New leash on life
Olive Branch man leading push for no-kill animal shelter
Chuck Reinhorn is on a mission. He wants to stop the euthanizing of healthy, adoptable animals in Olive Branch. The retired dentist and health administration professional said he knows this goal is achievable because it’s already being done in nearby cities like Hernando and West Memphis.
Reinhorn and his wife, Stacey, moved to the Memphis area in 1999 and Olive Branch in 2005. His dedication to saving animals started only a few years ago when he saw a homeless chow roaming his Cherokee Valley neighborhood.
After days of watching its movements scrounging for food, Reinhorn was able to aid the Olive Branch Animal Shelter in trapping the dog. Debbie Holden, former director of the
Olive Branch Animal Shelter was then able to place the dog through a breed-specific rescue group. Holden’s efforts on behalf of the animals in her care had a profound effect on Reinhorn. “It was after that that I knew I could do something to help. I could make a difference,” he said.
After calculating that the Olive Branch Shelter is forced to euthanize more than 50 percent of the animals in its care, Reinhorn began researching no-kill shelters and contacting people in cities with successful animal control plans. He learned the most common misconception is that there are too many animals and not enough homes.
“That’s just not true,” Reinhorn said. “We in Olive Branch take many more animals into our homes every year than are waiting to be adopted from shelters.”
Reinhorn’s plan has two major components. First, declare the shelter “no kill.” Other cities have proved people are more likely to adopt from no-kill shelters.
“People do not like to be around death,” he said. “No-kill shelters have higher adoption rates because they become a place people want to go, to volunteer, to find that new member of their family.”
Second is for the city to offer a low-cost spay/neuter program.
“National statistics show that 69 percent of homes
with unsterilized pets are that way because of the high cost of spaying/neutering. People think that the problem is caused by irresponsible people, but it’s more often people who have fallen upon hard times,” Reinhorn said.
Reinhorn estimates about 600 animals come into the Olive Branch shelter every year. Of that number, about 10 percent are unadoptable because they are too ill or vicious. What shelters in other municipalities have achieved, and Reinhorn wants Olive Branch to strive for, is a 90 percent saved rate.
“If Hernando can do it, we should be able to do it. We are a city of animal lovers. Forty percent of the households in Olive Branch have dogs and 33 percent have cats. We deserve to have a shelter that reflects our values,” he said.
Next month, Reinhorn will travel to the No Kill Conference in to Washington to learn more about successful animal policy. After that, he plans to make a presentation to the Olive Branch Board of Aldermen armed with facts and figures on how to achieve a 90 percent save rate at the Olive Branch shelter in a way that does not increase the shelter’s budget.
Olive Branch Alderman Dale Dickerson said he is interested in hearing Reinhorn’s proposal, es- pecially if it does not add much to the shelter’s budget.
“I’d love to hear the proposal. My wife and I have rescued an animal from the shelter and I’d love to see it change from a kill to a no-kill shelter as long as we can operate within the budget. I’m interested in seeing how he suggests it could be done,” Dickerson said.
For more information or to help Reinhorn, join the Friends of the Olive Branch Animal Shelter group on Facebook.