Students should think twice before adopting pets
By Amy Condon
The temptation to adopt a puppy or kitten grows strong when students move away from home to go to school. What could be better than a warm bundle of fur greeting you after a long day of classes? Or to have an excuse to go for a walk in the park? Or to feel a little more secure with that deceptively gentle dog ready to pounce at the first sign of danger?
Nancy Richards, assistant executive director of the Humane Society of Savannah/Chatham, encourages students to think twice before they accept the responsibility of pet adoption.
“A lot of students haven’t thought [pet adoption] through,” said Richards, “They don’t project out what to do with their pets during breaks, or whether or not mom and dad don’t want them to bring a dog or cat home. Or what they will do if a roommate doesn’t like pets.”
Richards speaks to students at area colleges and universities every year to give students a reality check about the expenses and time associated with pet ownership. “Two things college students don’t have a lot of,” she said.
For this reason, the Humane Society requires students to fill out an extra application for pet adoption, and makes sure students are aware of upfront costs.
The Humane Society charges $150 per dog and $75 per cat ($50 for kittens under six months), which includes vaccinations, temperament and disease testing, spaying/neutering, microchip identification and a month of pet insurance.
Other organizations, such as Coastal Pet Rescue and Save-A-Life, charge around the same amount for similar services.
These expenses could add up to more than $450 under other circumstances, and do not include the costs of rabies tags, collars and leashes and pet toys.
Pet owners spend on average more than $200 a month on food and treats, pet insurance, heartworm medication and flea and tick prevention.
Pets also require lots of time and attention for housebreaking, crate training, exercise and affection.
In 2008, the Humane Society of Savannah/Chatham adopted out 1,135 dogs and cats from its facility. The Humane Society does not have a breakdown of the number of adoptions by students.
During this same timeframe, the Humane Society accepted almost three times as many surrenders (3,253). The largest counts came in during the months of May, June and July. This year pet owners surrendered more than 400 animals during June, the highest ever in a month since the Humane Society has kept records.
As an open admission shelter, the Humane Society does not turn away any owner surrenders, regardless of health or temperament. The animals that are unsocialized, aggressive or unhealthy are euthanized.
The summer surge tracks with students graduating, moving back home or heading oversees to study abroad, as well as with an economic downturn forcing owners to choose between feeding their families or their pets.
During these same months, calls to Animal Control to collect abandoned pets spike by more than 50 percent over the other nine months of the year. The highest concentration of calls comes from within Savannah’s city limits.
“We don’t have the statistical detail about whether they are military deployments, students or just people moving and not being able to take the animals with them,” said Cpl. George J. Smith, assistant Animal Control Unit supervisor for the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police.
“Ninety percent of the animals in the shelter are strays. Most are puppies and kittens,” he said.
Animal Control is responsible for enforcing municipal and county ordinances, which stipulate owners must vaccinate dogs and cats annually and show proof with tags. All owners must have dogs on lead when in public or confine them in fenced areas on private property. Tethering animals is not allowed.
Every effort is made to locate pet owners, said Smith. Pets seized by Animal Control are scanned for microchip identification when they are first picked up, and again when they reach the shelter.
If owners are located, they have 10 days to recover their pets or the courts will levy fines between $100 and $1,000 and require community service.
When Animal Control cannot identify a pet’s owner, it evaluates the pet and tests it for diseases. Pet adoption organizations, including the Humane Society, make regular rounds of the shelter and pick dogs and cats for adoption. People also can adopt directly from the Animal Control shelter.
Pets not adopted are euthanized in five days.
A state-of-the-art animal shelter will replace the aging 1970s facility that now sits behind the Humane Society’s on Sallie Mood Drive.
It will house medical facilities, isolation rooms for cats and a hundred runs for dogs. Updated computer equipment and programs will allow Animal Control to keep more nuanced records to track animal intakes and outcomes. It is slated for completion by June 2010.
For students who love animals but cannot afford the time or expense of caring for one, the Humane Society’s Richards encourages students to volunteer through SCAD’s Service Opportunities for Students (SOS) program, which sends students to the Humane Society every Friday afternoon to walk dogs and socialize cats. Any student interested in SOS should contact Student Involvement.
