Q: OK, what will this tax increase cost me?

A: The ½ mill levy on property taxes will presently bring the Humane Shelter about $144,719.   According to the County Assessor’s office this means that if you own a house valued at $200,000, you will pay $7.96  a year to support ArkValley.   The average valuation of a house in the county is $250,000, and the owners will pay $9.95 to fund the work of Arkansas Valley Humane Society.

Q: How many animals a year does the Shelter care for?

A: 534 animals came into the Shelter in 2005, 70% were dogs, 30% cats.  184 animals were eventually reclaimed by their owners, 267 were adopted out.

Q: What does it cost to operate the Shelter? 

A: In 2005 it cost $161,000 to operate the Shelter, and the income from operations was only $58,000.  The rest had to be made up from fund raising and other contributions. 

Q: Why should I pay tax for a shelter that is already operating?

A: To continue to perform its function of caring for animals in the county the  Shelter has to be financially viable, and although the private money raising by AVHS has been very successful, it simply can’t continue to raise enough private contributions to allow it to perform its needed public function of animal welfare.
Last year the Shelter got down to its last $10,000 and cut back drastically on its services to keep going.  Fortunately, a giant fund raising program temporarily turned their fortunes around, but if it is going to survive it has to have some more stable income.

Q:  I don’t have pets, why should I pay for the shelter?

A: The same reason that, if you don’t have children, you still pay school tax.  The schools benefit the entire community, so does the Humane Shelter.  As the human population in the county grows, the animal population is growing also, along with that the number of loose and feral animals which end up in the Shelter.

Q: I don’t understand, is the county going to run the Shelter?

A:  Not at all, the Arkansas Valley Humane Society will continue to operate the Shelter, but with more secure funding.  The AVHS is a non profit corporation which will be contracted by the county to operate the shelter.  It will render annual reports to the county on its operations.

Q:  If the mill levy passes will ArkValley need to raise money privately or will it live solely on tax money?

A:  Private fundraising will certainly need to continue. Private funding may give some opportunity to manage necessary expansion, to increase adoption and spay/ neuter participation, and hopefully to have enough funding to begin real long range planning.

Q: If you are going to get this tax money will you still want volunteer help?

A: You’re kidding, right?  Volunteers are the key to better animal care.  In 2005 there were 180 volunteers who helped out at the shelter, including students.
Join up and walk the dogs, or clean cat cages, you’ll be a better person for it, and the Shelter will be a better place for the animals. 

Q: Will the cost of adopting an animal from the AVHS shelter decrease now that the Shelter is tax supported?

A:  Not necessarily, but possibly, as the AVHS becomes more financially stable.  Decreasing the adoption fee might increase the number of animals adopted, which is a major goal of the AVHS.  Certainly the availability of funds would help the absolutely vital spay/neuter program.

Q:  What is the capacity of the Shelter, and is expansion needed?

A:  The Shelter presently can manage 24 dogs and 14 cats, and estimates that it is full about 75% of the time.  The Board of the Arkansas Valley Humane Society has planned needed expansion but for the immediate future they will have to continue to “ration” the space, with priority given to animals brought in by animal control officers of the towns and the county. 

Q: What is Ark Valley’s relationship to Mountain Shadows Animal Hospital west of Salida?  Is there a contract between the two, and if so, what does it say?

A:  When money from the mill levy is received, a contract with Mountain Shadows will go into effect.  Animals will come to Ark Valley in greater numbers from Mountain Shadows and will likely be kept longer.    More animals have already come to Ark Valley from Mountain Shadows in 2006 than came in all of 2005, but their acceptance at Ark Valley depends on availability of space.

Q:  Are ArkValley and Mountain Shadows “no kill” shelters? 

A:  This answer is tentative.   Not quite.  Under a new agreement Mountain Shadows will turn over its animals to Ark Valley when it gives up on owners’ claiming their animals, provided Ark Valley has space.   Last year only twenty animals were euthanized at Ark Valley Shelter, and Mountain Shadows put down only two dogs. ArkValley euthanizes as few animals as possible, but if animals are in terminal  pain or are determined to be hopelessly vicious, then they are euthanized by a veterinarian.  Every effort is made to adopt out animals, but if an animal is not adopted or claimed by its owner, then it is kept and cared for, thanks to the efforts of  the staff and a large number of great volunteers.  In 2005 180 volunteers worked at the Shelter at some time during the year.

Q:  How are the Ark Valley Humane Society and the Shelter accountable to the public?

A:  They have always welcomed visitors to the Shelter and to Board meetings. Their operating and financial books are open, and they are happy to help anyone look into the operation, hopefully to help the place work even better in caring for animals. Remember that ArkValley operates largely with volunteer help.  There are presently only five paid staff members, and in 2005  180 volunteers worked at the shelter at some time during the year. 

Q: What is the relation between “animal control” officers and Ark Valley?

A:  Animal control officers are officers of the town or county who are delegated by the town and county authorities to handle animal problems in their jurisdiction.  Ark Valley employees do not go out and look for or “collect” problem animals.  Animal control officers turn over collected animals to the Ark Valley shelter, and the towns or the county pay a fee to Ark Valley to maintain the animals for a few days.  After that, cost of care and the future of the animal are the responsibility of the Shelter.

Q: How much does it cost the towns and the county to place animals at the Shelter?

A: Buena Vista pays $75 per dog impoundment fee, $45 per cat.  If an animal has to be euthanized, BV pays $25.  BV also pays reasonable veterinarian fees. Chaffee County pays $50 per dog during the 5 day impoundment if the dog is not
reclaimed by its owner.  AVHS will not bill the county more than $3600 per year.  The impoundment fees for the county will be forgiven after the mill levy passes.

Q: The Society was gifted some property in Poncha Springs, what’s the story on that?  I saw you got some money from that.

Jessie was a feral cat trapped and brought into the shelter. She tested negative for Feline Leukemia and Feline AIDS and was put up for adoption as a barn cat. She didn't deserve to die and a kind individual adopted her and a companion to allow her to live out the rest of her life mousing in their barn.

Mama is a Pit Bull Terrier Mix  that came into the shelter as a stray. An anonymous person saw her shortly after she went up for adoption and claimed to recognize her as a dog that suffered abuse in her past. She is very sweet and loving but fearful of men.

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Bruiser was found chained to the fence outside the shelter, with a blanket and food and water bowl. He was fearful and very unhappy but soon realized we were here to help him. Over time, he became adoptable and his new family loves him like a part of the family. He likes to curl up with their clothes or shoes when they are away from home.
 

Majesty and Nehi were two very special cats that came to the shelter under different circumstances. Majesty was another impounded stray that was so painfully shy, he curled up into a little ball when approached, as though he had been through some abuse. His gentle nature, however, made him the patriarch of the shelter for other shy kitties in need of companionship. All his companions opened up but no one ever looked at adopting Majesty. When we put Nehi in with him (a young kitten that had been abandoned in a mobile home), they instantly bonded and loved to curl up around each other and sleep. Fortunately, a kind-hearted person fell in love with them and the bond they shared and adopted BOTH of them, so they could live out the rest of their lives together.

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Jeff and his counterpart, Mutt, were rescued from their elderly owner who never let them out of the house, which was full of feces. Mutt was taken immediately to the vet for an assessment of the large, bloody tumor protruding from his rectum. An emergency operation showed the tumor had invaded too much of his internal organs and he had to be humanely euthanized. Jeff now has a wonderful, new family he shares with another Pomeranian, a cat and a ferret.

Mishca, a beautiful Tuxedo-marked cat had been surrendered to the shelter after the trauma of losing her human companion to suicide. The surviving family members tried to give her a new home but her anxiety was so severe that she started pulling out clumps of her own hair and retreating into a "shell" of her former self. She has good days and bad days but is still waiting at the shelter for a quiet, loving home with someone she can curl up in bed with. 

Cheri was a husky mix that was impounded as a stray. It was obvious she had suffered abuse at an early age as evidenced by her 'crooked' face, most likely the result of a kick to the face. She is very happy in her new home with an AVHS staffer, Amy Bright.

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