[PacificFlights]

In reading the post what to do with a found dog, and other post, I see that people use and have different types of animal services groups, agencies and organizations that don;t always do what groups in other areas do. Some groups across the country may share the same name but are different as night and day. So just curious as to how your animal services are set up. (you don;t have to reveal where you are)

I'll start.

Animal Control is a governement agency funded by taxpayer money. Its role is to care and house stray and unwanted pets. They assit law enfocement on animal issues. They offer low cost spay/nueter. They issue pet licenses. They do microchipping. They are also the agency responsible for handleing injured animals in public. They are grossly underfunded, understaffed and over crowded. They operate the central animal registry for lost and founds. A/C also is the law enefocement holding center for animals seized, confiscated or being held for law enforcement purposes. They do have to euthanize based on conditions as outlined in law.

Humane Society is a private non profit that operates a adoption center for unwanted animals. They take in owner surrendered animals and from other groups. They work with AC to obtain adoptable animals to free space in the shelter. They have the right to reject animals. They provide education program to public and hold fundraisers. They do spay/nueter, microchipping and have a low cost vet service. They try not to euthanize, but space sometimes have forced them to do so. they are a authorized location for lost and found where people can register the lost or found animal and have access to A/C records and database.

SPCA is a non-profit group that does not house any animals and are mainly a advocacy group that obtains private funding and grants to be distributed to all organizatiosn with a need. they operate their co-op buyer program for any group so small rescues can get needed supplies at reduced rates. They deal a lot with law enfocement on cruelty and abuse cases and issues since they have law enfocement powers. they coordinate educational programs. Basically their mission is to serve animals as a whole and animal service groups. They are now also the caretakers of an abandon pet cemetary.

Rescues (registered) are private non-profit groups that are licensed and charterd as rescue group. They may be breed or species specific. They do not have the authority to take in any stray animal as they are not connected to the central system. They do take in owneed animals. They do work with the Humane society and A/c to get anaimals the deal with out of the shelter syetem. Almsot all are no-kill and often are heavly volunteer based. They are inspected by the state and A/C, and they have a set of regulations and laws for the care of animals just like the Humane society.

Rescues (unregistered) are groups of people who basically try and save animals they care about but are not licnesed or chartered as a service group. Many are all volunteer. Unfortunetely, many have been cited for inhumane and abusive practices because they just can't say no so they end up in hoarding situations. Many are startup and really are trying to do the right thing and with help from the SPCA, they have obtained funding grants to get themself legitimate.

Sheriff Dept, operates the cruelty. neglect and abuse operations. they are the primarly law enfocement agency for animal issues. They work with everyone to add a police power preswnce to what they are doing. They are no-nonsese and will go after abuse no matter how small it appears. They have a excellent track record. They do not deal with animal complaints unless a criminal element is involved although they are happy to investigate suspicions and concerns as that generally nips problems in the bud.

Reginal Wildlife Protection Commission is a quasi pubic private commissioned group that overseas issues related to domestic animal and wildlife. They are compossed of private appointed citizens, agency heads, and appointed individuals from animal concen groups. They currently oversee the protection of wildlife in the preserve and have the authority to set guidelines for the handling of invasive species. They are the group that has the authority to authorize the hunting and trapping of domestic animals to protect wildlife.

[subject2change]

I believe Humane Society and SPCA aren't as strictly defined as you are saying, as individual shelters operating under that name are not affiliated with each other, with the Humane Society of the United States, or the ASPCA.
Anyway, I've been volunteering with a shelter named the humane society for about 3 years. We are an open door shelter. This means that no animal brought to our door is ever turned away. We are, then, of necessity, not a no-kill shelter. However we do not euthanize animals on a time limit, and do everything possible to euthanize as few animals as possible.
We operate a low-cost spay and neuter clinic. We have humane investigators who rescue abused dogs, puppy mill dogs, etc. We have monthly food giveaways for low income people, regular low cost vaccination clinics, even low cost grooming days. We offer behavioral support for new adopters. We have an extensive foster network to enable us to care for as many animals as we can. We periodically run "specials" to try to encourage people to adopt (Currently, adoption fees on our adult cats are waived until the end of the month, and on Black Friday all dogs will have their adoption fee cut in half. Dogs 6 or older are always available to seniors 60 or over for $15.) This despite the fact that our usual adoption fee covers less than half of the usual cost of caring for an animal until it is adopted. All our animals are spayed/neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, heartworm tested and started on prevention (or treated if possible). We do adoption events just about every weekend, regularly at a couple of places, and then at as many other places as we can to get our animals before the public as much as possible.
We run 2 resale shops, and do numerous fundraising events as we get no funding from any public or private agency.
No, we can not save every animal, but we do everything humanly possible to save as many as we can. We had about the same number of adoptions last year as a larger nearby shelter with 10 times our budget.
You often hear people talk about no-kill shelters as if they were the only ones that should be supported. I'm very proud of our shelter and what we do for the people and animals in our community. I hope more people come to understand how much we are all doing for the animals in our own way.
I hope the day comes when there are so few unwanted animals that no animal needs to lose its life for lack of a home, but that day depends on people to spay and neuter, and not to take bringing an animal into their home lightly. In the meantime, my open door shelter is giving many animals a chance at a new life they wouldn't have had otherwise.
Thanks for asking, PF!

[PacificFlights]

Originally Posted by subject2change

I believe Humane Society and SPCA aren't as strictly defined as you are saying, as individual shelters operating under that name are not affiliated with each other, with the Humane Society of the United States, or the ASPCA.

Yes indeed, and thats why I'm asking. Those are the descriptions of how these groups operate where I live. But where I work, the local SPCA is the contracted A/C because they have no A/C. Thinking about it, the next county over the local Humane society is similar to our local SPCA and their A/C also is the law enfocement agency for animal crimes.

I looked back on several other topics and I saw several times when person A asked what to do in a situation and person B tells them to call A/C and person C tells them to call the humane society because thats the role those agnecies play where B & C live; which may not be how it works where person A lives. Thats why i often start by telling people to first find out who has what jurusdiction where they live on the problem since roles of these group are not always the same even if they carry similar names.

[subject2change]

It's true, when people in different areas are talking, they are sometimes talking apples and oranges.
I wanted to explain what my open door shelter does, because you will very often see people saying "take it to a no kill shelter". Well, it is very difficult to get an animal to a no-kill shelter as they very often don't have space, and many of them only want the "cream of the crop" animals. There is a lot of divisiveness in the animal welfare community these days between no-kill and other shelters. A nationwide protest against what they refer to as "kill" shelters took place last week. Now, some shelters, particularly some city-run shelters are hellholes, and I think these were the ones they selected to protest. I was troubled by the way they worded their call to protest though, as they made a blanket request for people to protest shelters that were not no-kill, painting all with the same brush. The no-kill shelters have a noble mission, but they are not truly able to help all the animals. I want people to know there are other alternatives for animals in need, and that many open door shelters deserve people's support and respect.