SAN MARTIN
– They don’t have homes. They don’t have names. In some cases,
they don’t even have a known history.
But for the hundreds of cats and dogs housed at the South County
Animal Shelter, their chance of getting adopted into a loving home
is no pipe dream.
SAN MARTIN – They don’t have homes. They don’t have names. In some cases, they don’t even have a known history.
But for the hundreds of cats and dogs housed at the South County Animal Shelter, their chance of getting adopted into a loving home is no pipe dream.
In its three decades of operation, the tiny San Martin shelter off Murphy Avenue has placed more than 20,000 dogs and nearly 8,000 cats in homes. In fiscal 2002, its 69 percent placement rate for dogs and 56 percent placement rate for cats put it well above the average for animal shelters across the nation.
“We’re double the national average,” said Phil Jewitt, Animal Control program manager. “Our goal is to not put down a dog or cat, and we’re pretty successful at that.”
Several factors – from outside rescue group support to fund-raising efforts to pay for additional veterinary care – make it possible for San Martin to outperform its counterparts across the country. But for Shelter Clerk Sue Padgett, there is one especially key factor.
“It’s because of him. He’s the reason,” Padgett says, referring to Jewitt. “Euthanasia is an issue now, before it wasn’t.”
Euthanasia for seriously ill and certain feral animals is mandated by Santa Clara County, which also requires the shelter to keep the animals it handles for at least four days before putting them to sleep. When Jewitt took over the shelter two years ago, the retired Air Force lieutenant colonel made it a priority to reduce the amount of euthanasia at the San Martin site.
Over the past few years, the San Martin shelter, which handles strays and abandoned animals from unincorporated areas, has seen a steady decline in both dog and cat euthanization. In 1998, 987 dogs were put to sleep, while last fiscal year that number dropped to 365. Similarly for cats, as many as 1,300 were being put down in the mid to late ’90s. Fiscal 2002 saw 573 feline euthanizations.
“We have about 120 cats with us right now, and we can peak to 170. There have been times when we’ve brought in rabbit cages and set them up in our hallway with two to three cats per cage,” Jewitt said.
The shelter, which resembles a small home on a farm but actually sits next to a runway at San Martin Airport, has 24 dog kennels. Typically, two animals share a kennel at a time, depending on how well they get along with each other. A “comfortable population” for dogs at the shelter is between 25 and 30.
“You can’t save every animal you come in contact with, but we believe we can do even better,” Jewitt said.
The plan for improvement involves a nonprofit organization called Friends of San Martin Animal Shelter (FOSMAS), which Jewitt was instrumental in forming and now heads up as president. The nonprofit status of the group allows it to raise money and apply for animal care grants above and beyond what the county can.
FOSMAS is in the midst of a $25,000 fund-raising campaign. The shelter is trying to acquire a climate-controlled animal trailer that could be taken to area shopping malls and other high-traffic areas, allowing passersby to view animals and talk with shelter staff about adoptions.
Efforts thus far have raised $14,000, Jewitt said.
“I talked with PETsMART today, and we’re going to write them a request for a grant,” Jewitt said.
Having an animal trailer would also enable the shelter to provide more educational opportunities for area students. Currently, the shelter brings a few cats and dogs to schools in an Animal Control van, where children are taught how to treat and care for the pets.
“We could go to a lot more schools more easily with the trailer,” Jewitt said. “It would also free up the control vans to do animal control.”
Although Jewitt’s job as animal control program manager requires a caring but practical approach to operations, the jovial and approachable Jewitt is part visionary too.
“I have this idea to put a touch-screen computer in the lobby, so people can search through it and have questions answered or find out more information about what type of dog is best for their home,” Jewitt said. “It would require some fund raising, but the technology I think is there and if you can make it portable, we could take it on board the trailer when we do visits.”
Padgett, who besides working as shelter clerk coordinates volunteers and the shelter’s Web site, says there are many opportunities to receive funding for this and other animal care services.
“The options are out there, we just have to identify which grants to go after and then get in line and beg a little bit,” Padgett quips.
The ultimate fund-raising project for the San Martin shelter has yet to begin. It would involve collecting and putting aside money to eventually relocate the shelter, something that is likely to become a reality now that the county has approved the first segment of the San Martin Airport expansion plan.
An upgraded airport would house more than double the amount of planes it currently holds and would lengthen a runway straight through the shelter’s back door.
“This might be a blessing in disguise. We know we eventually have to move because this building is just old,” Jewitt said. “My hope is to start a fund-raising program for a new shelter. It could be a long-term gift-giving program so when the time comes we’ve built up a nest egg of funds.”
For more information on Friends of San Martin Animal Shelter or adoption procedures, visit www.fosmas.org on the Internet or call (408) 683-4186. South County Animal Shelter is open to the public every day at noon except Tuesday. It is located at 12370 Murphy Ave. in San Martin.
