A few changes have been brought to Lincoln County Animal Shelter in the last three months since interim executive director Mary Fifield was hired.

The issues that cropped up last year in the difficult transition from paper to digital records and an IRS fine, along with a few major shakeups in the board of directors, left the shelter scrambling and trying to recover while focusing on the most important part of their work — the animals.

Fifield was brought on to help recover from this.

“We had a wonderful founder (Loraine Nickerson) who helped LCAS for 40 years,” said Fifield. “But so much has changed in the past 40 years, and it's important to catch up. The shelter has always done good work, but it didn't always reflect current standards.”

First, the old adoption “long form” adoption applications have been replaced by “high faith” application and adoption counseling for prospective animal parents. It's a shorter process that, according to Fifield, ensures a good match and prevents families from having to make multiple shelter visits.

“We are still focused on making the best forever home for the companion pet,” Fifield said. “The ASPCA has done research that this kind of adoption process has a really high success rate.”

Fifield also said that in the old form, the more money people had, the more likely they would be approved for adoptions, simply because of the criteria being looked at. The new style of adoptions prevents a lot of that.

“It also helps people understand what a good match really is,” Fifield said. “Maybe a family falls in love with a cat, but that cat isn't good with dogs and they have two. Some families don't understand that cat wouldn't be a good match for them and it's not something they can ‘fix.’ Adoption counseling helps them understand.”

LCAS has an almost entirely new board, with new fiscal protocols in place. While nearly all the money donated to LCAS went directly to animal care even before this, Fifield said there were “ineffective internal controls” that created issues for the shelter.

Some other basic protocols have changed as well in order to be more efficient and pet safe, such as cleaning and disinfecting kennels, and increased training for staff on a regular basis.

LCAS is also working to possibly partner with other shelters to help animals find their homes.

“Maybe we have a dog that's been with us six months and hasn't found a home. Another shelter can take him and new families will see him and adopt. And we will also take animals they haven't found (homes) for yet.”

Fifield is also working to bring more events to the shelter like weekend adoption specials and events such as a shelter yard sale and a community spay/neuter clinic.

Adoption rates at the shelter are very low and cover very little of the care costs the shelter incurs, which, according to Fifield, average out to about $20 a day minimum.

Kittens between the ages of 8 weeks and 6 months are $125, cats up to one year are $90, and cats older than that are $50. Puppies between the ages of 8 weeks and 6 months are $200, dogs up to seven years are $175, and dogs older than that are $100.

Adoptable cats have been spayed/neutered, had rabies and distemper shots, flea treated, wormed, and tested for feline AIDS and leukemia. Adoptable dogs have been spayed/neutered, have been tested for heart-worm and Lyme diseases, flea treated, wormed and vaccinated for kennel cough. If an animal hasn’t been spayed or neutered, the adopter will be required to have it done by the time the animal reaches 6 months old.

“We are so grateful to those that donate their times and money to the shelter, and people who run amazing events for us,” Fifield said. “People like Dr. Dean Domeyer, Kelly Brook, Elizabeth Stone, Don and Liana Kingsbury, Aubrey Martin.

“These people, and many more too numerous to mention, make a huge difference and are the best kind of people. We couldn't do what we do without them.”

Related:

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