LOCAL HUMANE SOCIETY REPORTS INCREASED ADOPTIONS IN '99

More stray animals from the local Humane Society shelter found homes in 1999. At the same time, the shelter took in fewer animals.

That is good news to Kimberly Peters, director of education for the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri. The Route W shelter serves an 11-county area in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois.

Last year, 1,137 animals were adopted from the shelter, up from 992 in 1998. More than 2,800 dogs, cats and other animals were euthanized last year. But that was 1,267 fewer than in 1998, shelter statistics show.

Nationwide, shelters handled 27 million animals last year. Only 10 million were adopted. The other 17 million were euthanized.

The numbers are staggering. "We tell people that for every baby born in a hospital, 15 dogs and 45 cats are born," she said.

The Cape Girardeau shelter took in 4,732 animals last year or 706 fewer than in 1998.

Shelter officials attribute that to last year's Spay Day USA. The local Humane Society participated in the nationwide event for the first time last February.

The project encourages shelters to spread the message that pets should be spayed or neutered.

The Cape Girardeau shelter handed out vouchers last year so low-income pet owners could take their pets to a veterinarian to be spayed or neutered. People lined up to get the vouchers during last year's Spay Day. Police had to be called in to direct traffic.

About 200 pets were neutered or spayed as a result of the project last year at a cost of $5,000. Shelter officials hope to double that number this year.

This year's Spay Day will be held Feb. 29 at West Park Mall's ShopKo Court. "We figure it will be a much more controlled environment," she said.

Peters said locally Spay Day led to fewer dogs and cats breeding. As a result, fewer strays ended up at the shelter, she said.

"The goal of our humane education program is to teach people responsible pet ownership," said Peters.

The shelter requires its animals to be spayed or neutered as part of the adoption process. Adopting an animal from the shelter costs $70 to $80, including the spay or neuter fee.

There is a $25 refund for pet owners who have their puppies and kittens spayed or neutered after adoption. Adult cats and dogs aren't turned over to their new owners until they have been spayed or neutered.

The shelter can hold about 60 dogs and 20 cats at any time. The shelter also gets its share of other animals, including gerbils, goats, birds and ferrets. The shelter even has handled a monitor lizard.

"We have a waiting list in our wish book for people who want a goat," Peters said. "I don't think we have anyone on our wish book for a monitor lizard."

The Humane Society hopes to kick off a campaign this year to raise money for construction of a larger shelter on its Route W property to replace the existing one. The facility, expected to cost $750,000 to $1 million, would include a larger shelter for animals, an educational wing and a veterinarian clinic.

The shelter isn't large enough to house a veterinarian clinic or have a veterinarian on staff, Peters said.

Raising enough money to build a shelter is a huge task for an organization that is supported solely by private donations and contracts with local governments in the region, Peters said. The local humane society has about 500 members.