|
 Since
its inception, PHS has been faced with the challenge of dealing with
abandoned pets and strays.
Land is very expensive in
Placencia, making the acquisition of property for a shelter an
unlikely prospect.
In addition, few Placencia
areas are suitable for a central shelter because of the area’s primary
focus on tourism and the prevalence of resorts, hotels and other guest
accommodations in every part of the Peninsula.
 The
costs of staffing a shelter are also prohibitive in the area because
of relatively high wages paid to employees in the tourism sector.
PHS Board members hope to
solve the problem through a new “satellite” animal shelter program.
PHS will finance the construction of small shelters on the property of
local homeowners in different areas of the 12-mile long Peninsula.
These small shelters will house one to four dogs or cats, and in
return for construction of the shelter, the owner must agree to devote
one segregated area of the shelter for one year to animals rescued by
PHS.
 The
homeowner is free to use the other portion of the shelter as
profit-making kennels to care for pets whose owners are on vacation,
or who only live in the Peninsula area on a part-time basis.
(Because of the
ever-increasing number of retirees moving to the Peninsula, and the
local residents who work in tourism in other parts of the country, the
need for temporary, for- profit animal care is growing very quickly.)
Standards for cleanliness
and animal care are set by PHS. PHS pays the satellite shelter owner
for the temporary care of animals rescued by PHS until the rescue
animal can be either adopted out or euthanized, as determined by
specially designated PHS volunteers (similar to a case worker - and
volunteers for these positions are still needed).
 At
the end of the first year of successful operation of the shelter, PHS
will contract with the shelter owner to continue to make the
segregated shelter area available to PHS rescue animals. PHS will also
continue to pay for the actual cost of the care of the rescued animal
while it is in the shelter.
PHS constructed the first satellite shelter on the property of Shannon
Romero (construction of the shelter is shown in the pictures above). |
