Adoption in Manhattan 

 

 

 

“Transitional” is perhaps the one word that best encapsulates the tone of Manhattan, Kansas. Whether it refers to the change local high school and college students make as they move on to the next phase in their lives, or the constant fluctuation of military personnel in and out of the Fort Riley area, it cannot be denied transition is a key component in the Manhattan community. Along with those life transitions come various consequences, namely, what is to be done about members often overlooked in the household – the pets. According to Angela Smith at T. Russell Reitz Animal Shelter, abandonment of pets by college students is the biggest contributor to the number of surrendered pets held at the shelter each year.

 

“The main surrenders of pets to the shelter are students who are graduating and can’t take their pets with them when they move away, or they have to surrender their pets because they’re in violation of apartment complex animal policy, their significant other is allergic or doesn’t like animals, etc.,” Angela Smith said.

 

“Students rush to get pets, yet when the responsibility of owning a pet comes into play, many can’t handle it.” Fortunately for the city of Manhattan, T. Russell has expanded its facilities to better accommodate the volume and variety of pets in the years since its opening in 1988, thanks in part, to generous donors in the community. The facility now features a cat sanctuary, quarantine areas for sick animals and even a sort of drop off box for people who surrender their pets after normal office hours or want to surrender anonymously

 

 “You wouldn’t believe how many times we’ve come to work to find animals leashed up to the front door of the facility where they’ve been left overnight, in the cold,” Smith said. “The drop box is one way we’ve tried to reduce the number of pets surrendered in manners unsafe for the animals.” The drop box is a mechanism that allows a pet owner to open an exterior door and place the animal inside a medium-sized, crate-like space. Smith said that the workers are often surprised to see people drop off pets in the box during office hours, so they don’t have to go through the process signing the animal into the shelter. Prior to the drop box installation, Smith said people have been known to throw animals from their vehicles as they drive by the shelter, throw them over the fence or otherwise relinquish their pets in a way that is potentially harmful. While the shelter still has occasional occurrences of these acts, the box has helped to reduce those instances.

 

Working in conjunction with the Riley County Human Society, T. Russell has maintained an 87 percent adoption rate, according to Willie Devila, director of the shelter, said. “The other 13 percent is made up of animals who are dead on arrival, on their way out, or those who are a nuisance to society,” Devila said.

 

Despite their success, both RCHS and T. Russell face on-going challenges such as funding and maintaining volunteers. Along with the high turnover rate of animals is the turnover rate for volunteers. RCHS, which is a nonprofit organization with all monetary proceeds going back to the animals, is completely dependent on volunteers, donations and grants to stay operational. Lisa Pohlman, veterinarian, clinical pathologist at K-State and president of RCHS, said they are always in need of volunteers. “We have students who volunteer who eventually graduate, leaving a void that needs to be filled,” Pohlman said. “It can be very difficult because all of our 18 members on our board have day jobs outside of the humane society. We currently have 60 foster volunteers in the area, many of which are students.

 

So we lose a lot of fosters when they leave.” Pohlman said they try to compensate in times of need by reaching out to surrounding shelters. “We network with rescues outside of the area. If we think we can’t take them in – but we think they have a good chance – we might contact another rescue in Kansas or out of state,” she said.

 

Though the humane society uses social media to spread the word about their organization and announce events, Pohlman said having a physical facility would help them reduce costs and extend their exposure. “If we had our own facility, we would spend less. We spend about $100,000 in veterinary care every year,” she said. “It would be great if we had our own facility and a vet clinic. We’d save a lot of money.” Despite the challenges, the humane society continues to man booths at various community events and pursue other means of helping animals in the area. “We’re currently trying to organize a low-cost micro-chip clinic for May 31,” Pohlman said. “A tractor supply company is having a pet appreciation day and has asked us to be part of it.”