Portland Area Animal Shelters Nationally Recognized with $1,000,000 Award for Lifesaving Success

Portland, May 21st, 2013. Six Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA animal shelters of the Animal Shelter Alliance of Portland (ASAP) are recipients of the Maddie’s Fund® Community Lifesaving Award totaling $1,000,000. This prestigious award is only given to communities that have saved all healthy shelter dogs and cats for multiple years and can demonstrate the ability to sustain this “adoption guarantee” for healthy pets in the future. The community further needs to exemplify strength in collaboration and strategic initiatives that could serve as a model in other communities across the US.

Richard Avanzino, President of Maddie’s Fund, presented the award check  at the Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal Shelter (Washington County Animal Services) at 1901 SE 24th Ave, Hillsboro, OR.

“The award funds are being allocated to the six shelters based on adoption and transfer numbers while some monies will be pooled for future collaborative projects to further benefit shelter animals”, says Britta Bavaresco, Co-Founder of ASAP. “This generous funding is a huge boost for the community and helps our shelters meet the on-going needs of our homeless pets while saving even more lives by focusing on medical transfers and treatments, behavior training, adoption promotions and special efforts for hard-to-place pets.”

“We are thrilled to be recognized for our life-saving efforts by Maddie’s Fund. Establishing a safety net for our community’s homeless cats and dogs has been a priority for all of us.” says Mike Oswald, Director of Multnomah County Animal Services. “ASAP’s life-saving commitment ranges from Troutdale to Battle Ground, from Cornelius to Damascus which is changing the whole region, not just the city of Portland. This grant helps animals throughout the whole metro area. ”

The Portland Metropolitan Area has reduced euthanasia in local shelters by a dramatic 65% percent from 2006 to 2012 thanks to the efforts of ASAP. With over 33,700 cats and dogs entering the six shelters last year, the community’s live release rate was an astounding 85%, compared to the national average rate of around 50%. Nine out of ten dogs, and eight out of ten cats, left animal shelters alive. No healthy, social cat or dog has been euthanized since 2010. For metro areas with a human population of over two million people, this puts Portland in the top three safest communities for homeless animals, joining New York City and the Denver Metropolitan Area (source: Maddie’s Fund National Community Statistics Database).

Since its founding in 2006, ASAP has worked diligently to end the euthanasia of healthy, social, and treatable dogs and cats in our local shelters. Starting with a live release or save rate of 62% in 2006, ASAP has implemented several programs that decreased shelter intake and increased the transfers of animals between shelters. Its successful “Spay & Save” program has altered over 30,000 cats owned by people needing financial assistance, resulting in a 25% decrease in shelter intake of cats within just two years.

“As a coalition, we have worked very hard to save all healthy cats and dogs and the majority of the pets that come into our care who need treatment before adoption,” says Sharon Harmon, Executive Director of the Oregon Humane Society. “But there is still more to do. We want to save all of the animals that need some extra help and that we know would make wonderful pets in an adoptive home. The Maddie’s Fund grant will help us get on our way but it is our hope that this award will inspire even more animal lovers to take action. These generous funds, coupled with further involvement by our community could be a springboard to the next level of animal sheltering in Portland.”

ASAP encourages all Portlanders to make 2013 the year they get involved with their local animal shelter, helping Portland become a community where every shelter pet finds a home. To get involved today, please contact ASAP at www.asapmetro.org<http://asapmetro.org/> or your local animal shelter and become an adopter, volunteer, foster parent or donor.

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About ASAP: The Animal Shelter Alliance of Portland’s mission is to end the euthanasia of healthy, social, and treatable dogs and cats in our local shelters by collaborating on spay/neuter programs, committing to educational and outreach efforts and promoting humane alternatives for feral cats. Founded in 2006, ASAP is a working coalition composed of the following Portland/Vancouver-area animal shelters and organizations: the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs; Cat Adoption Team; Clackamas County Dog Services; Feral Cat Coalition; Humane Society for SW Washington; Multnomah County Animal Services; Oregon Humane Society; Portland Veterinary Medical Association; SW Washington Veterinary Association; and Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal Shelter/Washington County Animal Services. For further information, please visit www.asapmetro.org<http://asapmetro.org/>

*About Maddie’s Fund: Maddie’s Fund (www.maddiesfund.org<http://www.maddiesfund.org/>) is a family foundation endowed by the founder of Workday® and PeopleSoft, Dave Duffield and his wife, Cheryl. Maddie’s Fund is helping to achieve and sustain a no-kill nation by providing solutions to the most challenging issues facing the animal welfare community through Maddie’s® Grant Giving and Maddie’s Institute. Maddie’s Fund is named after the family’s beloved Miniature Schnauzer who passed away in 1997.