By Michele Robertson
Pet ownership is a big responsibility, as well as an incredible journey. With people home more these days, having a pet can be a wonderful experience. Let the staff at Noah’s Ark Animal Shelter help you find a furry companion.
“Shelters everywhere braced for a flood of surrenders due to COVID concerns and economic impacts, but luckily most shelters, including ours, did not actually see an increase in intake and most actually saw lower spring intake numbers,” said shelter director, Angela Cary.
Adoption numbers (for dogs and cats) from March to May were down compared to the same time frame the year before, but owner reclaim percentages were steady and rescue transfers were up, which led to a much lower euthanasia rate over the same time period.
“So far, we have not yet seen a bunch of returned adoptions from the shutdown period. There will always be returns, sometimes for very valid reasons, other times not so great, but at least right now we have not had an increase in returns or surrenders directly due to the pandemic,” Cary said.
From mid-March to mid-June there have been 76 adoptions, 146 lost pets returned to owners, and an incredible 346 transferred to rescue groups. In the same time period there were 208 surrenders, 11 adoption returns, and 504 stray intakes.
“Part of our lower intake, I believe, was due to the fact that so many people were home more and had extra time on their hands, so they had more time to spend with their dogs and a lot less chance for them to be out roaming,” Cary shared.
“Also, there seemed to be a higher number of people who found dogs being willing to hold on to them temporarily and try to locate owners by canvassing the neighborhood, making found reports with us and the vet clinics, posting on social media, etc. rather than immediately bring the dog to the shelter or call Animal Control,” Cary added.
The shelter has returned to normal operating hours, Monday through Friday 12 - 5:30 pm, and Saturday from 11 - 4. Staff members are required to wear masks and the number of people inside the building is limited. Disinfecting is a big part of running the shelter in the first place, and additional measures are being put in place for high touch areas.
Spay and neuter certificates are available at the shelter during normal business hours and there are plenty available. Local veterinarian clinics are back to offering routine spay/neuter surgeries, but keep in mind they may be a little backed up from being closed for regular appointments.
The Cat’s Meow is a thrift store in downtown Carlsbad that sends proceeds to the shelter. The store has been closed since the start of the pandemic, and it will remain so until it is safe to reopen. Without this regular flow of income, shelter finances have been impacted. Donations are very much appreciated and can be done in many forms. A direct donation to the shelter, located at 5217 Buena Vista Drive, can be made using cash/check/credit card. They are an Amazon Smile partner charity and you could add them as your charity when you shop through Amazon Smile. When shopping using Amazon Smile, your chosen charity receives a percentage of the sale at no cost to the customer.
“We also happily accept donations of items such as towels, blankets (no thick comforters, electric blankets, crocheted blankets for safety and washing ability), cleaning supplies (bleach, dish soap, laundry soap, paper towels), dog and cat food, toys, treats, beds, leashes, collars, crates/carriers, etc. Items do not have to be new - gently used but still in good condition is perfectly fine! We also have an Amazon wishlist if people want to have items shipped rather than bring them in person,” said Cary.
“I would like to thank the community for their support during these times. Things are certainly difficult in many areas of life and daily operations for most businesses/organizations and frustrations can run high. We are doing our best to serve both the animals and people safely and responsibly,” Cary shared.