A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2015
FROM PAGE A1
INVESTIGATION:
contracts with their respec-
tive cities to take posses-
sion of stray dogs and place
continued from page A1
them for adoption, a direct
Pet Rescue is once again comparison in the eutha-
transferring dogs to other nasia rates cannot be made
facilities to improve adop- because PAWS does not ac-
tion chances through the cept aggressive dogs. Ad-
Oregon Humane Society ditionally, although PAWS
Second Chance Program accepts all but aggressive
beginning this month, dogs from the city of Pend-
which will reduce the shel- leton, when the shelter is
ter’s euthanasia rate.
full, some owners may also
Transferring dogs to other have to wait before the shel-
shelters was one of the sug- ter can accept a surrendered
gestions offered by Suzanne animal. Whereas PAWS is a
Phillips, who spoke at the no-kill shelter, Pet Rescue
council meeting and later met is an open-door shelter that
ZLWKFLW\RI¿FLDOVWRYRLFHKHU accepts all dogs, but the eu-
concerns about the shelter’s thanasia rate in Hermiston
euthanasia rate. Phillips said has been much higher than
the Pioneer Humane Society in Pendleton.
Pendleton Animal Welfare
Pet Rescue Executive
Shelter operates with a very Director Beau Putnam said
low euthanasia rate and that Pet Rescue received 724
Pet Rescue could reduce its total dogs last year. He said
rate.
61 percent were either re-
deemed by their owners
adopted, leaving a 39
BY THE NUMBERS or
percent euthanasia rate.
Although Hermiston’s Now that the shelter will
Pet Rescue and Pendleton’s be transferring dogs to the
PAWS shelters both have Second Chance Program
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when the shelter is full,
the euthanasia rate should
be drastically reduced, but
Putnam said Pet Rescue ac-
cepts all dogs, and aggres-
sive animals will still be
euthanized. Putnam said he
did not have the numbers
of euthanized animals that
were either unhealthy or
aggressive.
In comparison, according
to information from PAWS
Board of Directors President
Amy Baker, Pendleton’s
shelter received 466 dogs
last year and only euthanized
three: a 0.6 percent eutha-
nasia rate. Although PAWS
does not accept aggressive
dogs from the Pendleton
Police Department, Lt. Bill
Caldera said, in 2014, only
three dogs were determined
to be aggressive, which
had to be euthanized else-
where. Adding those dogs to
PAWS’ numbers generates a
1.27 percent total Pendleton
euthanasia rate, but this does
not include any aggressive
dogs owners tried or wanted
to surrender in Pendleton.
Baker said, in 2014,
PAWS adopted out 259
dogs, returned 51 to their
owners and transferred 132
to other no-kill shelters, pri-
marily the Oregon Humane
Society.
Baker said PAWS will
only euthanize aggressive
or unhealthy dogs, follow-
ing a veterinarian’s rec-
ommendation. When the
PAWS shelter is full, Bak-
er said staff members will
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homes for their pets using
social media and PetFinder.
com. She said, if necessary,
the animals are then put on
a waiting list to bring into
the shelter until space be-
comes available.
Baker said the city of
Pendleton currently pays
$1,300 per month to PAWS
to take possession of all
but aggressive dogs after a
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police department facility.
She said PAWS received 78
dogs from the city in 2014.
Assistant City Manager
Mark Morgan said the city
of Hermiston pays $2,750
per month to Pet Rescue,
but the contract also in-
cludes help apprehending
the animals, if requested
by the police department,
and feeding and lodging
WKHGRJVIRUDUHTXLUHG¿YH
day period to allow owners
to claim them before they
are placed for adoption.
He said Pet Rescue also
refunded $3,415 to the city
for impound and licensing
fees collected for a total
cost of $29,585 in 2014.
According to Hermiston
animal control statistics
provided by the city, Pet
Rescue processed 204 dogs
from the city and eutha-
nized 41 in 2014 and pro-
cessed 285 dogs and eutha-
nized 87 in 2013.
CITY
RECOMMENDATIONS
In the report he will pres-
ent Monday, Smith offers
three areas he would en-
courage Pet Rescue to ad-
dress: utilizing programs to
increase animal adoption,
such as the Second Chance
Program; using volunteers
and donations as much as
possible to care for the an-
imals and better tracking
of volunteer hours; and in-
creasing the level of online
advertising of the animals
for adoption.
He noted Pet Rescue is
meeting the requirements
of the city’s contract and
does not recommend the
council take any further ac-
tion.
Smith said, if the council
believes changes are neces-
sary, the contract could be
put to bid again, but doing
so could cause the price to
increase.
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