SEBASTIAN — Sebastian’s no-kill animal shelter might have to be more selective in choosing which animals to take and which ones won’t get a second chance at a forever home after the veterinary clinic it uses notified them that the rules have changed.
Jacque Petrone, of HALO Rescue, is assessing her no-kill shelter’s operating plan after learning that Florida Veterinary League has increased its fees and will now require the shelters it works with to keep their accounts current.
HALO has until June to come up with $14,000 already accrued on their account or else face the possibility that they won’t be able to bring in any more homeless pets.
HALO formed in 2006 and is going on its seventh year.
“It has been a difficult decision that we have avoided implementing for as long as possible,” reads the letter from the Florida Veterinary League to HALO and other shelters, “but with the ever-increasing costs of running our facility, we have no option but to increase our rescue pricing.”
The letter goes on to explain that all accounts must be brought up to date and no longer will shelters be able to let their bills accrue over time.
It’s a decision Petrone said she can understand, though it could mean she’ll have to start deciding what animals come through her doors and what animals will face their chances elsewhere.
“They have their own business to run,” she said, explaining that the veterinary clinic is not obligated to run a line of credit for the shelter.
Petrone said she’s not angry or upset with the clinic and is thankful the clinic has been so ready to help the shelter.
“HALO would not have survived if not for them,” Petrone said.
HALO holds its major fundraisers in the fall, generating enough revenue to pay off its vet bills before the end of the year. With less than two months to raise $14,000 and season quickly coming to an end, Petrone’s not sure what the shelter is going to do.
“We need a miracle,” she said, explaining that cutting off intakes at HALO would be the worst thing to do.
“It’s just hard as a no-kill” shelter, she said. “We don’t know what the bills will be when we take in an animal.”
HALO prides itself as being the place to surrender pets that would otherwise be abandoned or taken to a shelter that controls population via euthanization.
Those most vulnerable include senior cats and dogs, which tend to run up high medical bills – so high that their humans often opt to put them down rather than shell out thousands to treat their medical conditions.
HALO has a large percentage of senior pets in its care, though they are not cost effective. A senior cat in relatively good health can cost the shelter $1,000 in tests and care.
That same cat then could be adopted for $85 – if someone cared enough to take home a senior rather than a kitten or young cat.
“It is so hard to say we don’t have space or don’t have the finances,” Petrone said.
It is those kinds of considerations that could have kept HALO from taking in two pit bulls on different occasions.
Both pit bulls were aggressive toward other animals – making them all but impossible to re-home. Until one finally won over the other and they became inseparable.
It’s the story of Lil Trouble and Majorette – both of whom had called HALO home for so long. Less than a month ago, a couple with a farm in Fellsmere came in and adopted Majorette, knowing she wasn’t compatible with other pets.
When Petrone found out, she called the family and asked if they would take Lil Trouble, too. They agreed.
“It’s affirmation,” Petrone said of taking in the animals no one else wants or the ones that would have been put down because someone says they’re not adoptable. “You will find the right home for that animal.”
But under these new rules from the veterinary clinic, Petrone said she doubts the organization would have taken in Majorette.
“She cost a ton of money,” she said of the dog who had horrible mange and a host of other medical ailments.
Petrone is looking at the new rules as an opportunity for her to fine-tune the non-profit organization, finding ways to make it stronger – not just financially but also in terms of its board.
“This has been such my baby,” Petrone said, adding that she needs to let others step up and help run the shelter, encouraging membership and coming up with fund-raisers.
Already, they are working on developing a membership program that involves regular mailers – a way to stay relevant and on people’s minds as they consider charitable donations.
Petrone admits she’d rather take care of the animals than deal with the business side of the shelter, but “I’ll be damned if I lose this place.”
Anyone interested in making a donation to HALO to help cover the $14,000 medical bill at Florida Veterinary League can do so online at www.HALORescueFL.org/donations or send checks to HALO Rescue, 710 Jackson St., Sebastian FL32958.
Donations made directly to HALO are tax deductible.
