Veterinarian offers advice for those looking to adopt a pet

Adopting a shelter pet can be challenging. But with a little preparation and being aware of what you are getting can also mean great rewards.

“Not every animal is just vaccines,” said Sheena Sorenson, DVM, of Sagehills Veterinary Services. “Strays and abandoned pets usually have medical conditions.”

Sorenson works closely with Adams County Pet Rescue to ensure the animals are healthy before they are sent out for adoption. She said there are currently a couple of dogs with very bad teeth at the shelter.

She likes working with ACPR because she said the shelter is as close to a “no-kill” facility as you can get. That means, she said, the animals are never euthanized for space or convenience.

The shelter also has good connections that allow them to branch out and use other resources.

Sorenson said one of the issues they often find in cats is stress, especially with those that have been there for some time.

That is also a reason why the shelter encourages area residents to volunteer at the shelter. The animals get used to the staff and will begin to fear strangers, so the more they are socialized, the better.

But sometimes, there are animals that stay for quite some time.

“We had one dog that was there for two and a half years and no one would take him,” Sorenson said. “One day, someone came and fell in love with him.”

When new animals are first brought to the shelter, they are thoroughly checked for any medical conditions. For example, parvovirus is often seen in litters brought in and it is highly contagious and can be deadly.

“We keep them quarantined so we can treat each one to keep it from spreading,” Sorenson said. “The shelter is good about identifying issues and catching them early.”

Sorenson became involved with ACPR because she loves working with the community and saw the shelter as a place where she could help the most. She began with fostering small dogs and now offers a lot of her time for all the shelter pets.

Now, she sees something from the shelter every day. She takes care of the spaying and neutering of puppies and kittens. Older dogs are sent to Washington State University for that.

She also enjoys spreading the word about the shelter.

“Outreach is critical,” she said. “It even helps make the community’s pets healthier to make sure the shelter animals are taken care of.”

And preventive medicine is, of course, more affordable than treatment in the long run.

“Proper vaccines will extend the life of a pet, along with a healthy diet and keeping a proper weight,” Sorenson said. “The hard reality is, pets are a luxury.”

That’s where programs can help. For instance, the shelter offers a “spay the mom” program. ACPR will pay to have a female dog spayed if the puppies are surrendered to the shelter.

Another program is the “cat fixes” Sorenson does with ACPR every four months. The next one will be May 30. Contact the shelter for more information on that.

In the meantime, there are a variety of ways anyone can help out.

“Kitten season is coming up,” Sorenson said. “The shelter will need formula donations for that.”

Other ways to help include interacting with the dogs, fostering babies and donations of blankets, old towels and baby onesies, which are used to make jackets for small dogs.

And who knows? Volunteering could mean meeting an animal you might want to take home yourself.

“People need to be aware that when they adopt a pet from a shelter, it can be a lot of work,” Sorenson said. “But the animals truly appreciate their new families.”

Adams County Pet Rescue is located at 1961 Bench Road east of the fairgrounds. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The facility is closed Mondays and Thursdays for cleaning.

To contact ACPR, call (509) 488-5514 or email adopt@AdamsCountyPetRescue. Be sure to visit the website at www.adamscountypetrescue.com and like their Facebook page.