KELSEYVILLE >> Lake County will lose one of its two animal shelters when the SPCA closes its facility in Kelseyville on Jan. 30 due to funding problems and its inability to hire a veterinarian, according to its director.
“The issue is economics. Keeping the shelter open requires a staff and we simply can’t afford to keep our doors open,” said director Mary Jane Montana. “And spaying and neutering requires a vet and we have not been able to locate one.”
Montana said the local shelter has been trying to hire a full-time veterinarian but with no success. “The issue seems to be that vets don’t want to go to rural areas to practice,” she added.
The decision to end its shelter operations locally was made by the board of directors of the SPCA of Clear Lake. The shelter is no longer accepting animals and plans to have its existing cats and dogs adopted by Jan. 30.
Any animals remaining at the shelter after Jan. 30 will be transferred to either Lake County Animal Care and Control in Lakeport or an out-of-county non-kill shelter. Both the local SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and county shelters are kill shelters, meaning that animals not adopted after a short amount of time are euthanized.
The SPCA is also no longer offering spay and neuter services locally since it is without a veterinarian. This Saturday’s vaccination clinic will go on as scheduled from 9-11 a.m. at the shelter.
The county’s head of animal control said the SPCA shelter “serves a very useful purpose” and added that its closure will have a big impact on animal services in Lake County.
“They’ve been here many, many years and until they come back, it will be a considerable loss to the county,” said Bill Davidson, director of the Lake County Animal Care and Control department. He said the good news is, “I think they will be able to redesign themselves.”
In a Jan. 7 statement on its Facebook page, the SPCA said its board of directors came to the closure decision after “…exploring opportunities to better serve our community.” It went on to state that its remaining efforts in the county, at least for the foreseeable future, will be aimed at low-cost spay and neuter programs.
Montana said the organization is looking at several options to support spay-neuter programs, including a mobile van that travels around the county. Still, such a van — or any spay-neuter program — requires a veterinarian to perform the surgeries, something that is a major expense.
Another option would be to reopen the existing shelter building, which the SPCA owns, but that also depends on increased funding and hiring a veterinarian.
Montana is still hoping for a last-minute “angel” to bail out the shelter with a large donation. Despite closing its shelter, Montana said any donations from Lake County will be used in the county. It costs about $20,000 a month to operate the shelter, Montana said.
“Personally, this is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” Montana said of closing the shelter.
Neither Clearlake or Lakeport have animal shelters, so for now, the only facility for stray or abandoned animals is the county shelter in Lakeport.
There were 21 dogs and 36 cats at the shelter available for adoption as of Wednesday. The SPCA has reduced its adoption fees to $75 for dogs and $45 for cats. The shelter is open for adoptions 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and is at 8025 Highway 29 in Kelseyville.
