for Life and springtime mean more homes for homeless dogs and cats.
For example, four dogs are settling into a happy home life with families who have just adopted them. Lotus, a Basenji fox terrier mix; Poncho, a Bernese Mountain dog; Brody, a shepherd mix; and Milo, a whippet, had all just spent about nine long months in their kennels at the Coconino Humane Association (CHA) on East Butler Avenue in Flagstaff.
Three lucky cats, Victoria, 4; Moose, 3; and Tink, 4, were also among the 19 cats and 11 dogs who found nice homes during the Tour for Life event at CHA March 13 through March 19.
Starting in mid-March, annual Tour for Life events run for eight weeks and bring organizations that help homeless animals together to facilitate the adoption process for animals in need.
“All of our shelters are pushing for adoption in the spring to make space,” said CHA Executive Director Michelle Ryan. “Pre-COVID, we would typically run at about 30 to 40% capacity. Now we are at about 98 to 102% capacity. We are getting puppies and kittens 12 months of the year.”
The shelter has about 150 animals currently and the newly adopted pets, except the four longer-resident dogs, had come into CHA since January.
The Tour for Life adoptions represented a little more than twice as many adoptions as the previous month, she added. Those adopting during the tour receive a $50 discount.
“The fee includes spay/neuter procedures, vaccines, including rabies, a microchip, including registration, and they are dewormed and receive preventative flea and tick medicines,” she said.
At CHA, the fees are $265 for puppies and $175 for kitties. For adult animals older than 6 months, dogs fees are $210, $135 for cats. Senior and special-needs animals are from $0 to $50.
“Adopting is a big bang for your buck. Typically, it can be $650 or more in Flagstaff if you bought a dog or found a dog, or your neighbor gave you a gift of a dog.”
Since its inception in 2001, the annual Tour for Life event has brought attention to the plight of homeless animals and has reached great success by finding homes for more than 28,000 animals.
Tour for Life was conceived by North Shore Animal League America, the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization. According to a league press release, the organization has saved more than 1.1 million animals during its 80 years of existence. In addition, the league operates a nationwide referral network for affordable spay and neuter services.
The tour this year is in partnership with talk show host Rachael Ray and her Nutrish pet food brand, which offers dog and cat food and snacks inspired by recipes created in Ray’s kitchen featuring “real ingredients” suitable for a “variety of pet diets,” according to a Nutrish press release.
Some factors creating overcrowded conditions in shelters since the pandemic began include a drop in staffing and a reduction in affordable locations for spay and neuter surgeries. “It’s been a huge struggle,” Ryan said. “We used to hire mobile clinics out of Tucson. But because of post-pandemic life, they didn’t have the staffing to do it. There have been no clinics up here for a year.”
A big garage at CHA that used to store pet food is being converted into a clinic and is expected to be ready for low-cost spay and neuter surgeries by the fall. “We are also hiring a volunteer coordinator to set up more adoption events than we have right now.”
Monthly adoption events are held at the Continental Country Club and at Bookmans Flagstaff Entertainment Exchange. CHA will also have a presence at the Celtic Festival and Doney Park Community Market this month through the summer. Cats and dogs are at Petco twice a month.
Staff at CHA will also take adoptable dogs and puppies (who tolerate heat better than cats and kittens) to Sedona in October during the Wild Cat Carnival at West Sedona Elementary School.
In the Prescott area, the Yavapai Humane Society (YHS) on Sundog Ranch Road also has been highlighting spring pet adoption with its “Hello Spring, Opt to Adopt” motto.
“Better weather is always better for adoption meet and greets,” said Loree Walden, marketing manager at YHS. “No one wants to be out in a windy snowstorm or rainy day trying to get to know a dog. A nice, beautiful day is always best, but we are always available with our animals to do a meet and greet for anyone who would like to make an appointment to come meet these precious animals, as long as it is safe for the animal, our staff and customers.”
YHS, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, hosted a successful, three-day “Feeling Lucky” event on Saint Patrick’s Day weekend. The society had a “pick your price” special on adult dogs and cats, and 27 animals went home – 22 dogs and five cats.
Although spring brings an uptick in adoption, the pressing need to find reliable and safe homes for animals is an ongoing challenge. “It’s important year-round, every single day of the year, to find homes for our animals,” Walden said. “In the spring, we see an increase in puppies and kittens, because it is their season and many of the older or bigger dogs get overlooked because, of course, everyone wants a puppy. Shelters nationwide are full and unfortunately will never run out of animals needing homes as more animals are surrendered or brought in as strays every day.”
YHS is scheduled to conduct a Community Pet Food Pantry Food Drive and National Adopt A Shelter Day Adoption Special from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, April 29. “We’ll have KKLD and KRVD here broadcasting live,” Walden said. “Gringo’s Street Tacos Food Truck will be here, a photo booth to take pictures with your pup, information booths and an adoption special, which will probably be ‘pick your price’ for dogs over 6 months old and over 15 pounds and cats over 6 months old. Our hope is that by providing the Community Pet Food Pantry, pet owners know they have a place to go to provide their pets with food, and they don’t have to surrender them because they cannot afford food.”
The YHS Community Pet Food Pantry is being made possible through donations. QCBN
By Betsey Bruner, QCBN
Courtesy Photo: Twenty-seven animals found new homes on St. Patrick’s Day weekend, including this dog named Gina, through a Yavapai Humane Society adoption event.
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