Animal Adoptions Slow In Winter

ROGERS — Adoptions at the Rogers Animal Shelter are traditionally slow as winter approaches.

“People are busy with the holidays and don’t adopt as many animals,” said Bud Norman, shelter manager.

Slowing isn’t as bad as it sounds, he said.

“We get a little breather during the winter,” Norman said. “We are slammed most of the year. Our shelter runs at full capacity nearly year round. Our adoptions slow down, but so does the number of animals we take in.”

The shelter is equipped to house 54 dogs and 30 cats, said Matthew Colston, assistant manager.

“That’s the ideal number, but, in reality, we do what we have to do,” Colston said. “Right now we have 90 dogs and 53 cats in the shelter. We may have to put some in the washroom or in the intake room.”

The Rogers shelter handles all dogs and cats picked up in Bentonville and Rogers. Bentonville doesn’t have an animal shelter. Bentonville will pay Rogers $66,000 next year to continue to provide the service.

The 2013 budget anticipates the shelter will have $154,000 in revenue, with expenditures estimated at $422,004. The city makes up the difference through its general fund.

“It costs a lot of money to run a shelter,” Norman said. “If people would just take care of their pets, have them spayed or neutered, and provide them food and water, our job would be much easier.”

Norman and the shelter staff try to save animals through adoption. The rate of euthanization at the shelter has been reduced on his watch, Norman said.

“Our goal would be to have zero animals euthanized, but that’s not going to happen any time soon,” he said.

In 2009, the shelter took in 2,529 animals, 790 were adopted and 816 euthanized. To date, the shelter has taken in 1,184 animals this year, had 845 adopted and 202 have been euthanized.

“We work hard to get animals adopted or rescued by another entity,” Colston said.

People who love animals will go to great lengths to adopt or save an animal.

Elizabeth Kissinger recently adopted a dog from the shelter with an interesting story. The male dachshund was playing with his brother, fell off a piece of furniture and injured his back. The dog’s back legs were paralyzed.

“The dog was going to be adopted, but after the accident, the people didn’t want the dog,” Kissinger said, “but I did.”

Bob Ziegler, a semiretired chiropractor certified in a technique for animals, was able to help.

“Bud called and said he had a dog he wanted me to look at,” Ziegler said. “Using the techniques I learned from a veterinarian chiropractor, I was able to adjust the dog’s spine and restore some mobility. I’m thrilled the dog was adopted. The dog will get better over time as long as the new owners take care of the animal.”

Kissinger has had the dog about a month and said he’s doing fine.

“He walks a little funny, he has kind of a waddle, but that just makes him more endearing,” she said. “We have to be careful because he wants to do more than he should, so we have to calm him down sometimes for his own protection.”

Norman said almost every adoption has a story. Most are happy stories like the dachshund’s.

“There are two reasons animal shelters exist: pet care and human failure. If it weren’t for human failure we wouldn’t need shelters for pet care,” Norman said.