Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Letter to the editor:

Animal Foundation’s efforts are paying off

Kudos to the Animal Foundation for its efforts to make Lied a “no-kill” shelter by 2020. In June 2015 the foundation announced its new mission: “To save all healthy and treatable animals in the Las Vegas Valley.” The foundation’s efforts already have resulted in significant positive results, as both length of stay and euthanasia rates are steadily decreasing. A five-year strategic plan to make this goal a reality is now being implemented. Working as a volunteer at the shelter for more than two years has given me an opportunity to witness up close what is happening there. The leadership is using and expanding proven programs, welcoming new ideas and implementing progressive programs in an effort to reach their goal.

Among their efforts:

• Partnerships with other shelters and animal welfare organizations to maximize the animals’ chances for a positive outcome.

• Numerous promotions often result in hundreds of animals being adopted in a very short period of time.

• The Keep Every Person and Pet Together (KEPPT) intervention plan helps people resolve issues such as monetary or behavioral problems, which reduces the number of “owner surrenders.”

• Play groups for dogs result in an enhanced quality of life for the animals as well as rapid socialization. This not only results in the animals having a better quality of life while in the shelter but also provides for improved outward behavior, which ultimately gives the animals an increased chance for adoption.

• Free spay/neuter programs are offered to hundreds of pet owners. More than 500 appointments were scheduled in a single day last month.

• An online “foster list” aims to help save every life possible. Most of the animals on this list are either too young or not yet healthy enough to be adopted.

• A pilot program has been developed to trap, sterilize and vaccinate eligible community cats (free-roaming) and then return them to their outdoor home.

Although I’ve been an occasional critic of the Animal Foundation in the past, it was only because important positive changes seemed to be occurring at a proverbial snail’s pace. I am now becoming more and more convinced that the foundation will be successful and that its rallying cry “Mission Possible — 2020” will ultimately become a reality.

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