ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN SUMMARY
Maricopa County Animal Care & Control (MCACC) has received an approximately $17 million loan from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to replace its aging West Valley Animal Care Center, located at 35th Avenue and Durango in Phoenix. Since the current shelter was built, nearly forty years ago, MCACC’s mission has evolved to include proactive adoption programs, spay-neuter services, and educational outreach, among other valuable services. The current shelter can no longer accommodate these important programs in the most efficient manner, and so a new facility, tailored to these needs, is vital.
The new Animal Care Center will be optimized to care for many types of animals (dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, rodents etc). Our goal is to help as many suffering animals as we possibly can and the new center will have separate facilities for each animal group.
In addition to the $17 million in public funds for capital construction, MCACC has enlisted the help of its non-profit 501(c)(3) support organization, FACCs – Friends of Animal Care & Control – to raise an additional $10 million in the form of an endowment for capital improvements, expanded programming, and continuing operations at the new facility. Funds are also needed to service the loan from the county. Contrary to popular belief, MCACC receives only 4% of its operating budget from the government; a small part of the rest comes from licensing fees and adoption fees, but the bulk of supporting dollars must be raised through private donations.
The county expects to break ground on its new shelter in April 2007, with a move-in date scheduled for late summer 2008.
WHY IS THE NEW FACILITY NEEDED?
Maricopa County Animal Care & Control is committed to ending euthanasia of adoptable pets by 2012. MCACC is well on its way to this goal through its proactive adoption and spay/neuter programs, and collaboration with other animal welfare organizations. In fact, MCACC has not euthanized a healthy, adoptable animal in 18 months. But in order for the goal to become a full reality, these programs must be expanded and improved upon, and new approaches must also be implemented.
Over 40,000 animals pass through Animal Care & Control each year. There is simply no way MCACC can keep pace with this challenge solely by building more and more kennels. While additional space is important, efficient and effective use of that space is essential. Support of MCACC’s progressive programs will also make the difference between mere sufficiency and true effectiveness.
HOW WILL THE NEW FACILITY BE DIFFERENT FROM THE CURRENT WEST VALLEY CARE CENTER?
The design of the new facility is an integral part of MCACC’s comprehensive plan to best serve the needs of the animals that pass through its doors, as well as the needs of the public who use the agency’s services.
Maricopa County Animal Care & Control has the dual responsibilities of accepting owner-relinquished and stray animals, as well as doing everything possible to adopt out those animals to good homes. To make these services more efficient and less emotionally taxing for the animals and the public, the new facility would have separate areas for these operations.
It is also important to have a separate area where sick and injured animals can be treated and cared for while they recover. Being removed from healthy, more active animals not only prevents the spread of disease, but also allows the ill animals a quieter, calmer place more conducive to healing.
Likewise, it has been found that cats do better without the stress of barking dogs and associated sensory over-stimulation, so the new shelter will also have a separate area where cats can reside. Making animals calm and content also makes them more adoptable. There will also be an Exotics Room, with housing for birds, reptiles and rodents who come into MCACC’s care; no such area exists in the current shelter.
Special provisions have also been made to support MCACC’s adoption program at the new facility. An animal behavior evaluation area will allow animal care personnel to better assess the readiness and appropriateness of pets for adoption. This is a crucial step in the process, which will give each individual animal a better chance to be adopted by a person or family best suited to his or her temperament and needs.
Another important step in the adoption process is to provide potential adopters a clean, enclosed area where they can interact with the pet they are interested in adopting. “Real life” rooms at the new shelter will facilitate this, and thus help ensure the best matches between animal and pet guardian, which in turn reduces the chances that an animal will be returned.
WHAT EXISTING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES WILL BE EXPANDED AT THE NEW FACILITY?
Maricopa County Animal Care & Control recognizes the importance of spaying and neutering pets as a means of reducing the number of unwanted, homeless pets. In recent years, MCACC has been proactive in providing low-cost spay and neuter services to pets who are adopted from its facilities, and also to the pets of the public on quarterly “Spay Days” held at its shelters, and out of its mobile “Neuter Scooter.” MCACC has also recently launched its voucher program, which provides spay and neuter services through partner veterinary clinics around the Phoenix area. Providing easy access to these services for a nominal fee encourages responsible pet ownership. Increasing the availability is a major goal of MCACC, and a larger medical clinic with up-to-date equipment will help make this a reality.
Modern medical equipment in sufficient numbers will also help MCACC to provide much-needed care to sick and injured animals that pass through its doors. With the facilities at the current west shelter, only fairly basic care and spay/neuter services are possible. High quality health care not only improves the animals’ quality of life, but healthy animals are also more adoptable. An added benefit is the reduction of the spread of disease to other animals at the shelter. Being able to provide ongoing vaccination services for pets – before and after adoption – is also a valuable means of protecting animals and engendering responsible pet ownership.
Educational outreach is a vital tool by which MCACC can heighten public awareness of appropriate pet care, humane treatment of animals, and the importance of spaying and neutering. Currently, MCACC provides written materials on a variety of such topics on its website and on printed literature at its shelters. But targeting specific audiences with information most appropriate to their needs will help make that outreach more effective. For example, recently MCACC launched its “Uno Por Uno” (One by One) program, which saturates a particular zip code area with bilingual information to address its high incidence of stray dogs and dog bites. Small “cartoon” magazines with instructive stories make the information more fun and interesting for citizens of all ages to read. Continuing to disseminate such tailor-made educational materials will make a positive difference to animals in our community. Sending MCACC staff into area classrooms and workplaces to share knowledge of animal care and animal welfare issues would also bring a lasting benefit to our furry friends.
Of course, for all of these important programs to be effective, knowledgeable staff members who are passionate about their work are crucial. Financial support to enable the recruitment and retention of such people is an essential ingredient to the success of MCACC’s new shelter and progressive programs.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
A new animal care facility is already assured, thanks to the $17 million loan from the County. But that only covers the basic construction of the building. In order to maximize the benefits of the new shelter, and implement and expand effective programs for the animals and the public, additional money is needed. MCACC estimates that the improvements described above can become reality with a $10 million endowment. If you care about the welfare of the animals that come through the agency’s doors, please lend your financial support to its worthy goals. Your help will give Maricopa County’s animals a better life, and its citizens a better understanding of and appreciation for the animals in their lives.