Regarding the Animals

How many animals do you handle a year? How many cats/dogs?

2,800 animals. Approximately 62% are cats and 38% are dogs.

How much do you charge to adopt an animal?

View our current adoption fees.

What does your adoption price include?

In general, behavior testing, basic medical exam, vaccinations, sterilization, and microchip identification and ID tags.  The value of an adoption package for cats is approximately $300; for dogs, $400.

Can you tell me about your adoption process?

Every prospective adopter must complete an application (available at the shelter or online), which is fully screened. Click here to go to our adoption portion of the website.

What kinds of dogs / cats do you have available for adoption?

All kinds, including purebred dogs and cats. You can visit the shelter, check out our adoptable animals for photos and descriptions of all our adoptable animals, or attend one of our many off-site adoptions. Call the shelter or check the calendar for dates, locations, and times.

Why should my pet be spayed or neutered?

• Spaying /neutering your pet is good for your pet, you, and the community.
• Spaying and neutering helps dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives.
• Spaying and neutering can eliminate or reduce the incidence of a number of health problems that can be very difficult or expensive to treat.
• Spaying eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the incidence of breast cancer, particularly when your pet is spayed before her first estrous cycle.
• Neutering eliminates testicular cancer and decreases the incidence of prostate disease.
• Spaying and neutering makes pets better, more affectionate companions.

Are you a no-kill shelter?

Our goal is to save 100% of the adoptable animals in the shelter. Although we strive to place every adoptable animal, we cannot guarantee this. We are pleased to report that since 2000 we have not had to euthanize an animal because of cage space. Animals whose temperament is judged to be a safety risk or whose health condition is too serious are humanely and lovingly euthanized.  Continuously increasing successful adoptions and foster care homes will assist with our ability in achieving our goal.

Do you board animals?

No, but you can check online or the yellow pages for a listing of available boarding facilities and pet sitters in the area. You also can call the shelter for this information.

Regarding the Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter

How many employees do the Friends have?

We employ 12 full -time and 10 part- time employees. Our executive director is a licensed veterinary technician with more than 35 years of experience in the animal-sheltering field.

How many volunteers do the Friends have?

We currently have 273 on the volunteer roster.

Do you need more volunteers? What do volunteers do? How do I become a volunteer?

Yes, always. Volunteers can contribute their time in many ways.  This includes working in the shelter with the animals or doing administrative tasks, or outside the shelter by helping with events, working on the newsletter, doing mailings, etc. Even if you can only give an hour or two, you can make a dog happier by giving it a walk or a cat happier by providing needed cuddling. You can fill out a volunteer application at the shelter or by clicking here. We provide an orientation for volunteers including specific information about how to handle the animals.  Those volunteers working in-shelter are assigned a “Buddy” to help them.

What percentage of the Friends expenses go to programs?

The Friends are good stewards of your donation dollars;  81% of our expenses directly support animal programs.

What percentage of the revenue does the City of Dearborn provide?

The subsidy paid to the Friends for the operation of the shelter is negotiated every year as a part of the contract renewal. Currently, this subsidy accounts for about 8% of our revenue.

What are the current problems at the existing shelter facility?

There are numerous compelling reasons to construct a new facility. The more major concerns are that the current facility is:

• 25 years old and in need of major and most probably increasingly expensive repairs
• Insufficient to provide a positive experience for visiting members of the community (unappealing location, crowded conditions, high noise and odor levels, no get-acquainted or counseling areas)
• Very difficult for the staff and volunteers to work in (constrained and difficult work areas and limited storage space)
• Inadequate to provide a healthy environment for the animals (poor air exchange, poor sewage disposal, porous housing materials).

Please refer to this expanded FFDAS Fast Facts 2011