http://www.thenownews.com/issues05/073105/news/073105nn13.html

Animal shelter a busy place, with special focus on difficult dogs

By Leneen Robb - Staff Reporter

A small barn to house rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters is just one of the recent changes at Coquitlam's municipally run animal shelter.

During the first half of this year, according to a written report from the city's acting bylaw enforcement and animal services manager, staff started both school and orphaned kitten foster programs and increased their volunteer roster.

They also focused on "difficult dogs."

"Shelter staff are finding creative ways to work with the most difficult dogs to help make them more adoptable," Andrea McDonald wrote.

"Staff members are linking one on one with dogs to do intense work on behavioural issues and training to increase their adoption potential.

"Shelter staff have also created agility training opportunities for the dogs in the playground."

Statistics included in the report show that during the first half of 2005, the shelter received 347 animals, including 213 dogs, 85 cats, 11 birds, eight rabbits and 30 "other."

The majority of dogs - 79 per cent - were reclaimed by their owners. Cats didn't fare so well, with only 18 per cent being reclaimed.

Overall, 73 per cent of available animals were adopted.

Besides receiving animals at the shelter, the city maintains a lost-and-found database. Through it, staff helped reunite an additional 114 lost pets with their owners - without the animals having to be brought into the shelter.

Of course, where there are animals, there will be complaints, and 2005 was no exception.

The city received 677 animal-related complaints during the first half of the year and most of them (258 or 38.1 per cent) fell into the category of "dog at large."

Stray animal pickup calls (115) made up 17 per cent of the total, while complaints about barking dogs (103) made up 15.2 per cent.

Calls about dead animals (90) accounted for 13.3 per cent of complaints, while "other" (75) accounted for 11.1 per cent, dog bites (25) accounted for 3.7 per cent and cruelty, abandonment or neglect (11) accounted for 1.6 per cent.

Animal-related complaints made up slightly more than half (52.6 per cent) of total bylaw complaints.

Such complaints were down substantially compared to the first half of 2004, however, when the city recorded 843 animal-related complaints.

The shelter, which does not accept surrendered animals, opened in the summer of 2002.

posted on 07/13/2005