March 2008
Letter form the Director

Greetings to All,

What a wonderful time for animal welfare in South Mississippi!! There are several exciting programs offered through HSSM that we are convinced will have an impact on the quality of life for companion animals and the people who care for them.

We are so very fortunate to have the support of the ASPCA, who has committed financial and human resources to help our organization succeed at fulfilling its mission. We were able to implement SAFER this year as well as Meet Your Match™. These programs enable shelter staff to match the personality (Canine-ality and Feline-ality) of the pet with the lifestyle of the caregiver.

These programs have proven to increase adoptions in other shelters, while reducing the number of adopted animals returned. We are tickled to have these assessments as part of our operations and grateful to the ASPCA for offering us the opportunity to join other leaders in animal welfare in offering these cutting edge programs to our community.

The good news regarding moving in to our new, bright, cheerful facility is that we are better able to attract potential adopters. Our community seems to have embraced the “new look.” This is apparent by the increased participation in our programs and services. The other side of this is we have seen an increase in the number of animals entering our shelter. We have identified that 40% of animals entering our shelter are strays while 58% are surrendered by their owners (the balance are held by HSSM as bite or court cases).

With the number of animals entering our shelter on the rise, we must get creative to reduce the number while our spay/neuter program takes effect. We are proud to be partners with the ASPCA and the Gulfport Police Department in offering free microchip clinics in the areas identified by GPD as high call areas for animal issues. Our vision is that when a stray animal is picked up by animal control, the officer will scan the animal, checking for a microchip. If the pet has a microchip, the officer would then take the pet home instead of bringing it to the shelter.

Also, the benefit to HSSM by having more animals in our community with microchips, is that when a stray arrives in our shelter through the public, we can get the pet reunited more quickly with their owner. Thank you to the ASPCA for funding the microchips. Thank you to Gulfport Police for being leaders in this pilot program. Our community still has much to address when it comes to pet overpopulation.

There is still much work to be done. The dedicated, compassionate staff of HSSM (some of the most wonderful people I have ever known) is committed to the well being of our community’s homeless pets. With all of us working together, we can make South Mississippi a better place for companion animals.

Respectfully,

Tara High
Executive Director
228-863-4394 x101