TRACS helps animals find forever homes

In their 15 years of operation, Thompson River Animal Care Shelter (TRACS) has stayed true to their mission, to remain a 100% no-kill animal shelter, with a 100% adoption rate. "Because we are a no-kill shelter, we want to always stay full, and we want to keep it that way," said Wanda Thorpe, operations and financial manager for TRACS. "We've been open for 15 years now," Thorpe continued. "We are a little organization that started just 15 years ago, and we're still going strong." While TRACS started out as an all-volunteer shelter, they now have the capability to employ people. Thorpe says the shelter employs five full-time employees and four part-time employees. The board has been, and remains to be, 100% volunteer.

In their endeavor to reach out to other shelters and rescue animals from euthanasia, TRACS partners with several different organizations in order to bring animals to Thompson Falls. Dog Is My Copilot and Wings of Rescue are two charities that transport at-risk animals from overcrowded shelters and disaster areas to safe havens where families are waiting to adopt them. In a normal year, Thorpe says the shelter will bring in a lot of animals from the south; many from Arizona, Texas and California. However, this year with the unfortunate circumstances of COVID-19, they have only been receiving pets from Texas, as Arizona and California flights have been cancelled. "All the animal shelters in Arizona have shut down, and the state has no animal control at this moment," Thorpe said.

In November, TRACS partnered with Wings of Rescue for their Paws Across the Pacific mission from Hawaii. For various reasons, shelters in Hawaii are at full capacity and have had to close their doors. "Wings of Rescue loaded up a cargo plane full of dogs and cats and flew them all over to Seattle," Thorpe said. "From there, the animals were sent out by smaller planes to various organizations." TRACS was able to take in a number of dogs and cats from that rescue mission. "TRACS was the only Montana shelter to receive these rescued pets," Thorpe stated. "We took eight dogs and 13 cats in from that flight. What makes us really proud is that we're the only ones in Montana to be invited to participate in this life-saving event." All 21 animals from Hawaii have found their new homes. Pixel, a black and white heeler mix, was the last of the group to be adopted and has since found his forever home.

Every year, TRACS usually adopts out around 1,000 animals, with 1,030 adoptions last year. Thorpe says they have adopted out even more this year. "The more we take, the less other shelters have to euthanize," Thorpe stated. "We are looking to decrease the euthanasia rates in these southern shelters, and get as many dogs into our doors as we can." TRACS prides itself on having a 100% adoption rate, and while the shelter has many successful adoption stories, not every adoption is the right fit. Verna Shermikas, TRACS adoption specialist, says one to two percent of their animals come back to the shelter. "For the 1,000 animals we adopt out, we may get back 10," Shermikas said. The adoption specialist says one of the most important questions she asks when people come to adopt is, "What happens if you move?" A lot of the time, when a family has to move, there's a chance they are unable to take their pets along with them; that's when those pets end up at the shelters. "You have to think about what will be best for the dog," Shermikas said.

Another big project TRACs has recently taken on, is to help with the stray animal population in Browning. As TRACS took in several puppies from the area last summer, Thorpe says the shelter is now actively making a new effort to partner with a small rescue group in Browning to get dogs out as fast as they can. "When we got up there, we were just shocked and horrified," exclaimed Trena Sanders, a TRACS employee. "Dogs just run loose, they aren't fenced in, and many of the dogs survive by eating garbage." She was told by the local rescue that the stray animals are expected to survive by living off the land, as some of the Native Americans deem them only as property. Younger or small dogs, as well as cats, have a hard time surviving in the area, as most of the time they are attacked and killed by the larger dogs. John White, a TRACS employee, then brought out Rex, one of the stray dogs brought back from Browning. Rex, while sweet and gentle, had been kicked or abused, which can be seen as part of his facial skull is fractured and permanently misshapen. Rex is just one of the many reasons TRACS is doing their part to help with the situation in Browning. From now on, TRACS will be keeping space open at the shelter for when animals from that area are in need of shelter, medical care, and new homes.

One concern that always seems to arise for TRACS is the issue some may have with the adoption fees. While Thorpe says they also donate back to the organizations that help them, such as Wings of Rescue, she also notes that these animals come in with medical conditions that require extra work and effort. Operating a private, no-kill animal shelter, is not for the faint of heart, nor is it cheap. These shelter animals often have special needs that go beyond the usual. Puppies brought in from Browning often need a specific kind of puppy food for their stomachs as many are eating garbage and rocks to survive. "I know our prices look a little higher, but there is a reason for this. It is much more costly to bring in these medically needy, but very adoptable dogs and help them to survive and find new homes, Thorpe said. "Most of the public very much appreciates the fact that we have some adoptable dogs, small dogs, and puppies, even at a slightly higher price. TRACS spent $110,000 on animal care last year, with $66,000 going directly to veterinarians." Thorpe continued, "It is money well spent on these deserving, homeless pets."