The Talk About It! campaign continues its no-kill conversation tonight at the Pearl Stable, where one of the nation’s top no-kill experts will speak and answer questions.
The San Antonio Area Foundation’s campaign to make San Antonio a no-kill city has become an integral part of the community’s overall effort to increase the number of pet adoptions and reduce the stray population.
Talk About It! spokesman Gavin Nichols said the numbers prove the efforts are working:
"In fiscal year 2013, the city’s Animal Care Services ended up with a 77 percent live-release rate, compared to two years ago, the end of 2011, when they were at a 31 percent live-release rate," Nichols said. "We’re talking about adoptions, transfers to rescue groups, and returns to owners."
Nichols attributes the increase in adoptions to a couple of things: The city’s block walking and other education efforts and the marketing of pets by animal rescues.
"A lot of people might have had the mindset that you had to purchase a pet from an ad in the paper or some other venue," Nichols said. "The shelters and the rescue groups are doing a much better job of reaching more and more people and helping them realize that there’s a better way to get a pet."
The community conversation tonight starts a 6:30 at the Pearl Stable and is free, but Talk About It! is asking for a head count on its website Talkaboutitsa.org.
Adoption experts from the Helen Woodward Animal Center are scheduled to share their experiences and ideas to help San Antonio step up its no kill level.
