In last month's article, I stated that rural sanctuaries might be a large part of the answer to the homeless pet problem for two reasons. First, sanctuaries have the space to house large numbers of animals for longer periods of time. Second, many sanctuaries use their unique capabilities to sponsor community outreach programs. Some of these programs provide much-needed services to people who might not otherwise have access to them. Others provide equally much-needed education to the public, and especially children, teaching the proper care of animals and kindness toward all living creatures.
Some sanctuaries operate mobile spay/neuter clinics, reaching people in outlying areas where such services are scarce or non-existent. Pasado Safe Haven operates one such clinic. In addition to free and low cost spay/neuter, they offer free and low cost vaccinations, euthanasia of FIV and FLV cats, and animal emergency aid in times of natural disaster. According to Pasado, most litters of dogs and cats that end up in shelters in their area come from low income homes. For this reason, they take their Clinic to centers that serve the homeless, low income senior citizens, and AIDS patients, to name just a few. The Clinic also serves remote Indian reservations, where pet overpopulation is a serious problem. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary uses their mobile clinic as part of their ambitious "No More Homeless Pets" program. Their goal is to bring an end to the killing of animals in shelters simply because there is no room for them.
Since sanctuaries generally have more available space than city shelters, some of them are able to offer a special service to people who are concerned about the fate of their cat or dog should the pet outlive them or they become unable to care for it. ARF's Endowment Program and Home For Life's Angel Care Program provide permanent, life-long care for pets who lose their humans. These programs are truly win-win situations, since the sanctuary receives much-needed funds to continue its operation, and the individual gains peace of mind, knowing his or her pet will be lovingly cared for.
While no-kill shelters are not designed to provide "homes for life," many of them find they are doing just that because they take in an animal that proves to be unadoptable or who just never finds the right person to take him. This is a serious problem, since a space that might have provided temporary shelter to a number of animals, is instead used by one animal, possibly for several years. On the other hand, a perfectly adoptable animal at a sanctuary might miss out on being adopted simply because not as many people visit a sanctuary as a city shelter.
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