Adoptions Increased 159 Percent Since Oconee County Animal Control Began Foster Program

In Fiscal Year 2013, the year before the Oconee County Animal Control Department began its foster program, it euthanized 1.4 animals for every animal it was able to adopt out.

In Fiscal Year 2015, the first full year of operation of the adoption program, Animal Control reversed the ratio, adopting out 1.8 animals for every one it euthanized.

In raw numbers, the county reduced the number of animals euthanized from 460 in 2013 to 269 in 2015, or a difference of 191 animals.

The number of adoptions went from 110 to 285 in this time period, an increase of 159 percent.

The number of animals transferred to another rescue agency dropped from 224 to 208, while the number of animal cases resolved (rescued or euthanized) was relatively stable with 794 cases in Fiscal Year 2013 and 762 in 2015.

These data from the Animal Control Department provide strong evidence of the effectiveness of the foster program at a time when the Oconee County Animal Control Advisory Board has raised questions about the future of the program.

For more on this story, go to Oconee County Observations.

Pictured: Animal Control Department Director Catlyn Vickers.