Portales shelter officials say situation improving

PORTALES - The Portales Animal Shelter's efforts to adopt more and euthanize less haven't been seamless, but the situation has been steadily improving, according to Portales Animal Control Officer Tiana Wade.

Summer finds the shelter in the middle of a series of initiatives to adopt out dogs and cats in creative ways, she said.

In July, anyone with a military ID will only be charged $50 to adopt an animal, and that isn't the only incentive for adopting, according to Wade.

"Just through the summer months, since those are our highest intake months, we're doing what's called a bench warmer special. Any animal that has been here at the facility for more than 14 days is considered a bench warmer, so their adoption rate is down from the $90 to the $50 as well," she said.

Another program gives agriculture professionals the chance to rid their facilities of mice while taking feral cats from the shelter.

"As of right now, any farm, dairy, rancher who needs working cats to go for mice, all they have to do is come here with some kind of carrier, and they can take whatever feral strays we have, and we will not charge them an adoption fee," Wade said.

Wade said that though adoption rates weren't incredibly high last month, they are growing at a faster rate than euthanasia.

Of 117 animals received in June, the shelter adopted out 20, redeemed nine, and gave 31 to rescue groups, leaving 57 to be euthanized.

She added that in May, out of 74 animals, 15 went to rescues and 14 were adopted.

"Our euthanasia rates are staying pretty static. They're not going into those high numbers, but our adoption and our rescue groups are going higher," she said.

Efforts to achieve higher adoption rates began in March, and stemmed from a desire by Portales Animal Control to "actually start getting animals out, and get out from underneath the reputation and the black cloud that is the pound, the city shelter, where every animal that is brought in just comes to die," Wade said.