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Old Posted Jan 7, 2008, 7:45 AM
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sirkingwilliam sirkingwilliam is online now
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[SA] New Animal Shelter Set to Open Today



Quote:
New shelter set to open for business

Web Posted: 01/06/2008 10:39 PM CST

James K. Sanborn
Express-News

Animal Care Services' new $12.1 million facility is to open its doors this morning after a speedy weekend move from its old location in Brackenridge Park.

After decades in a cramped, under equipped building and after being revealed three years ago as the deadliest large pound in the country, ACS transferred its services to the West Side. The new 15-acre facility on Texas 151 will offer free sterilization clinics and classes on caring for animals.

ACS, a city-funded organization charged with caring for San Antonio's abandoned, surrendered and abused animals, is one of three large shelters in the city, and it cares for hundreds of animals at any given time.

In 2004, the shelter killed nearly 50,000 cats and dogs, according to a San Antonio Express-News series, which incited the ire of animal lovers, who called for a change.

"Under my guidance we have changed course. Since I've been here, we are now all on the same page," said Director Jef Hale of his hopes to begin a new era for the shelter.

More coverage
Express-News video: From pound to palace

After years of adhering to narrowly tailored duties that included picking up stray animals and then sheltering, euthanizing or putting them up for adoption, ACS officials said they plan to do more at the new location.

The new facility will drastically expand ACS' capabilities, allowing it to treat San Antonio's root animal control problem — a lack of resources and education in the community — rather than just its symptoms, Hale said. And, he said, it will help officials focus on reaching a goal of having a no-kill shelter by 2012.

"For a long time, the attitude was just picking up dogs without looking at the root problem. It was that way for 30 years," said Hale, who became head of ACS in 2006.

One highlight of the new complex is its livestock facility, officials said.

In the past, livestock care was often outsourced because of space constraints, costing the city roughly $600 to $700 each time an animal had to be treated, Hale said.

But the new complex allows ACS to treat livestock in-house, cutting costs for their care to about $100, he said.

For those who work at ACS, perhaps the most notable change will be the benefits of more space. Melissa Draper-Trippel, ACS' chief veterinarian, said she was excited about having an up-to-date surgical suite where she can perform up to 50 sterilizations and other minor surgeries every day.

"The entire old building was the size of my new surgery room," Draper-Trippel said. "Before, I didn't even have room to house all the animals."

In the past, many of the animals were euthanized not because they couldn't be saved but because ACS lacked resources to care for them during recovery.

"Many of the dogs that were euthanized were friendly, good animals," Draper-Trippel said.

The new facility will include free Saturday sterilization services, officials said. And ACS plans to stress community education and outreach to prevent animal abuse and reduce the number of stray and abandoned animals, they said.

"We were not able to actively participate in our goal of making San Antonio a no-kill city by 2012 because we were limited by our facilities," Hale said.

Hale, who has worked in the animal care and management field for about 20 years, said he has taken the best ideas from each place he has worked and fused them with San Antonio's needs.

It took about two hours Saturday morning to move 60 animals with a four-truck convoy from the old facility to the new one.

Animals designated as strays will remain at the old pound until ACS deems that nobody is looking for them. Those not claimed after three days from the time of their entry into the shelter will be transferred to the new pound.

Ed Garza, ACS adoption supervisor, said the organization wants to ensure that lost animals are not put up for adoption until their owners have had adequate time to reclaim them.

Plans for ACS' old building are uncertain, but Hale said it could be bulldozed to make way for additional zoo parking.

Stressing the urgency of working toward becoming a no-kill city, Hale said he hopes the new shelter will close a grim chapter in the shelter's history.

"We are dealing with living, breathing creatures," he said.
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