Different Challenges for Different Shelters

When it comes to animal shelters, there are a number of misconceptions about what they do and how they do it.

shelters are different in different parts of the country. For example, Nevins Farm in Methuen, Massachusetts, is not your normal shelter.

"We like to say here at Nevins Farm that we help everything as small as a mouse and as large as a horse," said Michael Keiley, who runs the MSPCA facility.

On any given day, you can see that pet mouse, that horse, as well as birds, rabbits and, of course, cats and dogs.

The facility has made huge strides in controlling local pet populations. They offer low-cost spay and neuter programs, do as much out-reach as possible and get pets adopted.

"When I first started in 1994, our adoption rate was about 45 percent overall for animals," said Keiley. "Now, it's about 92 percent, which we feel great about.:

One thing that a lot of people don't understand about shelters is that they are a lot like the animals they serve - they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes with all sorts of different challenges.

In california, it's Chihuahuas.

"California specifically has a major over-population of Chihuahuas," said Keiley. "Almost epidemic numbers."

In New Orleans, like many places in the south and urban areas across the country, there are simply too many animals without a home.

"Our biggest challenges continue to be the number of animals reproducing on the streets in New Orleans and southeast Louisiana," said Anna Zorrilla, the CEO of Louisiana SPCA.

Why is that so much a problem there, but not in New England? Simple - we have winter.

"People don't realize just how many animals are coming into centers down there, and I think it has to do with a lot of things that we don't necessarily think about here in new England, like the weather," said Keiley. "Down in the south, there is good weather all year round, so there are animals out in the community breeding, causng over-population issues, and that never has an end like we do in the winter-time."

Zorrilla's organization handles 8,000-9,000 thousand animals a year - often, healthy pets from her shelter make it up to areas that have fewer pets up for adoption, like New England.

"Just because they've been solved, or are much better in the northeast, doesn't mean the problem is gone," she said. "It means we need those folks to help us further down into the south where the problems are still very real."

Having fewer pets for adoption has allowed shelters like Nevins Farm to focus vaccinations and even training pets they have in their care. But that doesn't mean shelters in New England aren't willing to help out other parts of the country - they are.

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