Offered without comment (at this point), the Paws to the Rescue policies regarding release of dogs at the Marion Co pound in SC, as posted on Facebook:
Pups in Need of Sponsorship
By Kristin Kucsma (Albums)
Do you want to SAVE a PUP’S LIFE but cannot rescue or adopt? Please consider sponsoring a pup! EVERY PUP CURRENTLY in this album has a CONFIRMED RESCUE but they are NOT SAFE. Most will NOT make it out of the shelter if we do not raise funds for them. Every once in awhile, we will release pups whose bills have not been paid but as a general practice we will not do this. Pups must be vetted prior to transport; our vet demands payment in full prior to vetting and we (see below) do not receive enough money from the County to cover the full cost of vetting.Sponsorship allows us to do two things:
1) Sponsorship money allows us to make sure a pup’s outstanding bills are paid
The true cost of saving a pup reflects the full cost of getting a pup to safety from the time he/she enters the shelter until the time he/she is safely with a rescue or in a forever home. This cost includes, but is not limited to, the following: the cost of food on a daily basis for the pup; any and all necessary medications and vaccinations required by a pup during his/her stay at the shelter and to prepare him/her for transport; payroll to pay employees to care for the pups during their stay at the shelter, etc.
The County of Marion provides Paws to the Rescue (PTTR), the 501(c)(3) organization that manages the shelter, $53,000 per year to run the shelter. The shelter took in approximately 3,000 dogs in 2011. That breaks down to $18 per dog – not $18 per dog per day – $18 per dog PERIOD. That was “plenty” of money when the kill rate at the shelter (pre-PTTR) was 95%+ . It is not nearly enough to support the transformation of this shelter into a low- or no-kill facility.
Consider the pup who stays at the shelter for just two weeks prior to rescue or transport. That is two (2) weeks’ worth of food, possible meds, payroll, etc. That amounts to considerably more than $18. Many pups remain at the shelter for longer than that because we are blessed with a director who will bend over backwards and give us extra time to save these beautiful creatures.
We cannot save these pups if we do not have time to find rescues and adopters, and we cannot “buy” time if we do not have the financial resources to keep the pups alive and healthy (mentally and physically) while we arrange rescue, transport and adoption for them.
2) Sponsorship money also allows us to assist rescues with the fees to have pups vetted, transported to them and, in certain cases, with the cost of HW treatment, so that they can find forever homes for these beautiful boys and girls.
Pups in this album are located in the Marion County Animal Shelter in Mullins SC. Some have rescues committed to them but they need sponsorship money to assist with either vetting, transport and/or HW treatment. In other cases, rescues may not require financial assistance but pups have outstanding bills that must be paid. If the outstanding bills of one pup are not paid, other pups suffer because we will not have adequate resources to buy food, purchase meds, hire additional staff, etc.
This shelter is severely overcrowded and is HIGH KILL so we need to raise these funds so that we can get these pups out right away. Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much for your continued support ♥
If you have any questions or require any further information about the Marion County Shelter and specifically regarding issues of sponsorship, please do not hesitate to email me at kucsmak@gmail.com.
With warm regards,
Kristin Kucsma, Treasurer
Paws to the Rescue
A registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
What do you make of these policies?