Three barks for the San Martin Animal Shelter

The County of Santa Clara Animal Care & Control Division announced some tail-wagging news today. 

In 2011, 100 percent of the healthy animals entering the county shelter at 12370 Murphy Ave. in San Martin were placed in homes, according to a county press release. 

The overall adoption and reclaim rate for 2011 was 80 percent, a “remarkable accomplishment considering that the national average is just 50 percent,” according to the press release.

“An 80 percent live release rate shows a level of progress that very few municipal agencies have achieved – the people of Santa Clara County should be proud of this accomplishment,” said Rich Avanzino, President of Maddie’s Fund, a pet rescue foundation established in 1999 that aims to create a no-kill nation. “Maddie’s Fund salutes our animal welfare neighbors who have worked collaboratively to achieve this benchmark of lifesaving success.”

The San Martin shelter, which takes in about 3,000 animals per year, is an open-door shelter – meaning it accepts all stray animals from its jurisdiction (the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County). Located in a rural area, the shelter also faces special challenges such as large numbers of feral cats on farm properties and abandoned horses.

“The Animal Care and Control staff does an excellent job,” said Supervisor Mike Wasserman, Chair of the Board of Supervisors’ Housing Land Use Environment and Transportation Committee. “I am pleased that they are working with community partners to ensure that every adoptable animal is placed in a loving home.”

The shelter credits its success to several life-saving programs that commenced in the last few years, including the WeCARE Coalition – a partnership of six shelters in Santa Clara County working together with the common goals of increasing pet adoptions/reclaims and decreasing euthanasia. In December 2011, the coalition held a joint adoption event called “Home for the Holidays” with a goal of placing 1,000 animals county-wide by New Year’s Eve. That goal was exceeded, with 1,128 animals being placed overall; 171 of whom came from the shelter in San Martin.

Another life-saving program is the Barn Cat Spay/Neuter Outreach, which helped the San Martin shelter see a 15 percent reduction in cat intake, followed by an “amazing” 65 percent reduction in cat euthanasia, according to the press release.

Details: The County of Santa Clara Animal Shelter is located at 12370 Murphy Ave. in San Martin near US Highway 101 at San Martin Avenue. The shelter is open seven days a week, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday through Friday, and from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The shelter is closed on major holidays. To learn more about the shelter, view adoptable pets or make a donation, click here or call (408) 686-3900.

Click here to view the shelter’s list of adoptable pets.