Local animal shelters and rescue groups adjust to coronavirus stay-at-home rules

Many animal shelters across the country have seen a surge in adoptions in recent weeks, as people scramble to add new companions to help them through COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.

But there are still plenty of cats and dogs available for adoption across the Triangle, and plenty of obstacles facing animal groups in these uncertain times.

The shelters that have so far continued with adoptions have had to get creative about it — some doing video adoption events and others offering adoptions by appointment only. But there’s always the lingering problem of fundraising for those not supported by county funds — and that situation is more dire than ever.

The SPCA of Wake County closed to the public on March 14 and started adoptions by appointment only the next day. From that time until the various stay-at-home orders issued this week and Gov. Roy Cooper’s Friday statewide stay-at-home order, the non-profit group had 118 pet adoptions, a mix of cats and dogs.

It sounds like a lot, but that’s fewer adoptions than the group would usually do during that period, said CEO and president Kim Janzen.

Janzen said her staff has focused this month on “getting as many animals out as possible, either to new happy homes or into foster care.” They currently have 229 animals in their care, with 147 of those in foster.

And now, adoptions through SPCA of Wake County have stopped completely.

“Since the restrictions were announced yesterday for Wake County, we are going to suspend adoptions by appointment and we’ll move as many animals as we can into foster care,” Janzen told The News & Observer on Friday.

“The way I looked at it, we recognize that we have a responsibility to encourage people to stay home,” she said.

Some adoptions are still happening, for now

All situations are fluid right now, to say the least, but some local county shelters are still offering adoptions, even though adoption centers are essentially closed.

But it’s tricky, says Tenille Fox, communications specialist at Orange County Animal Services, where adoptions can still take place by appointment only.

“We are constantly working on ways to make sure there is no person-to-person contact, in compliance with social-distancing measures recommended by public health officials,” Fox wrote in an email to The News & Observer. The safety of staff members and the safety of the public are a top priority, Fox said.

The Orange County shelter has asked people to please delay surrendering animals to the shelter if possible, as they work to keep animals moving through the shelter to avoid ending up with too many.

“So far, we’re doing well,” Fox said. “But, every day seems to produce a new hurdle and opportunity for more consideration for some aspect of our adoption process.”

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For starters, the center is posting more videos on social media, to show off the personalities of pets. And they’re working on methods for completing the adoption process with as little person-to-person contact as possible.

But not knowing how long all of this will last is one of the biggest obstacles faced by everyone right now.

“There’s an old saying that this is a marathon and not a sprint,” added director of Orange County Animal Services, Bob Moratto. “We’re still not sure if this is a marathon or a long-distance race. But it’s definitely not a sprint — even though we’re doing a lot of that right now.”

The Wake County Animal Center is also trying to keep adoptions going. A notice on their website on March 27 says that the adoption center is open from noon to 6 p.m. each day and “receiving customers by appointment only.”

The situation is also uncertain in Durham, where Independent Animal Rescue is trying to continue with adoptions by promoting animals through videos on social media, but regular fundraising events have come to a complete halt.

The non-profit rescue group is run completely by volunteers, and this week, they started a Facebook fundraising effort that they hope will offset funding losses due to the cancellation of public events.

“We are not likely to be able to hold fundraising events for quite some time,” the post read. “At the same time, homeless dogs and cats in our community need our services more urgently than ever.”

The Facebook fundraising page has a goal of $25,000, with $2,290 raised as of March 27.

Similarly, SAFE Haven for Cats in Raleigh has closed their adoption center “for the foreseeable future” (though they said they will reevaluate on a weekly basis) and canceled their biggest annual fundraiser, the Tuxedo Cat Ball. Second Chance Pet Adoptions in Raleigh has also closed, but encourages interested adopters to fill out applications online and make appointments to meet available pets.

And smaller foster-based rescue groups, such as Alley Cats & Angels, which depend on pet stores such as PetSmart to host weekend adoption events, are also adjusting. Alley Cats & Angels is letting cats FaceTime with potential adopters and they can place “holds” on cats, but adoptions are suspended for now.

There are still some bright spots

Despite all the negatives for rescue groups associated with the coronavirus shut-downs — the Wake SPCA alone says it has lost at least $350,000 due to canceled fundraising events — Janzen points out bright spots.

There has been an outpouring of support from the public wanting to help (the best way is through donations, Janzen said); the staff has some time now for professional development and online training (Wake SPCA has 50 paid full-time staffers and 1 part-timer, but volunteer operations are shut down); and so far, the organization’s transfer partners haven’t seen a huge uptick in need.

“We are taking them in on an emergency basis only,” Janzen said. “It’s a case-by-case basis.”

And on Friday, Janzen said staff was gathering up the personal protective equipment used at the center and donating it to area hospitals.

The group also increased the pet food it delivers to homebound seniors through its AniMeals program, this month dropping off a two-month supply instead of a one-month supply.

Janzen said she and her staffers have been reminded during this crisis their jobs aren’t just about helping animals.

“One of the things we’ve come to realize is that people typically think of us as an animal organization, but the truth is, the way we can help animals is by helping people,” Janzen said.

To that effect, Janzen encourages pet owners to have an emergency plan in place in case they get sick and their pets need temporary care. “What that will do is decrease the number of animals going into area shelters,” she said.

And of course, stay at home.

“Follow the stay-at-home orders,” Janzen said. “The best thing to do for animals is to take care of the people in the community.”