Indiana Shelter Graduates from Rescue Waggin'® Program

On Thursday, January 14 at 9 a.m. at Bloomington Animal Care and Control, the Mayor’s office and the animal shelter will officially announce the agency’s graduation from PetSmart Charities’ Rescue Waggin’® program – a national transport program proudly sponsored by PEDIGREE® Brand that has enabled the animal shelter to save the lives of hundreds of puppies and dogs over the last five years by transporting them to other shelters where there is more adoption space and a guarantee of new homes.

Thanks to great community success, however, the shelter has seen increased adoptions and decreased euthanasia numbers this past year. As a result, “we simply don’t have the overflow of dogs and puppies to put on the Rescue Waggin’ vehicle anymore,” says Laurie Ringquist, executive director for the Bloomington Animal Care and Control. “We are now in a position to manage our community’s pet population without having to transport dogs out of the community.”

To celebrate this momentous graduation day for the agency, the Mayor’s office plans to help load the last group of Bloomington puppies and dogs onto the Rescue Waggin’ vehicle for the final transport to the Wisconsin Humane Society in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Click to Launch a PowerPoint Presentation of Graduation Day

“PetSmart Charities® has been an amazing partner, and I am extremely proud that the hard work of our animal shelter staff and volunteers has yielded such impressive results,” said Mayor Mark Kruzan. “Of course, the challenges of educating the community and enhancing adoptions are never-ending, but our graduation from this program demonstrates that we can continue to make great strides.”

Back in 2002, things weren’t as rosy. The Bloomington Animal Care and Control reported taking in 2,401 dogs and puppies: It adopted out 811 and euthanized 1,044. Struggling to find ways to manage the high intake of dogs and high euthanasia rates, the agency began transferring some of its dogs to another animal shelter in Wisconsin. Thanks to its early participation in this pilot program, the Bloomington Animal Care and Control was selected as one of the original 13 partners when  PetSmart Charities’ launched its Rescue Waggin’ program in 2004.

“The Rescue Waggin’ program was a lifeline for us during a time when everything was overwhelming,” says Ringquist. “Our facility was in desperate need of repairs, staff morale was low, and our euthanasia numbers were high. We could not adopt dogs and puppies out fast enough to keep up with the pets coming into the shelter.”

After only five years in the program, however, the Bloomington Animal Care and Control is now one of the first animal shelters to graduate from the Rescue Waggin’ program.  In 2009, the shelter took in about 2,067 dogs and puppies, but found homes, transferred, placed with breed rescue groups, and returned to owner 1,560 of those dogs. “We only euthanized 368 – most of whom were euthanized for aggression or serious illnesses or injuries,” says Ringquist. “That is more than a 50 percent drop for us.”

“It’s rare to see a shelter find that balance so quickly,” says Susanna Della Maddalena, executive director of PetSmart Charities, Inc. “We expect animal shelters to be in the program at least 10 years before reaching that level of success. But this organization has really taken advantage of everything the Rescue Waggin’ program has had to offer, from the transport program and annual trainings to the grant monies for improving shelter operations and facilities.”    

The Bloomington Animal Care and Control agency applied for and received a grant from PetSmart Charities every year it was in the program, which allowed the agency to upgrade its facility in numerous ways. According to Ringquist, the grant monies were used to purchase software to track its animals, and new equipment, such as power washers, microscopes, and digital cameras; replace aging heating and air-conditioning systems; and resurface cracked and crumbled flooring.

“With each of these steps, animal health improved, adoptions went up, euthanasia went down and the staff became more and more proud of our shelter,” says Ringquist.

Even though the agency is graduating from the Rescue Waggin’® program, “they have a lifetime partnership with us,” says Della Maddalena. “They will always be able eligible to participate in our annual Rescue Waggin’ program training, apply for Rescue Waggin’ program grants, and call on the Rescue Waggin’ vehicle in the event they need helping managing their pet population again.  We are here as a lifeline if they need us, and we are very proud to partner with them.”

Ringquist points out that graduating from this program is only the first rung in the ladder of success. “There are further strides to make and we need our community to continue to support us,” she says. “We will continue to promote our messages: adopt, foster, volunteer, and donate. And more importantly than ever, spay and neuter your pets. That’s the only way we are going to continue making a difference for the pets in Bloomington.”

For information on the City’s participation, call Danny Lopez at 812-349-CITY (office) or 812-391-4708 (cell).

For more information on the Rescue Waggin’ program, call: Laurie Ringquist, executive director for Bloomington Animal Care and Control, 812-876-8074; Cathy Rosenthal, media coordinator for PetSmart Charities Rescue Waggin’ program, 210-497-1291; or Kim Noetzel, manager of communications, PetSmart Charities Inc.,  (623) 587-2872.