| Washoe County occupies the northwest corner of Nevada and contains the cities of Reno and Sparks, along with smaller towns in the surrounding valleys. Washoe County has roughly twice the population and three-quarters the per-capita income of Arlington County.
In conjunction with Washoe County Animal Control, the Nevada Humane Society operates the Washoe County Regional Animal Services Center, which houses the animal shelter and provides spay/neuter and community-education services. Like AWLA, NHS is a private non-profit organization. Let’s compare animal outcomes for AWLA and NHS. AWLA numbers are for FY2009 (ending 6/30/09) and the NHS numbers are for CY2008. | ||||
| Dogs | Cats | Total | ||
| Total Intake | ||||
| AWLA | 755 | 1,262 | 2,017 | |
| NHS | 3,733 | 4,840 | 8,573 | |
| Adoptions | ||||
| AWLA | 315 | 765 | 1,080 | |
| NHS | 3,185 | 4,351 | 7,536 | |
| Transfer to Rescue Orgs | ||||
| AWLA | 15 | 3 | 18 | |
| NHS | 258 | 179 | 437 | |
| Euthanized | ||||
| AWLA | 141 | 356 | 497 | |
| NHS | 190 | 111 | 301 | |
| Died or Lost in Shelter Care | ||||
| AWLA | 7 | 21 | 28 | |
| NHS | 6 | 51 | 57 | |
| Live Release Rate | ||||
| AWLA | 80.3% | 68.8% | 73.2% | |
| NHS | 94.8% | 96.6% | 95.8% | |
| Observations and Questions: | ||||
| 1. % of intake dogs adopted: AWLA 41.7%, NHS 85.3% => Do policies make a difference? Pet-viewing hours per week: AWLA 36, NHS 53.5 Fee, person over 55 adopting cat or dog over 6: AWLA $100-120, NHS free | ||||
| 2. % of intake dogs transferred: AWLA 2.0%, NHS 6.9% => why doesn’t AWLA transfer dogs that aren’t readily adoptable to some of the many local rescue organizations? | ||||
| 3. % of intake dogs euthanized: AWLA 18.7%, NHS 5.1% => why does AWLA euthanize dogs at over three times the rate (and cats at over 12 times the rate) NHS does? | ||||
| These comparative results provide perspective on AWLA’s animal-outcomes performance. Because comparative results are so informative, AWLA should publish its outcomes on its website using the standard Animal Statistics Table produced by Maddie’s Fund. Arlington residents and taxpayers should be able to easily compare animal-outcomes data for their county with relevant reference points. | ||||
| AWLA euthanizes cats and dogs at a higher rate than NHS, and adopts them out or transfers them to other rescue organizations at a lower rate. How is this reflected in their respective spending rates? (Data from AWLA and NHS Forms 990 for 2008.) | ||||
| $ per Animal (Dogs plus Cats) | Total Revenue | Program Expenses | Surplus (Deficit) |
| AWLA | $1,284 | $881 | $404 |
| NHS | $401 | $315 | $86 |
| Animal outcomes vs. financial outcomes — maybe the two organizations prioritize these metrics differently. | |||
Shamefull