Stray Hearts: Dedicated to Homeless Animal Care

Seth, a German Shepherd mix, furrowed his brow in concentration as Katie Gillis gave him commands, treats and praise. This was his third session and he could promptly “sit,” “stay,” “follow” and “look at me.”

“They astound you with their resilience and ability to bond,” said Gillis who volunteers at Stray Hearts Animal Shelter every day, rain or shine. She works with about six of the most difficult, shy or anti-social dogs per day. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, they’re willing to come around.”

Stray Hearts Animal Shelter was bustling on Thursday afternoon (Feb. 19) as dog after dog was walked, trained and cared for; cages were cleaned, bowls filled; buildings constructed and countless other details were tended to in service to the community’s stray animal population.

“Working together is the key,” said Dr. Holly Johnson, a veterinarian who has been volunteering her services one or more days a week at Stray Hearts since last December. “I’ve worked at shelters in other parts of the country. It’s the staff that makes the difference. These are tough jobs. Across the country there’s a high burnout rate. But these people are wonderful, both the employees and the volunteers. They are very astute in noticing changes in animal’s behavior and health and have been responsive to any suggestions I’ve made.”

Stray Hearts, a 501C-3 nonprofit, first opened its doors in 1991 and — aside from a hiatus due to a funding crisis from August to November 2004 — has operated continuously ever since. Taos’ original animal shelter was started in 1962 with land donated by the Wurlitzer sisters on Los Pandos Road, according to veterinarian Ted Schupbach.

He worked there in the 1980s and said the staff consisted, for many years, of one veterinarian. Stray Hearts currently employs 14 people and has from 35-40 volunteers, according to executive director Dave Noll. The shelter’s 2009 budget is $393,650 and the town of Taos and Taos County funds $195,000 of that amount; the rest comes from donations and adoption fees.

Taking in animals

On Tuesday (March 10) Stray Hearts had 85 dogs and 18 cats in its care. Rick Medina, sheriff’s lieutenant and supervisor for animal control in Taos County, said his office receives about eight to 10 calls per day that result in about four to five dog pickups a day, all of which are brought to the shelter.

“It would be a disaster without Stray Hearts,” Medina said. “They treat the animals and help the community and they do a great job.”

The Stray Heart’s Animal Daily Management Report states that in 2008, the shelter took in 1,287 animals (all dogs and cats except for one ferret), a 29 percent increase from 2007. In 2008, 458 were adopted; 386 were transferred; 94 were returned to their owners; 224 were fostered (74 returned to shelter); 60 died; and 156 were euthanized.

Animals may be euthanized due to illness, injury, aggressiveness or minimal chances of adoption, said Lisa Davis, board president. Pit bulls are evaluated for signs of aggression more often than other dogs, but if any breed behaves and adapts well to the shelter, and is deemed adoptable, he or she may be kept at Stray Hearts until adoption occurs, she explained.

“Euthanasia is never taken lightly,” said Davis. “And it’s done properly, by a veterinarian.”

“By not euthanizing, you often end up causing the suffering and death of many other dogs because when the shelter fills up, the animals are out there breeding, starving to death and getting hit by cars,” said Schupbach.

According to Noll, Stray Hearts has one of the lowest rates of euthanasia in the state of New Mexico: 12 percent.

Actively seeking homes

Stray Hearts actively seeks homes for animals via adoptathons; sponsored advertising; local businesses that show animals on given days; a Web site and also through bi-weekly transfers of dogs to Colorado, where they have a shortage of puppies and a higher demand for dogs due to stricter enforcement of spay and neuter laws, according to Davis.

The shelter recently acquired a van with donations from a board member that fits 15 dogs to facilitate these transfers. “What frustrates me is that every month I see (for veterinary care) four or five dogs that people got from a shelter in Santa Fe or Española,” said Schupbach. “All that does is add one more stray animal to our population.”

“It is so essential that people spay and neuter their pets,” said Davis. “Not only will it help with overpopulation but their behavior and temperament will be better; they’ll have better health and they’re less likely to roam,” she explained.

Financial assistance for the procedure is available through Stray Hearts, whether or not the animal originated from the shelter. Those interested can pay a $20 fee and fill out a form to receive a voucher, accepted in lieu of payment at designated veterinarian’s offices.

Critical comments

Stray Hearts has received complaints from some members of the community that the shelter has worked hard to rectify, according to Noll.

“Most of the complaints were last summer. When we took over (October 2007) the shelter was struggling for a lot of reasons: Lack of funding for one. And staffing is difficult in Taos, especially when you’re asking someone to (clean animal cages) for $8 an hour,” he explained.

When a letter of concern was sent by Salazar Veterinary Clinic in June 2008 regarding the shelter’s cat-care procedures, the shelter took immediate action, Noll said.

“We did every recommendation that came to us from Salazar. We also replaced the cattery manager and added an additional staff.”

About two weeks after their first letter, the Salazar clinic veterinarians wrote a follow up letter, commending Stray Hearts on addressing the issues they raised in their first letter. Jeff Northrup, former board member, said in an interview Feb. 18, that a lot of improvements have been made at the shelter since Johnson started volunteering and a new kennel manager was hired.

However, he said he still had concerns, primarily about the small size of the cat’s cages, the closure of the cat socialization room and the dogs’ living conditions. Other concerns were about a former staff member; and overcrowding at the shelter, which he said should be remedied by euthanizing more animals. Since last summer, the cat’s cages have been upgraded.

The new cages are 2 by 3 feet and 17 inches high and, on a Feb. 19 tour, appeared to provide ample room for cats to stretch and move around. Almost all the cats were stretched out in their cages, napping or sitting serenely on clean padding. Davis explained that the cat socialization room had been permanently closed to prevent the spread of ringworm, as per a veterinarian’s suggestion.

The shelter now has a cat visitation room where staff and volunteers can play with one cat at a time. After each visit the room is thoroughly sterilized, according to a protocol delineated on a white board.

“Some of the complaints are from people who haven’t been to the shelter in over a year,” Noll said. “A couple of months ago there were some people picketing in front of the county building. We went out and talked to two of the women and just asked them to come by the shelter. One of the women did come by two days later and she said, ‘the shelter’s never looked better.’”

New accommodations

Dogs’ living quarters have recently been upgraded to provide more space and weather protection. Davis pointed out “the ghetto,” a row of small, minimally tarped cages, where the dogs were formerly housed. Forty of them had been torn down but a few remain standing to keep dogs in the fresh air for the half hour each day while their cages are being cleaned.

The new accommodations for dogs are larger and are double tarped with semi-truck tarps that are batted down each night for warmth and protection from wind and moisture. Each cage contains a plastic igloo — with a heating pad if the dog is short-haired — as well as plenty of straw. According to Johnson, these quarters “will maintain a comfortable warmth even in the worst storm.” Some dogs are currently housed indoors and by the end of spring, the plan is to have all the animals sheltered indoors, except the dogs that fare better in the open air, according to Noll.

Five enclosed greenhouse style buildings are currently under construction, with donated money and volunteer labor. One is designated for the cats and the other four will house dogs. Each building will have a pressure washer, a feedand- water station.

The dog’s buildings will have 12 kennels and an outdoor play yard divided into two sections so they can play together according to temperament. Currently, dogs walks are notated in a log book so the staff and volunteers are aware of which dogs need walking, according to Cynthia Sharfin, shelter manager.

“As a shelter, there’s always things we can improve on,” said Noll. “But we think the shelter’s never been better. And if people have questions, we’ve always told them to just come on out. You are always welcome.”

Stray Hearts Animal Shelter nurse Summer Wood, left, and volunteer veterinarian Dr. Holly Johnson bring in sister and brother Pasha and Giggles for their puppy shots Friday (Feb. 28). Photo by Tina Larkin

To contact Stray Hearts Animal Shelter about donations, volunteering or other inquiries, e-mail them at strayhearts@ taosnet.com or visit www.strayhearts.org which has up-to-date photos and profiles of available animals; or call (575) 758-2981.