Great news from the Delaware SPCA - Victory!

What follows is a recent update from the Delaware SPCA:

Dear Friend:

Many people are not aware of the dramatic changes that have taken place in the past year at the Delaware SPCA.

New Director Cuts Euthanasia at Delaware SPCA by 53% in 2008.

Prior to Anne Cavanaugh’s appointment as Executive Director in February, 2008, the Delaware SPCA euthanized approximately 50% of the animals that came to its shelters. In 2007, this amounted to 3065 dogs and cats. After Anne took over in 2008, these numbers fell dramatically, so that in the 2008 calendar year the number of animals euthanized fell to 28% of the 5120 animals handled by the Delaware SPCA. “I’m definitely proud of what we accomplished in 2008”, said Anne, “and I expect that we will do even better in 2009. We are doing very well with dogs – only 10% of the dogs we took in were euthanized, despite the fact that we take in hundreds of pit bulls because of our animal control contract with the City of Wilmington. We are still struggling to deal with all the homeless cats that come to our shelters in Stanton and Georgetown, and this year we are focusing on reducing cat euthanasia”.

In 2008, the Delaware SPCA Board of Directors adopted a policy under which only animals with serious untreatable health or behavioral conditions are euthanized. Animals no longer have a certain amount of time in which they must get adopted; some animals stay in the shelter for six months or more. Cavanaugh noted, “It used to be that a dog that was 5 years or older  didn’t stand a chance, or an animal with heartworms or even an upper respiratory infection was euthanized in short order. Thankfully, that is no longer the case. Animals with treatable illnesses receive the veterinary care necessary to get them well. And many, many older animals have found great homes with loving families”.

Cavanaugh continued, “We’re grateful for everyone who adopted an animal from a shelter and/or volunteered, fostered animals or donated money. We can’t do this alone – our success depends on support from the community. Saving more animals is expensive; our costs for housing and veterinary care have increased in proportion to the number of animals we care for. And since we receive no state or county funding we are dependent on donations from the public.” 

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As always, thank you for your support.