save city animals

Honorable Mayor Francis Slay
Aldermanic President Lewis Reed
Comptroller Darlene Green
Alderman Gregory Carter
Health Director Pamela Walker
Health Commissioner Melba Moore


560 adoptable pets were euthanized at the St Louis City Gasconade Shelter in 2009.

A Plan to Save City Animals from Euthanasia: With the closure of the Gasconade Shelter, We the undersigned citizens support a bold plan by St Louis Veterinary Center to SAVE city animals from euthanasia. We request that the City of St Louis select St Louis Veterinary Center to provide for the care of St Louis City animals so this plan can be implemented to save adoptable city animals from being euthanized.

St Louis Veterinary Center's Plan: FREE--No Charge-- spay/neuter surgery for the first thousand pets (each year) adopted from the city shelter. This is a ''can't refuse'' financial incentive for Pet Rescue Groups to adopt the city's pets. Pet Rescue Groups have pets adopted by taking them to public places like pet stores and pet adoption events. This is big financial incentive to Pet Rescue Groups (and prospective pet owners) since spay/neuter surgery is the major expense to getting a pet adopted.

Experience: For many years St Louis Veterinary Center has partnered with many Pet Rescue Groups by providing spay/neuter surgery and veterinary care for the pets they are finding homes. In 2009, this resulted in over 1600 pets being adopted.

Why the Humane Society of Missouri and Stray Rescue of St Louis are NOT preferable organizations to save city animals from being euthanized? Examine the following historical data of adoptions at these organizations.

Each of these organizations supplied the following data to the Missouri Dept of Agriculture for 2008. (2009 data is not yet available.)


Humane Society of Missouri: Combined data for three HSM shelters:
(a)animals received 24,297,
(b) animals adopted 7,071,
(c) animals euthanized 11,094.

For the HSM St Louis City Macklind shelter:
(a) animals received 14,895
(b) animals adopted 3,712
(c) animals euthanized 7,799.

For the animals received at the Macklind shelter 29\% were adopted.
For each ONE animal adopted, more than TWO animals were euthanized.
If the City's animals are transferred to HSM, then they are likely to go to the Macklind City Shelter. Humane Society of Missouri reported expenses over $18 million in 2007.

Stray Rescue of St Louis (their two shelters) the 2008 MO Dept Ag. Data:
(a) animals received 227
(b) animals adopted 26
(c) animals euthanized 0

Stray Rescue received about one animal every other day and adopted-out on average ONE animal every other week. Stray Rescue of St Louis reported expenses of $1,099,000 in 2008.

Humane Society and Stray Rescue can select which animals they receive into their shelter, where St Louis City has to accept all animals. Humane Society's history of ratio of pet adoptions and pets euthanized is not favorable for any animals transferred from the city. Stray Rescue is a ''no kill'' shelter with a history of receiving very few animals and making extremely few yearly adoptions. It would seem unrealistic for a ''no kill'' shelter to manage city animals where some animals must be euthanized for public safety.

SAVE CITY ANIMALS FROM BEING KILLED: We respectfully request you give strong consideration to our petition and select St Louis Veterinary Center to care for the City animals because we believe they have the superior plan to save adoptable city animals.

Fewer city animals will be killed with St Louis Veterinary Center's Plan.