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Giving shelter to our furry friends
At the halfway point in its city contract, RAPS still loves caring for Richmond's animals
Tracy Sherlock, Special to the Richmond News
Published: Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Puppies sit on the employee's lap at the front door, kittens chase their toys in their cages and dogs bark for a visitor's attention. The Richmond Animal Shelter, at 12071 No. 5 Road, is fully loaded with animals ready for adoption.

Among the animals at the shelter is Muggle, a five-year-old Persian cat that came into the shelter emaciated and covered in sores.

"She looks like a cat now," RAPS manager Carol Reichert said, adding that once they figured out Muggle was allergic to fish her condition improved dramatically.

The shelter is also home to Cessna -- a black cat so named because he was rescued from the apartment building hit by a plane in October. His owner could not keep him after the plane hit the building and tenants were moved to alternate homes.

There are also kittens, puppies, dogs, rabbits, gerbils and hamsters seeking permanent homes.

The Richmond Animal Protection Society took over the facility from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals a year ago, and it is now nearly halfway through its two-year contract with the city. During the first year about 840 animals came through the shelter: 330 were adopted out, others were returned to their owners and some are still in the shelter.

Despite financial challenges, the society hopes to carry on providing animal control services in the city well into the future.

Reichert founded the society in 1989 when she began to shelter homeless cats in her home because she did not want them to be euthanized. At that time it was called Richmond Homeless Cats.

A passion for the no-kill philosophy was behind RAPS' bid on Richmond's animal protection services last year.

"We found that the harder we worked the easier it was for the SPCA to import animals to adopt out," Reichert said. "Everybody knew we were no-kill and the demand for our work just grew and grew."

RAPS underbid the SPCA, who previously had the contract, by $265,000 over the two years, Reichert said.

The contract, which is for $300,000 over two years, is intended to cover the shelter costs as well as animal control services for the city.

"The SPCA wanted $265,000 more to do this, and they had been doing it already, so it gives you a bit of an idea," Reichert said. We're on a very lean budget -- we have to fundraise a lot to make this work. We're struggling."

The Delta Humane Society, which took over Delta's animal control from the SPCA through a three-year contract in 2005, recently declined to renew its contract with that municipality because they couldn't reach an agreement on a funding increase.

"DHS does not believe it can meet the terms of the contract with the increase offered by the corporation and so was left with no choice other than to decline renewing the contract under the terms offered for 2008. We were not willing to compromise our level of service and care for the animals," the society states on its website.

The municipality of Delta will now take over animal services from the humane society.

The City of Richmond is very happy with the work RAPS is doing, according to city spokeswoman Cynthia Lockrey.

Richmond Animal Protection Society manager Carol Reichert coaxes Josie, an 11 year old Akita, outside for a photo. Josie is one of nearly 20 dogs, 30 cats and 16 rabbits who call the No. 5 Road shelter home.
Photograph by : Rob Shaer/Richmond News