Washington, D.C. 

Humane Society inspires stewardship

By Susan C. Kahler
A pit bull awaits pickup. Three kittens have been found at Randolph Circle. A raccoon caught in a trap has bitten someone's finger. A wild bird is injured, and some ducklings are in danger.

These calls reach the switchboard at the D.C. Animal Shelter on New York Avenue N.E. over the course of several minutes one June morning.

It is one of two shelters the Washington Humane Society operates in the District of Columbia; the other is on Georgia Avenue N.W. They are the only two open-access shelters in the district.

"Being open access, we take anything that comes through our doors," said Dr. Brock McGee, medical director of the WHS. "Being in the district, we deal with a lot of pit bulls and huge cat overpopulation. We take in a lot of animals that may not be adoption candidates because of medical or behavioral concerns."

A 2004 graduate of North Carolina State University, Dr. McGee completed a small animal medicine and surgery internship and did emergency work in Annapolis, Md. His part-time position at the WHS grew to full time when the society expanded its medical program. Dr. Dan Teich is the other full-time veterinarian, and other veterinarians work part time at the spay-neuter clinic.

The District of Columbia owns the New York Avenue facility and contracts with WHS to run it. This shelter is devoted to animal control, so all strays in the district come through it. Animal control officers are in the field responding to calls, 24 hours a day.

The Georgia Avenue facility is a private shelter owned by the WHS. Humane law enforcement is conducted at that location. Dr. McGee said, "That program arose through a congressional charter back in the 1800s that provided for the Washington Humane Society to oversee cruelty laws within the district."

One of the WHS's important humane programs is Safe Haven, which provides care for pets whose owners leave an abusive situation. "We appreciate that there is a connection between domestic violence and animal cruelty," Dr. McGee said.

The WHS is in year two of its five-year plan to reach a 100 percent placement rate for adoptable animals—by increasing adoptions, decreasing the number of animals in need, and teaching responsible pet care.

"It's a lofty challenge for us to place every adoptable animal within five years," Dr. McGee admitted, "but certainly, we have come a long way."

AVMA Communications Director J.B. Hancock, a former Washington resident, has been a WHS supporter for about 35 years. She said, "Washington Humane Society has made phenomenal progress in educating every facet of the public, from schoolchildren to the city's philanthropists, on the importance of the work they do. They've made each and every person a partner. As a result, the animals of the District of Columbia have millions of stewards."

To increase adoptability, animals taken into the shelters are given not only medical but also temperament evaluations. The SIT Program—Shelter In-House Training—teaches dogs skills that will help them succeed in their new homes. If the new owners have concerns after adoption, a behaviorist works with them.

Sophie's Fund was created to help with medical costs beyond the usual so that animals can be offered for adoption. Dr. McGee said, "Anything we can't readily address here we outsource to a local veterinarian."

The society's programs to decrease the number of incoming animals include CATNiPP, a trap-neuter-and-return program for feral cats developed with Alley Cat Allies.

Programs have been added to get humane educators into the school system, and volunteers visit homes of prospective adopters to prepare the family for bringing home a new pet.

Without also doing spaying and neutering, Dr. McGee said the society cannot decrease the number of animals coming into its shelters. "We have a postoperative cooperative program with local veterinarians who agree to provide a free examination after spay or neuter surgery and adoption at our shelters. Hopefully that will foster a relationship between veterinarian and client."

This September, the society will open a larger spay-neuter clinic—a regional center modeled after the Humane Alliance in Asheville, N.C. Animals from various shelters will be transported to a central location for spaying or neutering and then returned.

In about five years, the society plans to merge all its programs and buildings into a single new facility of its own, around the corner from the D.C. Animal Shelter.

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