City of Bloomington Animal Shelter Announces Year-End 2016 Statistics and General Information Regarding Policies and Procedures

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 13, 2016

For more information, please contact:
Virgil Sauder, Director, sauderv@bloomington.in.gov, 812-349-3870
Emily Herr, Outreach Coordinator, herre@bloomington.in.gov, 812-349-3873

City of Bloomington Animal Shelter Announces Year-End 2016 Statistics and General Information Regarding Policies and Procedures

Bloomington, Ind. - The City of Bloomington Animal Shelter just announced its year-end statistics for 2016 showing continued progress in reducing intake and euthanasia and increasing adoptions.

Each year the Bloomington Animal Shelter works to lower both the euthanasia rate and intake while increasing community engagement. During 2016, the Bloomington Animal Shelter produced a 10% euthanasia rate, sent 700 animals into foster homes, saw over 10,000 volunteer hours and placed over 2,300 animals in adoptive homes. These numbers are all improvements from 2015, when the Shelter produced a 16% euthanasia rate, sent 507 animals into foster homes, saw over 9,500 volunteer hours, and placed 2,200 animals in adoptive homes.

The City of Bloomington Animal Shelter is an open admissions shelter or open door shelter, meaning that no animal will be turned away. While open admissions shelters like the Bloomington Animal Shelter will give at least temporary refuge to ALL animals, many limited admission shelters -- which sometimes call themselves "no-kill" shelters -- limit in various ways the animals that will receive admission. The Bloomington Animal Shelter frequently takes in animals from nearby limited admission shelters when those shelters cannot accept animals due to lack of space or resources and instead refer their customers to the Bloomington Animal Shelter.

When a stray animal is brought to the Bloomington Animal Shelter, the animal is held for a minimum of 5 days to allow an owner adequate time to reclaim the animal. After the stray hold period, the animal will have a temperament and health evaluation. Owned animals that are surrendered also are given adequate time to adjust to their new surroundings before being evaluated.

Many of the animals that enter the facility are healthy, good-natured dogs, cats and rabbits (and sometimes other species) that become available for adoption without a time limit on their stay. The Shelter also provides alternatives for animals that may require varying behavioral or medical needs. Through a very active volunteer-based foster care program and in some cases breed-specific rescues to place animals, the Bloomington Animal Shelter is able to help a large number of animals each year. There is, however, a much smaller number of animals that are too sick, too severely injured, or too aggressive or behaviorally unsound to be adopted into the community. In this case, the Shelter believes that euthanasia is the most humane alternative to an existence of suffering and pain or being limited to life in a cage.

The Bloomington Animal Shelter believes in helping the greatest number of animals with available resources. In 2017 the Shelter will continue to work tirelessly toward increased animal adoptions, further spay and neuter programs, animal rehabilitation, education and engagement with the community.

Bloomington and Monroe County residents can be part of the solution by:

• spaying and neutering their pets

• adopting and promoting adoption of a shelter animal

• becoming a foster parent or Shelter volunteer

• donating money, pet food or pet supplies to the Shelter

For more information or to find out how to become involved, visit the Shelter's website at bloomington.in.gov/animalshelter, see our Facebook page at facebook.com/COBAnimalShelter or call the Shelter at 812-349-3492.

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