BROOKINGS – The Brookings Regional Humane Society hasn’t seen the soaring number of animal adoptions that some shelters have experienced since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in spring 2020.

“Honestly, a lot of it has just been business as usual for us,” replied BRHS Executive Director Maia Moore when asked about the impact of COVID-19. 

“The animals aren’t aware that there’s anything different going on,” she added, smiling. “We’re still here, feeding and walking and cleaning.

“On that side of things, our intake numbers are about the same; our adoption numbers were about the same (in 2020).” The BRHC usually sees about 600 adoptions a year.

“We were surprised. We were thinking, ‘Oh, it’s got to be way different.’”

Staffing was not an issue. 

“We’re a tight-knit staff. We pull together,” Moore explained. “Everybody tries to help out where they’re able.”

The pandemic did bring one major impact: the BRHC went into a sort-of shutdown mode, and all business involving contact between the public and the animals relative to adoption or fostering was done by appointment.

“It’s been steady. It’s a thoughtful process,” the director said, describing the keeping of BRHC animals in foster homes while the adoption process plays out. “People have to look at what we have, and then we’ll set up an appointment to meet a dog that’s available for adoption.

“They can’t just come in and open the door and wander through the kennels. They kind of have to know what they’re looking for,” Moore said. “We’re able to talk with them. Are you looking for a dog that’s potty-trained or for a dog that gets along with other dogs?

“We’ve seen some benefits in that there’s not an option for impulse adoption. Be serious about adopting before we’ll set up an appointment,” Moore added.

“With these scheduled appointments, there have been a lot of carefully thought out adoptions,” Moiria Curry, afternoon shelter coordinator, explained. In addition to scheduling of volunteers, she’s responsible for scheduling of animals coming in and going out, and ensuring the medical needs of the animals are met. 

Good times for shy dogs

Another plus of people coming in by appointment only is that it’s less stressful for some of the dogs. 

“Some people really miss coming in to play with the animals, but on the other hand, our kennels are less stressed,” Moore explained. “Having a steady stream of people walking through, some of the dogs absolutely love that. They just eat up that attention.” 

Some dogs, however, do not.

“It’s been really nice for some of our more shy dogs,” Moore added. “They’re still getting walked multiple times a day. They’re still getting attention. Some of our animals thrive with less chaos.”

Through it all there has been a fluctuating number of pets available for adoption. 

On Wednesday, April 28, the BRHS was “super-low on adoptable cats,” Curry noted. There were only four cats in-house; at one point the count was 120, with some in-house and others in foster homes – which play a vital role as animals come in and are made ready for adoption, e.g. getting needed medical attention and being spayed and neutered.

“It seems to come in waves,” Moore added.  “It’s always an adventure. We never know what the day is going to bring.” 

In addition to cats, at times the dog kennel has been filled and other adoptable critters included birds, bearded dragons, guinea pigs and a rat.

“We wouldn’t be able to make it through without our foster homes,” the director noted.

“Our fosters were real rock stars,” Curry added. Intake of animals was never impacted. About a dozen people are needed to keep things up and running.

Fundraisers again planned

A downside to the pandemic with its restrictions on in-person gatherings was the inability of BRHS to hold its usual fundraisers.

“This is unusual for us, not being able to have things like Paws for Wine. We tried to adapt. Everybody hates the word pivot,” Moore said. “We did an online auction as opposed to our normal (Paws for Wine).”

And looking ahead to a return to normal, BRHS is planning the Ruff Ride, All Wheels Poker Run on June 5 and the Putts FORE Paws Golf Scramble at Edgebrook Golf Course on Aug. 14.

“We’re trying to be creative, and we’re still going to work on those outdoor events,” Moore explained. “But that’s been one of our biggest worries.”

“Our operating costs are the same,” Curry added. But they got by OK.

Like Moore, she’s proud of how the BRHS team made all things work in 2020

As to post-pandemic planning, what lies ahead? 

“To normal? I think we’ve been taking baby steps as our comfort level increases,” Moore said. “We’re to that point.”

Appointment times have been shortened from 1 1/2 hours to an hour, which allows more time to bring in potential adopters. 

“We can do a dog-time and a cat-time at the same time,” Curry explained. “We’re adjusting how we schedule volunteers.”

At the moment, there’s a lull in BRHS activity because there aren’t a lot of animals at the facility. However, there are a few adoptable animals at the facility and more in the foster-home pipeline. Some of those animals in the pipeline include several litters of kittens too young to be weaned.

Additionally, the BRHS has had other than canines and felines awaiting adoption, such as two pair of parakeets: Shaggy and Wilma, plus Toast and Cocoa.  

The BRHS did have a sole, sleek, and squeaky-clean rat available last week, but as of press-time, “Marshmollo” had been adopted. 

Little dogs remain the most sought after for adoption. And all animals when they come up for adoption have been medically cleared, are up to date on shots and have been spayed or neutered.

For additional information on all aspects of the Brookings Regional Humane Society, visit brookingsregionalhumanesociety@hotmail.com or call 605-697-PETS (7387).

Contact John Kubal at jkubal@brookingsregister.com.