Adoption Not An Option?
Over the last few years, Second Chance has consistently been at full capacity with a waiting list of families seeking to surrender a dog or cat. This is not unique to us, as most shelters around the country are seeing the same trends. Adoption rates are decreasing while intakes are steady or growing. We appreciate the confidence our community has in us, but we want to help more pets and people. We need to move more cats and dogs from the shelter to homes.
Our first goal is to place more pets into loving, long-term homes. More adoptions mean more space for incoming pets. To help find people for our pets, we are always working to introduce our dogs and cats to potential adopters. We offer discounted fees for certain pets, have generous fee sponsors for many of our long-term residents, and participate in programs such as Empty the Shelters. We take pets out in the community at farmers’ markets, festivals, and pet adoption events nearly every weekend. Our social media features adoptable pets, and we pay for weekly newspaper ads to showcase our dogs and cats.
To facilitate more successful adoptions, we have a program called “Getting to Know You” Trial Adoption, where approved adopters can take a pet home to see if the pet is the right fit for the family and the pet.
Sometimes adoption isn’t an option, but a family can still help. One way we can open more space in the shelter is to place animals in foster homes. Foster placement can be a few days, a few weeks, or until the pet is adopted. Candidates for fostering include puppies and kittens who are too young to be in a shelter, pregnant or nursing mothers, older pets, pets who need training, or a pet who just needs a break from shelter life. Foster homes play a crucial role, enabling pets to be themselves by relaxing, learning, exploring, and interacting with people.
Foster volunteers start by completing a foster application and having a home visit to confirm that your home is safe and secure for a pet. It’s a great way to have the love of a pet in your home without making a long-term commitment. Second Chance provides all the food, medications, and supplies needed for the duration of the foster period.
Since 1994, the Animal Resource Center and the Shops of Second Chance Humane Society have been dedicated to serving animals in Southwestern Colorado. Our adoption hours are every day from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. We are located at 177 County Rd 10, Ridgway, CO. You can view our shelter pets and services online at secondchancehumane.org.