Families open homes to animals

A young mother and her five brand-new offspring sat curled in the corner of a holding cage.

Katelyn Kelly reached in and gently scooped up a days-old kitten, much to momma's dismay. She worriedly reached out to swat at the teen.

Momma cat would get the real surprise shortly, when Katelyn and her mom, Stacey Kelly, would scoop her and all the kittens up, giving them a loving, if temporary home in Riverview.

Families like the Kellys have helped save more than 300 shelter animals from death by providing them with temporary homes until forever homes can be found for them.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA, has determined that the longer animals stay in shelter settings, the more at-risk they are for health concerns and a lack of socialization. That spells disaster for companion animals seeking new homes.

"Shelter living can be very stressful and none of us function well under stress," said Marti Ryan, spokeswoman for Hillsborough County Animal Services.

So, these days, five days is it - unless they have a tag or microchip, which gains them five more days. Otherwise, shelter staff and volunteers are busy contacting the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, breed rescues or others to take the animals.

"We used to keep them longer and thought we were doing the right thing," Ryan said. "But we ended up stockpiling ill animals."

Working with the Humane Society, the shelter now uses transition homes to place dogs and cats in a loving, warm environment until a forever home can be located.

"We provide a good deal of the medical care, based on donations and support of those volunteers," Ryan said. Jagger's Dream Fund, a pot to which the public can contribute, is used to cover extraordinary medical costs.

Otherwise, the transitional families accept responsibility for the animals. "They don't come back to the shelters," Ryan said.

The families work to find people who will adopt the animals and when the county sets up events, the transition families bring their wards.

"Whatever fits your home, that's what you take," Stacey Kelly said.

Linda and Tiffany Prentice, of Riverview, joined the transition program during the summer and have since cared for a number of kittens and puppies.

"Our experience has been good," Linda Prentice said. "The county puts the information on their Web site and for us, the events have really done the trick." People see and touch the animals and want to take them home.

To learn more about the transition program, call Terrie DiSalvo or Cathy Carr at (813) 612-8416.

FACTS ABOUT U.S. ANIMAL SHELTERS

Five out of 10 dogs in shelters and seven out of 10 cats in shelters are destroyed simply because there is no one to adopt them.

About 5 million to 7 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and about 3 million to 4 million are euthanized (60 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats). Shelter intakes are about evenly divided between animals relinquished by owners and those picked up by animal control. These are national estimates.

According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP), less than 2 percent of cats and only 15 to 20 percent of dogs are returned to their owners. Most of these were identified with tags, tattoos or microchips.

Only 10 to 20 percent of cats and dogs are adopted from shelters and rescues.

Sources: ASPCA Pet Statistics; Ralston Purina; NCPPSP