March 23,
2022
| Sarah Heinonen
sheinonen@thereminder.com
Diane Netherton and Mark Netherton pose with Pisces, their Catahoula leopard dog mix.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
WESTERN MASS. – The isolation room at Mutt Rescue is filled with metal crates. With more than a dozen dogs in this one large room, some sound off with short barks while others lay quietly. A woman in an orange vest calls out one of the dog’s names and another person locates the correct crate. Pisces, a brindle-coated, Catahoula leopard dog mix, is clipped to a leash and brought out of the room.
Outside, Diane Netherton and her husband, Mark Netherton, are waiting. The couple said they are finally ready to adopt again after their 13-year-old dog, Bubba, died last year. When Pisces walked out, their faces lit up as they met the newest member of their family.
Mutt Rescue is one of a handful of dog rescues and humane societies in the Pioneer Valley. Owner Lori Jerusik used to run a grooming business, Mutt Cutts, along with the rescue, but she closed the grooming side last year to focus on increasing the number of dogs she could help find homes.
About two dozen dogs, mostly strays, from a handful of animal control centers in Arkansas are driven to Chicopee twice a month. Mutt Rescue takes dogs of all breeds, ages and abilities. In the five years since Jerusik began the rescue, she said, about 2,500 dogs have been adopted.
Jerusik admitted that she often wants to adopt the dogs that come through her care, but noted, “If I took them all, I wouldn’t be able to keep saving.” That is because the $550 adoption fee only covers the transport and veterinary care, there’s no profit from the adoption. “I take the money from one adoption and turn it around to rescue the next dog,” she said.
A large number of puppies were up for adoption on the day Reminder Publishing visited the rescue. Jerusik said that was due to a seizure from an irresponsible breeder. Usually, about half the dogs that she adopts out are adults. “Puppies are a lot of work,” she said, adding that not everyone has time for that.
When the transport arrives, the dogs are scanned for a microchip from a previous owner. Provided there is no chip, the animals immediately go into isolation from any dogs already at the rescue. After the state-mandated 48-hour isolation, it is adoption day. A vet arrives in the morning and checks each of the dogs to make sure they are healthy enough to adopt out. If any are sick, they go into a quarantine room where they are kept separate and can receive veterinary care.
At 1 p.m. the adoption event begins. At the March 7 adoption event, a deposit had already been paid for 18 of the 25 dogs who arrived just a couple days prior. Owners receive a list of their pet’s shots, a rabies tag, health certificate and paperwork from the transportation process. They must fill out a contract in which they agree to humane treatment and proper veterinary care for their new pet.
The person also watches a video that goes over separation anxiety, parasites, crate-training, introduction of the new dog to others in the home, house-training and the amount of time a dog usually takes to become accustomed to a new home.
“It’s about a two-hour adoption process,” said Jerusik. She said she will deny an adoption if she is not comfortable with the potential owners. “It’s all about the dogs,” Jerusik added.
A Different Approach
Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control & Adoption Center, commonly known as TJO, takes a different tact, but with the same goal in mind.
“If somebody is going to come to an animal shelter, we believe they’re coming here for the right reasons,” said interim Executive Director Lori Swanson. “Barriers tend to keep animals in shelters longer. We work with families to find the right pet.”
TJO is the municipal animal control facility for Springfield, but it also contracts with the cities of Holyoke and Chicopee to help handle their animal populations.
“Our main priority is public safety and animal safety,” Swanson said. Most of the animals come into the center through the city’s animal control officers, rather than through surrender. “A number are also injured, abandoned,” she said.
Swanson added, “We’re very lucky to provide extraordinary veterinary care,” through the Foundation for TJO, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that handles the fundraising and advocacy for the animal control center. There is a dedicated veterinary care room on-site. TJO will provide any needed life-saving measures for all animals that are brought in. They will often provide bloodwork and, sometimes, surgery. On the day Reminder Publishing visited TJO, two dogs had undergone leg amputations and were recovering.
Once the animal is safe, the organization begins searching for the owners.
TJO has a higher than nationwide average of owners who reclaim lost dogs – 36 percent compared to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ estimate of 22 percent. Both nationally and at TJO, roughly 3 percent of cats are reclaimed.
On average there are about 75 to 80 animals at TJO, but the number varies by season. In warmer weather, people are outside more with their pets, offering the opportunity for them to become separated from owners.
If owners cannot be found, the pet is evaluated for temperament and health. If an unhealthy dog is not treatable or their condition creates a quality-of-life issue, euthanasia is a last resort, Swanson explained. Swanson said that some animals who come through TJO’s doors have been involved in bites or attacks. Those individuals must undergo a state-mandated period of quarantine to ensure they have not contracted rabies or another disease.
Once health and temperament are established, the pets are put up for adoption. TJO has no limit on how long a pet can be available for adoption.
The animals at TJO are limited to dogs and cats. “You’d be surprised what comes in through animal control – pigs, goats, you name it, Swanson said with a laugh. “Our staff has a pretty amazing skill set to deal with all of them.” TJO has a staff that includes one veterinarian, two veterinary technicians and five animal control officers. There are also four animal welfare specialists in the adoption center.
Shelters are inundated with small animals, such as rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters. They are, “easy to acquire, easy to reproduce,” Swanson said. Typically, TJO will not take wildlife, although Swanson said there are cases when they transport an animal to a wildlife rescue.
TJO works with several volunteers who foster pets until they can be adopted, but Swanson said they are looking for more people to help. “It’s a great way to give back to the community,” she said.
Another way people can help TJO is through donations, both monetary and of pet supplies, toys and beds. “I’m amazed and honored when people call us when they’ve lost a pet and think of us to help other animals through their loss. We thrive on that generosity. We couldn’t do what we do without it.”
While there has not yet been much data on the topic, Swanson said TJO has received a lot of pets that people got during the pandemic. Many puppies were not properly socialized because people were not going out, and now have difficulty in public situations. Swanson said others took on pets while working from home and, once back to working in person, no longer have time for them. Still others have found the pandemic left them struggling financially and they can appropriately care for their pet.
“We’re not here to judge,” Swanson said. She called the emotional decision to give up a pet “unimaginable” and added, “the best thing is to be open and honest,” about an animal’s background, “because we can help animals quicker.”
For those looking for a new best friend, the following is a non-comprehensive list of rescues and humane societies in the area:
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