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Northern Michigan Euthanasia Reports
AuSable Valley Animal Shelter and the Missaukee Humane Society Win 2008 PAW Awards from Pet Friends Magazine
If you’re a regular reader to the Pet Friends Magazine website, you’ll know that we try to keep our news and information upbeat and positive. However, that does not mean that we have our head in the sand to problems and issues in the area. Every year, the Michigan Department of Agriculture releases the “Michigan Animal Shelter Activity Reports” for licensed animal shelters in Michigan. Fostering-only groups do not have to report. This report includes, among other things, intake and euthanasia information.
We have organized the information for you so that you can more easily check out the numbers for the animal shelters in your community. The results we have listed are for the shelters in our area that are on the Pet Friends Magazines shelters & rescues link. Some groups didn’t report last year or didn’t make the deadline to report this year.
For the purposes of Pet Friend Magazine’s First Annual “PAW” Award (Pet Friends Animal Welfare Award), the winners are based on the percentage of the least amount of euthansias for the year 2008 compared to the intake numbers of cats and dogs.
The winner in the dog category for 2008 is the AuSable Valley Animal Shelter.
The winners (a tie) for the cat category for 2008 are the AuSable Valley Animal Shelter and the Missaukee Humane Society. Congratulations on a great job!
2008 CAT Animal Welfare Results
The shelters below are listed best-to-worst for cat euthasias based on intake numbers. Duplicate numbers are ties in percentages).
1. AuSable Valley Animal Shelter
1. Missaukee Humane Society
2. Manistee Co. Humane Society
3. Otsego Co. Animal Control
4. Leaning Oaks Cat Haven
5. Benzie Co. Animal Control
6. Emmet Co. Stray Center
7. Oceana Co. Animal Shelter
8. Antrim Co. Animal Control
9. Kalkaska Co. Animal Control
10. Charlevoix Co. Humane Society
11. Cherryland Humane Society
12. Wexford Co. Animal Shelter
2008 DOG Animal Welfare Results
The shelters below are listed best-to-worst for dog euthasias based on intake numbers.
1. AuSable Valley Animal Shelter
2. Otsego Co. Animal Control
2. Missaukee Humane Society
3. Manistee Co. Humane Society
3. Emmet Co. Stray Center
4. Charlevoix Co. Humane Society
5. Benzie Co. Animal Control
6. Kalkaska Co. Animal Control
7. Antrim Co. Animal Control
8. Oceana Co. Animal Shelter
9. Cherryland Humane Society
10. Wexford Co. Animal Shelter
As you look to the right side of the page, you will see actual numbers compiled from the reports. You will also note occasional comments from Pet Friends Magazine. This information is not being published to decrease monetary support or adoptions for any organization or to give them “bad press.” These numbers are facts and the people living in their towns and counties deserve to know the truth so that they can better help the animals in their local areas.
Additionally, we will publish any response from any of the shelters if they have any explanations for their activities or plans for the future that they’d like to share. We will also make any corrections on any information that was mistakenly converted from the shelter report to this website.
Unfortunately, you will see some disturbing information listed, including shelters that euthanize a large number of cats and dogs under 6 months, shelters that have increased their euthanasia rates at a higher pace than their intake rates and also one shelter who has listed “sold” cats and dogs on their shelter report. People in those communities should ask their shelters for explanations for these reports and ask what can be done to improve or stop these occurrences.
Animals being killed for “space” is not a solution. Understandably, many shelters are faced with minimum staff, tight budgets, limited space and resources and other challenges. However, common sense dictates that there are helpful solutions to many of these problems: fostering programs, spay/neuter programs, longer holding periods, waiting lists for intake, animal transfers and an increase in community involvement which is where all of you come in. Go to the board meetings and the county meetings and ask why programs aren’t being implemented and what you can do to help. Write letters to the editor in your community papers to spread the word and recruit more volunteers. An influx of volunteers will definitely help all of these groups.
Pet Friends Magazine does not propose to have all the answers and the pressures on these shelters both monetarily and morally are huge. However, in the end I think we are all on the same side and everyone working together will increase adoptions and decrease euthanasias.
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To link to the Michigan Department of Agriculture’s website with the shelter reports please click here.
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS COMPILED FROM 2007 & 2008 SHELTER ACTIVITY REPORTS (All percentage amounts are rounded down). Info. was put together from reports available at press time.
ANTRIM COUNTY:
Antrim County Animal Control - 2007
Dogs admitted: 501
Dogs euthanized: 143 (28%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 17
Cats admitted: 506
Cats euthanized: 207 (40%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 62
Antrim County Animal Control - 2008
Dogs admitted: 445
Dogs euthanized: 126 (28%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 18
Cats admitted: 517
Cats euthanized: 248 (47%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 90
Notes: The obvious observation is the high number of cats euthanized that were 6 mos. old or younger. Are there repeat offenders of large litters in this county? Are there spay/neuter programs in place?
BENZIE COUNTY:
Benzie County Animal Control - 2007
No report available
Benzie County Animal Control - 2008
Dogs admitted: 225
Dogs euthanized: 20 (8%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Cats admitted: 138
Cats euthanized: 26 (18%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 4
CHARLEVOIX COUNTY:
Charlevoix Co. Humane Society - 2007
Dogs admitted: 345
Dogs euthanized: 73 (21%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 1
Cats admitted: 430
Cats euthanized: 310 (72%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 113
Charlevoix Co. Humane Society - 2008
Dogs admitted: 292
Dogs euthanized: 23 (7%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Cats admitted: 371
Cats euthanized: 211 (56%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 88
Notes: Although the cat euthanasias are still high (especially the younger cats), there is a good improvement from 2007. Also helping their euthanasia rates was the transfer of 12 dogs and 8 cats in the report.
Response from the Charlevoix Co. Humane Society:
All of our transfers are to breed rescues, other no-kill shelters or service organizations such as police agencies, Leader Dogs, etc. We NEVER sell animals. Our mission is to find homes for all adoptable pets that come through our doors.
The euthanasia numbers that you see (which were greatly reduced in 2008 over previous years!) are of animals that show extreme aggression, anxiety disorders or have come into our open admissions shelter in such a poor state of health that there is very little hope of them surviving medical treatment.
As an open admissions shelter we have to take in all the animals that the county animal control officers bring to us. We take the safety and health of the animal AND the public to whom we might adopt an animal to, into consideration when evaluating the abandoned and owner surrendered pets that come into our facility.
CRAWFORD COUNTY
AuSable Valley Animal Shelter - 2007
Dogs admitted: 230
Dogs euthanized: 4 (1%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Cats admitted: 34
Cats euthanized: 1 (2%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
AuSable Valley Animal Shelter - 2008
Dogs admitted: 267
Dogs euthanized: 3 (1%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Cats admitted: 44
Cats euthanized: 0 (0%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Response from the AuSable Valley Animal Shelter (regarding their award):
We are so pleased to be recognized for our low euthanasia numbers. We know we are fortunate to be in control of the only shelter in Crawford County and that we no longer have to euthanize as a means of shelter population control. We know not all shelters have the luxury of being able to make the tough decisions without answering to a county official.
Preventing high euthanasia numbers is only possible through an aggressive
spay/neuter effort within each community. In Crawford County, our shelter has worked year after year to educate pet owners to the advantages of spaying and neutering. Plus we have taken advantage of a variety of opportunities to help pet owners afford surgery.
Our community can be proud of all that it has accomplished. But there is still work to be done. AuSable Valley Animal Shelter will continue to promote spaying and neutering as a means to create a healthier community overall.
Thank you so much for recognizing our efforts and bestowing the 2008 PAW Awards upon our humble organization.
Cheryl Postma, Shelter Director
AuSable Valley Animal Shelter
Leaning Oaks Cat Haven - 2007
Cats admitted: 21
Cats euthanized: 1 (4%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 1
Leaning Oaks Cat Haven - 2008
Cats admitted: 14
Cats euthanized: 1 (7%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 1
EMMET COUNTY
Emmet Co. Stray Center - 2007
Dogs admitted: 177
Dogs euthanized: 7 (3%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Cats admitted: 154
Cats euthanized: 60 (38%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 15
Emmet Co. Stray Center - 2008
Dogs admitted: 163
Dogs euthanized: 5 (3%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Cats admitted: 161
Cats euthanized: 69 (42%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 27
Notes: This shelter in particular had many animals listed under “transfers” in the report. They transferred 23 dogs and 28 cats in 2007 - 20 dogs and 14 cats in 2008.
Response from Stray Center (in regard to the question of the transfer of their animals):
The Bay Area Pet Resort also runs the Emmet county Stray Center. Stray Animals are housed there for a minimum of 8 days, before they can be either adopted out or "transferred" which is to the Little Traverse Bay Humane Society. ( The 8 day waiting period, gives the owner time to make contact regarding their animal if they have lost it.) Most of the dogs and a few of the cats are picked up and "transferred" over to the Humane Society. Some cats, especially the feral ones, are euthanized. The Humane Society also has a "No Kill " policy, which means homes are found for the animals taken there. The stray center euthanizes so few dogs, that I cannot remember when the last dog was put down. The only time that a dog has been euthanized, has been when it is vicious and cannot be safely adopted out.
Little Traverse Bay Humane - 2007
Dogs admitted: 225
Dogs euthanized: 9 (4%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Cats admitted: 249
Cats euthanized: 5 (2%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Little Traverse Bay Humane - 2008
No report available
GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY
AC Paw - 2007
(Ac Paw operates out of Antrim Co.
but adopts out of Grand Traverse Co.)
Dogs admitted: 76
Dogs euthanized: 0
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Cats admitted: 741
Cats euthanized: 3 (below 1%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 1
AC Paw - 2008
No report available
Cherryland Humane Society - 2007
Dogs admitted: 908
Dogs euthanized: 39 (4%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 6
Cats admitted: 1317
Cats euthanized: 541 (41%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 242
Cherryland Humane Society - 2008
Dogs admitted: 916
Dogs euthanized: 35 (3%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 8
Cats admitted: 1393
Cats euthanized: 836 (60%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 383
Notes: I think this report is the most disturbing of all, especially since they are in my own back yard. The amount of cat euthanasias for the age of 6 mos. and under is alarming. So is the fact that even though the intake of cats in 2008 rose about 5%, the euthanasias rose by 19%. After meeting with them about their statistics, I don't believe their board members or their policies reflect openness to being a "no kill" shelter.
KALKASKA COUNTY
Kalkaska Co. Animal Control - 2007
Dogs admitted: 246
Dogs euthanized: 105 (42%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 32
Cats admitted: 214
Cats euthanized: 145 (67%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 11
Kalkaska Co. Animal Control - 2008
Dogs admitted: 319
Dogs euthanized: 87 (27%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 43
Cats admitted: 224
Cats euthanized: 121 (54%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 18
Note: Euthanasias are stil high, but percentages have decreased from 2007.
MANISTEE COUNTY
Manistee Co. Humane Society - 2007
No Report Available
Manistee Co. Humane Society - 2008
Dogs admitted: 225
Dogs euthanized: 8 (3%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Cats admitted: 195
Cats euthanized: 5 (2%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 4
Homeward Bound - 2007
Dogs admitted: 134
Dogs euthanized: 0 (0%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Cats admitted: 68
Cats euthanized: 1 (1%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 1
Homeward Bound - 2008
No Report Available
MISSAUKEE COUNTY
Missaukee Humane Society - 2007
Dogs admitted: 94
Dogs euthanized: 2 (2%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Cats admitted: 130
Cats euthanized: 1 (below 1%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Missaukee Humane Society - 2008
Dogs admitted: 117
Dogs euthanized: 3 (2%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 2
Cats admitted: 102
Cats euthanized: 0 (0%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Notes: Missaukee transferred 12 dogs in 2007, 1 dog in 2008 and 16 cats in 2008.
OCEANA COUNTY
Oceana Co. Animal Shelter - 2007
Dogs admitted: 318
Dogs euthanized: 120 (37%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 11
Cats admitted: 106
Cats euthanized: 45 (42%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 13
Oceana Co. Animal Shelter - 2008
Dogs admitted: 321
Dogs euthanized: 101 (31%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 9
Cats admitted: 158
Cats euthanized: 71 (44%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 17
OSCEOLA COUNTY
Osceola Co. Animal Control - 2007
Dogs admitted: 484
Dogs euthanized: 38 (7%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 3
Cats admitted: 383
Cats euthanized: 174 (45%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 72
Osceola Co. Animal Control - 2008
No report available
Notes: The 2007 report shows that 10 dogs and 21 cats were listed under “sold” but there is no information on who they were sold to. 2007 numbers also reflect a high number of cats 6 mos. and under euthanized.
OTSEGO COUNTY
Otsego Co. Animal Shelter - 2007
Dogs admitted: 388
Dogs euthanized: 12 (3%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Cats admitted: 413
Cats euthanized: 56 (13%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 16
Otsego Co. Animal Shelter - 2008
Dogs admitted: 389
Dogs euthanized: 9 (2%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 0
Cats admitted: 380
Cats euthanized: 26 (6%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 7
WEXFORD COUNTY
Wexford Co. Animal Shelter - 2007
Dogs admitted: 666
Dogs euthanized: 180 (27%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 50
Cats admitted: 498
Cats euthanized: 259 (52%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 100
Wexford Co. Animal Shelter - 2008
Dogs admitted: 779
Dogs euthanized: 330 (42%)
Dogs 6 mos. & under euthanized: 54
Cats admitted: 510
Cats euthanized: 373 (73%)
Cats 6 mos. & under euthanized: 55
Notes: Both cat and dog euthanasia percentages are much higher in 2008.