Did you know that only one in ten dogs and one in twelve cats born in the US ever find a permanent home? Did you know that 800 cats and dogs are euthanized every hour because there are not enough homes? The average life span of a cat is 13 years. The average time a person keeps a cat is 3 years. We are telling you this so you understand what an uphill battle every one in animal rescue faces every day.

     Stephanie’s Animal Shelter and Rescue, Inc. must stop accepting cats and kittens until further notice. Acceptance of dogs will be on a case by case basis. "I still have four puppies available for adoption and haven’t had a single call to adopt anything," said Stephanie. Her family simply cannot afford to keep spending their own money to support other peoples discarded pets. The financial burden has made it difficult for them to meet their basic living expenses.

     Rescuing an animal does not end when you drop it off at an animal shelter. Someone has to care for that animal. This means food, medicines, anti-flea treatment, vaccinations and spay/neuter. With the rising veterinary fees, this can cost up to a few hundred dollars per animal. Spay/neuter is our biggest weapon against cat and dog overpopulation. It is also one of the biggest expenses.

     We as a community cannot continue to expect animal control and animal rescue to bear the burden of over population. We need community support for a program to fund low cost spay/ neuter for those animals that do not qualify for the current state programs. Until then, we will have to concentrate on the animals already in our care and try to find them homes.

     Meanwhile, we are looking for individuals who would like to join as members and become registered animal foster homes for dogs, cats, or other animals. Anyone interested should contact Stephanie @ 585-493-2309.

Chris Myers

Secretary

SASAR, Inc.