Santa Clara County
– and South Valley in particular – should be proud of the
excellent work manager Phil Jewitt and his dedicated team are doing
at the South County Animal Shelter in San Martin.
Santa Clara County – and South Valley in particular – should be proud of the excellent work manager Phil Jewitt and his dedicated team are doing at the South County Animal Shelter in San Martin.
In the two years since the retired Air Force lieutenant colonel took over operation of the small shelter, the number of euthanized dogs and cats have dramatically declined, and the shelter’s percentage of placed animals – dogs and cats that have found loving adoptive homes – has doubled the national average.
Wow.
If there was ever a government agency that’s doing a great job, that deserves the support of its citizens and their elected officials, it’s the South County Animal Shelter.
In fact, the only thing that we can think to suggest to improve it would be to work out an agreement so that Gilroy and Morgan Hill city residents can take stray animals to the shelter. Currently, it accepts only animals found by residents in the unincorporated parts of the county. But that change will have to be made by our city and county leaders, and we urge them to expeditiously put it in place.
Until then, it’s impressive that even high adoption numbers and wonderfully low euthanasia rates aren’t enough for Jewitt.
“You can’t save every animal you come in contact with, but we believe we can do even better,” Jewitt told The Dispatch recently.
To try to do better, Jewitt is thinking ahead. With the planned expansion of the shelter’s neighbor – South County Airport – Jewitt sees a problem that he’s determined to turn into an opportunity.
He’s planning a capital fund raising campaign with the Friends of San Martin Animal Shelter – a nonprofit agency Jewitt helped to form. The indefatigable Jewitt also serves as FOSMAS’s president. The funds would be used to relocate the shelter, a move which will likely be necessary if the airport expansion plans become reality, because the shelter sits at the end of one of the airport’s runways.
In the meantime, FOSMAS is raising money now to buy a climate-controlled animal trailer to help take its adoption and education programs into the community.
If you’d like more information about adopting an animal from the South County Animal Shelter or about donating to the shelter through FOSMAS, visit www.fosmas.org or call 683-4186. It’s located at 12370 Murphy Ave.
If you adopt one of the homeless, nameless pets from the shelter, it will come with the knowledge that you’ve saved an innocent animal from probable death. If you donate, you can rest assured your dollars will be well spent.
