PUHI — When the Adoptoberfest wraps up Oct. 13, the Kaua‘i Humane Society hopes to have found new homes to many of man’s best friends. But there will likely be some sadness following the event: KHS Executive Director Shannon Blizzard
PUHI — When the Adoptoberfest wraps up Oct. 13, the Kaua‘i Humane Society hopes to have found new homes to many of man’s best friends. But there will likely be some sadness following the event: KHS Executive Director Shannon Blizzard is leaving the island for good on the next day.
“Kaua‘i will be a piece of my heart and a piece of my history, always, but it’s the time in my life, my family’s life, where we need to be closer to our family (on the Mainland) to raise our children,” Blizzard said. “I have no doubt that the board (of directors) and the leadership team are going to continue saving more lives every year.”
Blizzard took over the top position at KHS more than a year ago, and since then has taken charge with increasing adoption rates, by boosting existing programs and creating new ones.
“We’re seeing more and more positive results for animals because we are an accessible organization with a lot more outreach this year,” she said.
During last fiscal year, from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012, there were 718 dog adoptions — about 100 more than the previous fiscal year, according to Blizzard. Prior to her leadership, there was a steady increase of 10 dog adoptions per year, she said.
Blizzard came onboard at KHS in August 2011, following a year-long search for an executive director. Dr. Becky Rhoades had left the nonprofit suddenly in September 2010, after 10 years in the position and under unexplained reasons.
During the year-long gap, board member Orianna Skomoroch filled in as interim executive director.
From the get-go, Blizzard said there were a number of things that needed immediate attention at the nonprofit.
“We needed to update our technology, we needed to take advantage of the tools that were available to be able to operate the business side of things in a more efficient manner,” said Blizzard, adding that she also felt that there was more room for outreach.
As a result, KHS has put its face in the community more often, organizing more community events, which promote more interaction with families and offer more opportunities for potential adoptions, she said.
The volunteer program was updated, becoming more robust and complete.
“We’ve seen much higher levels of retention with the volunteers and high levels of satisfaction from the volunteers,” Blizzard said.
On the technological side, KHS website was set up to become connected to its computer network, allowing a real-time placement on the Internet of animals available.
“The thing that I’m most proud of it is the level of enrichment that the animals receive under our care,” Blizzard said.
“We’ve increased the amount of play yard that we have for the dogs, they are getting out multiple times a day.”
Dogs are very social creatures, and need social interaction not only with other dogs, but with humans as well, she said.
“We’ve really been honoring that this last year,” Blizzard said. “Therefore, that has helped increase our adoptions. … The animals are happier, they’re calmer, they’re healthier because they are receiving the mental enrichment and not just physical.”
Another improvement at KHS in the last year was the low-cost vaccine program. KHS offers vaccination at $25 on the first Saturday of every month.
The fostering ambassador program used to be primarily focused on motherless tiny kittens, which need around-the-clock care. Under Blizzard’s leadership, the program got a substantial revamp. It now allows volunteers to take home a dog, outfitted with an “adopt me” vest.
“This takes the animals out in the community, it increases our capacity to serve more animals, but it doesn’t have an impact on our resources,” Blizzard said.
Last month, there were at least 10 dogs adopted through this fostering, she said. KHS provides the dog food and a crate if required, so there are no expenses to volunteers.
“We just need their homes and their hearts to be open to the idea of helping a homeless pet,” Blizzard said.
KHS also offers a variety of week-long summer camps. When the school is back on, KHS offers camps on most holidays.
No-kill facility
Blizzard said that for KHS to become a no-kill facility, the community has to become no-kill. Spay and neuter efforts have to be strengthened, and it has to be with the cooperation of the community.
KHS spays or neuters about 3,400 animals a year, according to Blizzard. It costs the nonprofit about $217,000 for this, with $65,000 coming from county funding. The county contracts out KHS for a number of services, and provides about $660,000 annually for such services. The nonprofit’s annual budget is $2.5 million, almost four times the amount of county funding.
During last fiscal year, KHS took in about 3,400 cats. Blizzard said 461 were adopted, and 169 were returned to their owners. The remaining cats were euthanized.
Dogs have a better chance. About one third of dogs are adopted, one third are reunited with their owners and one third are euthanized. Given that 718 dogs were adopted last year, about the same amount were put down.
KHS used to euthanize chickens for free, but now charges $10 per bird. Blizzard said the reason is that the shelter is not about pest control or extermination. KHS’ mission is to save lives, and its focus is on cats and dogs.
Adoptoberfest
Adoptoberfest will be held at the Puhi facility on Oct. 13, beginning at 10 a.m. with a variety of canine contests. All are invited — including dogs — to the free event. The focus is on adoptions, but there will be community vendors, a KHS alumni parade, a dating game and more. KONG Radio, 93.5 FM, will broadcast the event live, with Ron Wiley as the emcee.
On Oct. 14, Blizzard, along with her husband and their two young children, will be waving goodbye to the island that was their home for the past year.
“I’m so proud of the work we’ve done this year, I’m so proud of my team, and I’m so grateful to the board (of directors) for this amazing opportunity,” said Blizzard, adding that KHS staff, committed to save lives every day, will continue the momentum during the transition to a new executive director.
For more information on Adoptoberfest, to donate or to save a life visit www.kauaihumane.org.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@ thegardenisland.com.
