Saturday, November 8, 2008

Socorro strays have new leash on life

Gerald Garner Jr. El Defensor Chieftain Editor

Survival and strays were rarely synonymous words in Socorro.

Historically, strays have faced a bleak future.

Undesirable conditions, little hope of finding a home and ultimately a lethal injection was the grim fate most of the lost, unwanted or abandoned animals met.

Several people, however, sat up and took notice of the situation and embarked on an arduous journey to change the outlook for area animals.

That journey has — over the course of the last few years — finally begun to pay dividends and it's the four-legged critters that have found a new "leash" on life.

Welcome to the Socorro Animal Shelter.

A long time coming

During the 1960s, a couple of volunteers from Socorro got together to sell recyclable goods for money. Their intent was to fund an animal shelter.

Hence the Animal Protective Association of Socorro began.

Nearly two decades later, the primitive shelter (a chain link fence surrounding a rough piece of land) became home to the first kennel building. All the while, APAS was trying to put some teeth into the movement to better care for the animals.

According to Socorro City Clerk Pat Salome, APAS approached the city some 10 years ago and requested that an updated shelter be adopted as a priority project. The group's efforts paid off and the shelter became a focal point of the city's Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan — a document that identifies and prioritizes municipalities' desired projects.

"The shelter was placed on the city's ICIP and we built the new building, purchased new kennels and rehabilitated the old building," Salome said.

Not only did the assistance meet with the public's approval, it was the animals that lapped up the lavishness of their new digs.

"This building was a huge improvement for the care and comfort of the animals, providing radiant floor heat for cold weather, skylights for a brighter interior and indoor-outdoor kennel areas for the dogs," the APAS Web site notes.

But the facility didn't just go to the dogs. A "cattery" — or cat sanctuary — was also constructed during the past several years.

While the new facility was a blessing to all involved in the fray to save the strays, it was the city's decision to fund positions at the shelter that moved the animals' fate from helpless to hopeful.

Finally, a bright outlook

While the APAS and its contributions to the plight of the strays and perseverance in getting the shelter built cannot be emphasized enough, Salome said it's the shelter's paid staff that has really helped curb the stray mortality rate in Socorro and get more animals into loving homes.

Heading up that staff is Juanita Gordon.

Animal control officer Frank Marquez, office assistant Denise Selina and kennel assistant Nicole Winders aid the former District Attorney's Office investigator in her daily efforts.

Gordon said that adoptions from the shelter have increased dramatically over the past several months — something she and the staff attribute to ongoing efforts to inform and educate the public about the shelter and its inhabitants.

Selina, who has worked as a volunteer for years, said increased advertising and the utilization of online resources like craigslist.com and petfinder.com has seen adoption rates shoot through the roof.

"We've had people from as far away as Albuquerque and El Paso come to adopt animals," Selina said.

Boosting those numbers is the fact that Gordon and her staff transfer many of the county's unwanted animals to organizations that have designated "no-kill" facilities.

What is it that changed the situation so dramatically?

"It's the fact that the shelter has had, and continues to have a wonderful volunteer base," Gordon said. "They do so much for us and the animals. Their efforts free us up to continue with our outreach to make sure we find safe homes and families for these animals."

With the increase in adoptions, Gordon said the number of animals being euthanized has dropped dramatically.

That equation also means that as more animals are placed in homes or at other facilities around the region, the local shelter has ample room to house the large number of animals that it typically sees.

City Clerk Pat Salome said the combined efforts of APAS, volunteers, the city council, legislators and the shelter's paid staff are something to behold.

"It's a good lesson on how to get things done," Salome said. "This began with a grassroots effort; enough public interest has since been generated and the positive results are tangible.

"The animals are much better off because of the efforts of all of these people and organizations," he added. "It's really quite amazing."

ggarner@dchieftain.com

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