ABQ pets benefitting by group effort
City getting national accolades as friendly spot for critters, but volunteers, funds still needed
Cities around the nation are touting their pet-friendly status, and as we enter the 21st Century, our great city is leading the way. The citizens of Albuquerque have long enjoyed the benefits of a city that caters to their outdoor activities with walkways, parks, bikeways and hiking trails. Many of those activities include our best friends, our companion pets. It takes a concerted effort of engaged civic leaders and a community willing to actively participate to create a pet-friendly city. Thankfully, our city has both. Albuquerque consistently ranks very well on several pet friendliness scales:
Barkpost.com’s Fido-Friendly Cities: No. 1
Smartasset.com’s Most Dog-Friendly in America: No. 5
Blogestately.com’s Best US City for Dogs: No. 6
Albuquerque’s entrance into the ranks of our nation’s most pet-friendly cities began with the 2009 change in administration. We have always had a large petoriented population and very stringent pet laws. However, it was only after the change in leadership with Mayor Richard J. Berry that our city was able to effect major changes in how we care for and treat our homeless pet population. Together with a concerned and very petfriendly City Council, the administration has managed to create and maintain an environment where pets are considered a part of our families.
In 2009, the city took in nearly 27,000 homeless pets and was able to get just over 16,000 out alive while only euthanizing 10,000. Our desire to improve has driven the creation of innovative and nationally recognized animal welfare programs. Examples like no-cost spay and neuter for low and moderate income families, Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR), off-site adoptions, partnerships with and transport to other rescues, and a very important foster program have dramatically reduced our shelter’s homeless pet populations and dropped euthanasia to historic lows.
In 2015, the Animal Welfare Department saw a 31 percent drop in homeless pet admissions and an incredible 76 percent drop in euthanasia. That needs repeating, a 76 percent drop in euthanasia! For an open admission shelter, taking in all animals brought in from our area, this is nothing short of amazing.
Outside of the shelter we are seeing an increase in the number of pet-friendly establishments across Albuquerque — Flying Star, O’Neal’s, Petco, PetSmart, Long Leash on Life, Boofy’s Best, etc. — allowing people to share their active lives with their four-pawed family members. Our city has become a shining example of how civic leadership and businesses can work together to create an environment that encourages more pet friendly environments. For example, how often can you take your pooch to a fancy dinner? On Sept. 10 you can do just that at the Mayor and First Lady’s Dog Ball. If you’re up for this much fun, call Desiree Cawley at 764-1164 for details.
Looking to the future, we intend to continue successful programs like TNR and our three-year partnership with ASPCA and Animal Humane of New Mexico. We will also continue to develop new programs like focusing spay and neuter efforts on animals seen most often in our shelters, hospice fostering and streamlining pet licensing. These are all part of making our city even more pet friendly than we already are. Our vision even includes the fall 2016 reconstruction of one of the oldest kennels at our Eastside Complex to provide the best possible care for our pets.
What can you do to help? Adoption is always the best way, but if you are not quite ready for that, we are in desperate need of more foster homes. Providing temporary places for our animals to recover from traumatic events, medical issues or just a quieter place than our shelters can make all the difference in adoptability. Fostering not really in your future? How about donating time as a volunteer or even making monetary donations to Kennel Kompadres (kennelkompadres.org)? Or, your business could donate a door prize or silent auction item to help us raise money at the Dog Ball. If you are willing to help us save lives, please contact 311.