Letter: Animal Foundation’s shelter has a heart

Saturday, May 2, 1998 | 4:34 a.m.

I must clear up what appears to be a widespread misunderstanding reflected in Howard Kress' letter to the editor of April 26. The $150,000 in uncollected fees was not due to "shoddy bookkeeping," but a valiant effort by staff to save the lives of the 19,700 animals entering our doors in 1997.

Instead of killing animals that were older or had mild illnesses, we adopted those less fortunate into caring homes at no fee or reduced fees. This cost us $80,000 in uncollected adoption fees, but saved the lives of more than 8,400 animals in 1997.

Fees amounting to $60,000 were not collected when owners brought to us their dying animals, but did not have the $25 for humane euthanasia. This $60,000 in uncollected fees also reflects our policy of making the $10 drop-off fee voluntary so owners would not abandon their animals to the streets. This abandonment would have caused much more expense to the city in animal control field services and have caused untold suffering to the animals themselves.

I am very proud that our caring staff has increased adoptions for the city from a 1,500-per-year average at the Dewey Center to 8,400 under our contract, reducing euthanasia 20 percent. For this service, the city paid the Animal Foundation a bargain $24 per animal while the county paid the Dewey Care Center $75 per animal.

The city gave us an increase to put our compensation at $34 per animal so we can continue to run a shelter with a heart -- where success is counted by animals saved -- rather than fees collected.

Mary Herro, president, Animal Foundation International