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Love & The Single Dog

Tribune photo by KATHY MOORE

Alana Emonds, right, promised her daughter, Hannah, left, a dog when she turned 8. They adopted Isabella, a puppy that was transferred in from Animal Services to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.

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By JAMIE PILARCZYK

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 11, 2008

TAMPA - Not only is Sherry Silk the executive director of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, but she's also playing matchmaker.

Since January, she has been pairing clients and pets in a dating service of sorts to help ensure compatibility. The free personality test, called Meet Your Match, was created by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"Shy yet charming canine searching for patient owner with relaxed lifestyle," reads one profile.

"I'm a relaxed, laid-back kind of dog who enjoys long naps, watching movies, curling up on laps and walking very short distances from the couch to the food bowl and back," reads another.

The 16-question paper test, taken at the Humane Society, asks potential owners questions such as how comfortable they are with cats that like to play "chase my ankles" and other games and whether they want a pet that's comfortable with guests.

Based on typical personality traits, animals are placed in categories such as Party Animal, Love Bug, Private Investigator, Couch Potato and Goofball.

"It reduces returns dramatically," Silk said. "If we can keep the pet in the home for at least 30 days, the owners will usually do anything at that point to make it work."

The program is part of Mission: Orange, a national effort by the ASPCA to reduce the number of healthy animals euthanized for lack of resources or awareness. In January 2007, the Humane Society joined No More Homeless Pets, Animal Coalition of Tampa and Hillsborough County Animal Services in a three-year partnership funded with a $600,000 grant from the ASPCA.

In 2007, the Humane Society placed 3,181 animals for adoption, with more than 350 adoptions in each of the first two months of last year. Adoptions increased by 125 for January of this year and by 208 for February, the society said.

Since August, Humane Society members have gone at least once a week to Animal Services' Falkenburg Road facility, which has 325 dog kennels and 344 cat cages. Animal Services prefers to remain under capacity to keep the animals in better health. But that can be difficult when the agency brings in more than 90 strays a day as it did in April.

Animal Services placed 274 animals for adoption in April and transferred 222 to the Humane Society and other rescue agencies.

Still, the agency euthanized 1,991 animals in April. More cats than dogs are impounded and euthanized, but more dogs are adopted.

The Humane Society transports animals from Falkenburg Road to its facility at 3607 N. Armenia Ave., which has space for 200.

"I don't want to have empty cages here when they're euthanizing down the street," Silk said.

The animals are vaccinated, get a good scrub and are spayed or neutered.

"They hate me for a few minutes and then love me forever," said exam technician Karin Smith, known as the "ear-mite queen" for her prowess in the dirty task of cleaning animals' ears. "It's a really rewarding line of work. These animals have no one, just us."

Depending on recovery, animals can be up for adoption within a day or two. The society charges $50 for a cat, $75 for large dogs and $100 for small dogs and puppies, which includes vaccinations, spaying or neutering, and microchipping.

With the Humane Society's help, fewer animals are euthanized, Animal Services spokeswoman Marti Ryan said.

"You can't help them all, but we sure try," she said.

Michelle Velez wasn't sure what to think about taking a test in order to get a cat. Going against the results, which pointed her to the Party Animal category, she recently chose a cat from another category because it looked cute. But after spending time with the animal in the Humane Society's waiting room, Velez said she knew the pairing wouldn't work; there was no playfulness or whimsy.

So the staff introduced her to Xylo, a cat from the Party Animal category.

"They brought her in, and I fell in love," said Velez, of Wellswood. "It was so cool."

With Mission: Orange funds, the Humane Society built a $20,000 quarantine room to process animals from Animal Services, constructed a patio for feral cats and is able to offer low-cost spaying and neutering.

"The money gives us a shot in the arm," Silk said. "At this point, we can hardly keep them in the cages."

Velez said Meet Your Match makes sense.

"It helps find the right home for the right animal and the right person," she said. "It helps them both find a good match."

AT A GLANCE

WHAT: Humane Society of Tampa Bay

WHERE: 3607 N. Armenia Ave.

EMPLOYEES: 36 staff members, 75 volunteers

BUDGET: $2.4 million annually, 60 percent of which comes from donations and grants

CONTACT: Call (813) 876-7138; www.humanesocietytampa.org

GET INVOLVED

Interested in adopting a pet? Contact one of these agencies:

Humane Society of Tampa Bay, www.humanesocietytampa.org

Hillsborough County Animal Services, www.hillsboroughcounty.org/animalservices

No More Homeless Pets, www.tampapets.org

Animal Coalition of Tampa, www.actampa.org

Mission: Orange, www.aspca.org

Reporter Jamie Pilarczyk can be reached at (813) 835-2114 or jpilarczyk@tampatrib.com. To view a multimedia presentation on one puppy's tale of adoption, go to southtampa.tbo.com or centraltampa.tbo.com, keyword: Mission Orange.

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