CREST HAVEN — The fifth anniversary of the Cape May County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center was celebrated Thursday July 23 with an open house and birthday cake.
County Freeholder Director Daniel Beyel led a ceremony. On hand were Freeholders Leonard Desiderio, Ralph Bakley and Jerry Thornton, Sheriff Gary Schaffer and County Clerk Rita Fulginiti.
While dogs staying at the shelter may have been interested in a piece of cake, they were busy putting their best faces forward to visitors to the shelter, no doubt hoping for a new home.
Shelter Manager Judith Davies-Dunhour told the Herald she is pleased the euthanasia rate for cats had decreased dramatically since the shelter’s early days. In June 2008, 51 cats were euthanized while only six were put down in June 2009. She said that number has been reduced through aggressive trap, neuter, release (TNR) programs and through a foster plan where volunteers take kittens home with the shelter providing food and medical care.
A total of 418 cats were euthanized in 2008.
“It’s amazing how many animals don’t come back here because the people who foster, find homes for them,” said Davies-Dunhour.
Local veterinarians have also been finding homes for kittens as well as a satellite adoption center at Petsmart where 300 cats have been adopted. The program was set up by Davies-Dunhour.
Far more cats than dogs are brought to the shelter. The population of the shelter on its fifth anniversary was 27 dogs and 97 cats. She said the shelter population is usually four cats to every one dog.
Cat population peaked at one point with 275 cats, said Davies-Dunhour.
The key to controlling the cat population is spay/neuter, she said. All it takes is two cat owners on the same block who decided not to spay and neuter their pets and you have six kittens, she said.
The TNR program for feral cats must be done with the cooperation of neighbors, said Davies-Dunhour. She said feeding a neighborhood, stray cat is not being responsible, and they need to be “fixed.”
Spay and neuter is available at low or no cost for those receiving SSI, rental assistance or food stamps, said Davies-Dunhour. Working with the Cape May Animal Shelter Alliance, which has a mobile home next door, they spay and neuter cats at the age of two and half months.
“I think since the shelter has opened, a dog has not been euthanized for space,” said Davies-Dunhour.
The shelter receives a large number of pit bulls, which require a very careful screening process. She said pit bulls often do not like other animals and are protective of their owners.
The shelter is not mutt alley. A number of purebred dogs also turn up at the facility including a Corgi, Chihuahua and Jack Russell Terrier last week.
“I love empty cages, that’s how I can tell we’re making progress,” she said.
In 2008, 144 dogs from the county shelter found new homes. A total of 55 dogs were euthanized in 2008 due to health or temperament problems, down from 74 dogs in 2007.
Dogs picked up by animal control officers throughout the county, except Ocean City, are brought to the county shelter. Davies-Dunhour said a number of people do not know the shelter exists and their lost pet may be residing at the facility.
From 2004 through 2008, 5,871 animals entered the shelter with 59 percent moved into more permanent homes via adoption, being reclaimed by owners or transferred to a rescue organization.
“What we are really striving to do is be the lead agency for animals advocacy in Cape May County,” she said.
Davies-Dunhour said there are a number of advocacy groups in the county that operating on their own.
“There’s a lot of strength in numbers,” she said. “If we can bring everyone together and operate with this shelter being the lead agency, we can get a lot more publicity, we could increase our adoptions and increase awareness on animal issues in general.”
She said groups could work to encourage municipalities to pass ordinances against chaining dogs 24-hours per day and
ordinances to support low pay spay/neuter for cats.
The shelter has 48 indoor-outdoor dog runs, eight indoor dog runs, a quarantine room with the capacity of eight to 12 animals and two feline rooms with the capacity to hold up to 120 cats. In 2008, the shelter cared for 1,300 dogs and cats.
Janet Kowalski was honored as Volunteer of 2008 for 550 hours of service. She started as a volunteer at the shelter in the spring of 2006.
Davies-Dunhour came to the shelter as a volunteer for five years. She became coordinator of volunteers in March 2006 and upon retiring from another job, took the position of shelter manager in April 2009.
Want to give the shelter a birthday gift? Donations of towels, washcloths, paper towels, baby food for kittens and bleach are always appreciated, said Davies-Dunhour. Donations of money are also accepted which allows purchase of “big ticket items” or for surgery for animals.
The shelter is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information: call (609) 465-8923.
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