To celebrate the success over the past year and to thank the community who has been supportive, the Montgomery County Animal Care and Adoption Center hosted a one-year anniversary celebration last Saturday.
Director Eileen Mahan said that over 200 hundred people attended and eight animals were adopted during the event, six cats and two dogs.
“For the current year we are looking to increase community engagement through outreach and educational programs,” she wrote in an email. “Our hope is for this increased engagement to raise the ACAC’s visibility and facilitate an increase in adoptions, owner reclaims and transfers to rescue.”
Another one of the center’s goals for this year is to foster partnerships with local veterinarians and the Virginia-Maryland School of Veterinary Medicine to provide care for the Centers animals, and clinical experience for veterinary students in a shelter environment.
In the past 12 months, 1,607 animals have entered the Montgomery County Animal Care and Adoption Center and 1,505 animals left through adoptions, reclaims, and transfers to rescues.
While the national live release rate for animal shelters is 83 percent and the average rate for government-run facilities is 78 percent, the Montgomery County Animal Care and Adoption Center has a 96 percent live release rate.
In addition, approximately 15,700 visitors have entered the doors of the new facility, with an average of 1,310 visitors each month. Beyond the daily visitors, 1,600 people have signed up to volunteer at the center.
For more information about the center, visit www.montgomerycountyva.gov/acac.
— Staff reports
