Michigan Pet Adoption Outfit Studies Animal Shelter Kills, Save Rate (ContributorNetwork)

The Michigan Pet Fund Alliance, a non-profit animal welfare group, published the 2010 "save rate" scorecard for animal shelters and Humane Society branches throughout the state. As Michigan Radio says, there were "big winners and big losers." Here are details about animal surrenders, pet adoptions and facility save rates in Michigan.

Factors in pet adoption

The Asilomar Accords groups companion (domestic, non-feral) animals into these categories: "healthy," "treatable," and "unhealthy/untreatable." Treatable animals include those who can be rehabilitated and those that cannot, but can be made comfortable and allowed to live out their lives. Some groups, like the ASPCA and the Humane Society, add an "adoptable" distinction. Adoptable animals are those that are not vicious and are not "bully breeds" (pit bulls). This can affect statistics, depending on how animals are grouped.

Causes for animal shelter kills

There is some dispute about the reasons for unwanted pets. Pet owners not spaying or neutering their animals has been touted as the cause for overflowing animal shelters, says the MPFA. However, 30 percent of animals in Michigan shelters are purebred dogs. They did not come from unplanned animal reproduction, but from over-breeding, especially at "puppy mills."

Shelter policies affect adoption

The Michigan Pet Fund Alliance says shelters differ on their approach to animal welfare. Some shelters claim to be no-kill when in reality they are "closed" or "guaranteed adoption" agencies. They only take healthy, adoptable pets and don't take new pets when they are full. True no-kill animal shelters only euthanize animals if they are too ill to respond to treatment or if they are so vicious.

Michigan animal shelter "save rates"

Michigan has 197 animal shelters. The MPFA included shelter styles (open or limited admission, sanctuary) and sizes in their ratings. Of the eight large open shelters (taking in over 5,000 pets annually, Humane Society of Huron Valley had an over 80-percent save rate and Oakland County Animal Control had nearly 60-percent saves. Other shelters had a 20-30 percent save rate. Kent County Animal Control saved under 18 percent of its animals. Of the 29 medium-sized open shelters (seeing 1,000-5,000 animals annually) 11 had over 50-percent save rates. Berrien County, Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter saved 87-100 percent of their animals. Other counties with high save rates include: Roscommon, Delta, Livingston, Isabella, Cheboygan, Clare, Menominee, Wexford and St. Joseph. The city of Dearborn's animal control saved over half, too. On the whole animal shelters in the Upper Peninsula and suburbs of metro Detroit had the best adoption rates. The City of Detroit also has a 100-percent kill rate for bully breeds, says Michigan Radio. 100,000 animals were killed at shelters in Michigan in 2010.

Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes about people, places, events and issues in her home state of "Pure Michigan."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/pets/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111216/us_ac/10687357_michigan_pet_adoption_outfit_studies_animal_shelter_kills_save_rate

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