10 Most Frequently Asked Questions

 

The Redwood Area Animal Shelter is located near the burn pile, if you know where that is. If you don’t, you can get there by going north on Swain past the small park with the volleyball courts and old ice rink and turn left on Walnut. Immediately turn right onto a steep road and follow it all the way to the end. The animal shelter is the very last building. You will pass the golf course and the burn pile. However, the gate to the burn pile road is sometimes locked and the animal shelter building is always locked, so if you are interested in looking at an animal, please call Ken or Christine Harmon (627 - 5835) and arrange for either of them to meet you there.

The Redwood Area Animal Shelter takes in lost, surrendered, and unwanted pets, which include almost every animal imaginable. Dogs and cats, of course, are the most common residents, but occasionally the animal shelter has been home to guinea pigs, chickens, ferrets, hamsters, monkeys, and many other kinds of animals. All the animals in the shelter are taken care of by Ken Harmon and his daughter, Christine. However, volunteers in the community also take the dogs out for walks and exercise. Ken Harmon is also called on for other animal-related issues, including removing bats from homes and other events.

No. Humane societies are run by groups of people, usually volunteers, and the animals are commonly placed in foster homes until a good home can be found. Unfortunately, so far, the animal shelter does not have a fostering program. However, if you are interested in fostering an animal, please talk to Ken Harmon because it is possible to start a fostering system, which will make more space available for incoming animals. The Redwood Area Animal Shelter is run by the City of Redwood Falls, as opposed to strictly volunteers, but gladly accepts donations, especially in the form of dog and cat food, leashes, and cleaning supplies. Once again, contact Ken or Christine Harmon if you would like to donate something.

There are three main reasons why some of the pets at the animal shelter have to be euthanized (killed):

1.) The first reason, which is becoming less and less common due to more people adopting from the shelter, is lack of room at the shelter and lack of people willing to adopt. Although we try our best to find the owners of lost pets with the help of license information, the newspaper, signs at local businesses, and public notices, some pets are never claimed and no one seems interested in adopting them. In rare circumstances, when the cages get full of surrendered or lost pets, there is nowhere to keep the animals, so the ones who have been there the longest are the ones who get euthanized. However, the animal shelter is now working with other area shelters to try to ensure good animals are not needlessly killed. (When food and supplies are donated to the shelter, it is possible for the animals to stay there longer, which means they have an increased chance of being adopted.)

2.) Unfortunately, some animals that are impounded are sick or injured beyond help and are euthanized if no owner claims them.

3.) The final reason why some animals have to be killed is if an animal is considered dangerous. Some present a direct threat to humans or are overly aggressive toward dogs or cats. These animals are unsafe to adopt out and are euthanized.

5. Can’t the animal shelter adopt a "no kill" policy like some humane societies?

It is possible, with the help of people willing to be foster homes, for no adoptable animals to be killed. However, there will always continue to be animals that are too dangerous to adopt out or so sick that no one will be willing to adopt them.

The City does charge a fee for each dog and cat adopted. The money paid for the pet is used to pay for food, cleaning supplies, and some shots.

Every animal that comes in has a different history. Some are spayed or neutered and have all their shots, some have never even been to a veterinarian before, some are puppies or kittens that were born at the animal shelter from a pregnant animal that came into the shelter, some are old and had lived with the same family their whole life, some are house broken and know how to sit on command, others have been neglected by previous owners. As for the animals that are not spayed or neutered and do not have their shots, the animal shelter does give them some of their shots but does not have them spayed or neutered, although it is strongly encouraged that you do so after the adoption. (Remember, if everyone spayed and neutered their pets, we wouldn’t have the overpopulation that we do and absolutely no adoptable pets would ever need to be killed.) However, Redwood Veterinarians on Mill St. provides a free examination of every pet after adoption to ensure they are in good health.

The main reason why millions of pets world-wide are killed every year is because there are so many of them. The supply of cats and dogs outweighs the demand. Spaying or neutering your pet is the humane thing to do. Even if you know someone who wants the puppies or kittens, there are plenty of animal shelters and humane societies for them to visit to find a nice pet that really needs a home. It is a life or death situation for these animals and with each dog or cat you bring into the world, there is one more without a home. If it is not the new puppies or kittens you have, it is the lonely dog or cat at the animal shelter that would have gotten adopted if those puppies or kittens hadn’t been born. If you really love these animals, please… have your pets spayed or neutered.

There are several reasons for making sure your dog is licensed yearly.

1. The community can be sure your dog currently has all its shots, which is important because dogs can share some diseases with humans and other animals.

2. If your dog runs away and is caught, the license gives a number so you can be contacted immediately.

3. If your dog has been hit by a car and found by the side of the road, either dead or injured, you will be called immediately.

4. When your dog has its license on its collar and is caught running away, there is no impound charge for you to pay if it is the dog’s first escape. (The regular fee for impounding a dog is $35.)

There are many ways to help. As mentioned before, the food supply is limited. The Redwood Falls animal shelter gratefully accepts dog, puppy, kitten, and cat food donations. Cat litter, cleaning supplies, leashes, and even items like paper towels are also gladly accepted. If you don’t have any of these items to give, simple money donations are also appreciated, although if you want to know exactly how your gift will help the animals, it is best to donate specific items. The dogs at the shelter are always in need of someone to come down and walk them. They really appreciate the exercise and opportunity to explore. If you would like to help even more, becoming a foster home for a dog or cat would be especially helpful. It would provide pets with a loving home until a permanent home can be found. It also allows more room for incoming pets, thus resulting in fewer animals being killed. And also remember that spaying and neutering your pets makes a huge difference! You will be saving lives!

A non-profit group called Friends of the Animal Shelter has recently been formed to assist the animal shelter. They are in the process of seeking funds to replace the current shelter or, at the very least, dramatically improve it. Visit www.FriendsOfTheAnimalShelter.com to find out more information or send donations to: