Animal Humane's History: 1980 - 1990
The 1980s were the early days of enlightenment for humane pet care and population control in Albuquerque. Roaming packs of dogs regularly attacked livestock and children in Bernalillo County and surrounding areas. Various municipalities considered and often passed animal ordinances to provide a safer environment.

Animal Humane and Colonel Edmund and Thelma Evans were at the forefront of educating the public-influencing animal-related legislation and providing services such as low-cost spay/neuters to improve pet population. In the mid 1980s, Albuquerque's Animal Care and Control took in 27,000 animals, euthanizing 80% of them. Animal Humane was justifiably proud of our 54% adoption rate with intakes just over 2,500. Nationwide 22 million pets were being euthanized in shelters. By comparison, national euthanasia rates have decreased to 3-4 million annually today.

Advocacy
Dog fighting and the public threat of Pit Bulls drew a lot of attention from municipalities and the press. As a sign of the times, neither Animal Humane nor the Albuquerque Animal Care and Control department adopted out Pit Bulls due to the concern that they would be used for fighting. Colonel Edmund Evans lobbied the legislature and wrote many articles regarding the need to pass legislation banning dog and cock fighting. As a result, the dog fighting ban was successfully passed and signed into law by Governor Bruce King in 1981. As you well know, the Evans' dream to outlaw cock fighting was not realized in New Mexico until 2008.

In 1988, Animal Humane joined with UNM and the City of Albuquerque, by appealing to its 4,000 members to defeat SB 209 or the "Pound Seizure" law-much to the dismay of other animal advocates. The law, which would have prohibited the use of shelter animals in research testing, was opposed by Animal Humane. While we supported banning all animal testing, until that day arrived, we argued that using shelter animals destined for euthanasia was a "more logical source" and would negate the need for "bunchers" to steal family pets or buy them from puppy mills. The Humane Society of the United States and Sangre de Cristo Animal Protection, Inc., (now Animal Protection of New Mexico), came out against Animal Humane. The bill did not pass during that session. Today, Animal Humane is firmly against the practice of pound seizure.
 

Growth
Several major construction projects took place. In 1982, the Adoptions/Intake Building was built, providing a better environment to care for pets residents. Gift "n" Thrift, (now "Super Thrift") was expanded to include both floors of our current Administration Building. The Charlie Black Memorial Kennels were built (Greg Hicks, architect), providing indoor/outdoor runs (now our cattery/pet processing building).

In a creative fundraising campaign, donors were asked to fund the building "by the square foot". A $50 donation would fund one square foot of construction. The quarterly newsletter listed each square foot funded by number and the donor's name. Over 1,000 square feet were funded in this manner.

Programs
The Pet Therapy Program, initiated in 1981, brought pets to visit people in nursing homes, senior day care centers and hospitals. The program received regular press while hundreds of residents benefiting from the pets' visits. By 1985, over 20 facilities were included in the program.

In the ongoing quest to increase adoptions, 1988 saw the introduction of two programs: Purina's Pets for People, which subsidized adoption fees for citizens over 60, a program that continues to this day. Interestingly, 1988 was declared "Year of the Cat" in an effort to increase cat adoption rates. Sound familiar?

Funding and Community Support
In addition to membership dues, other fundraising initiatives included the first "Fun Run" (1982), sponsored by Gil's Runners Shoe World with 108 runners. The "Family Fun Pet Show" (1984) was organized by Dr. Tim Fitzpatrick for several years, growing each year and netting a cool $1,010 by 1987. Another popular way to support Animal Humane was through the annual Pet Photo Contest which drew hundreds of photo entries each year at $5 each.

Other community support came from: the Weems Art Fest, monthly shot clinics by Dr. Richard Bolton, and Children's dog obedience classes. The classes were taught at the Acoma Training Center, with services donated by the owners, the Spradley Family. Additional in-kind support came from Rick Johnson & Co. with the design of a high-end brochure to promote community awareness of Animal Humane.

The veterinary community supported Animal Humane by volunteering their time performing spay/neuter surgeries and providing medical care for pet residents. In particular, Drs. Glenn and Richard Bolton, Tim Fitzpatrick, and Dain Lochridge contributed countless hours. In the early 80s, Dr. Richard Bolton also wrote a column on pet health in the quarterly newsletter, "Kind Words."

Organizational Milestones
In 1985, Animal Humane celebrated its 20th Anniversary, commemorated by a congratulatory letter from President Ronald Reagan. That year, we hired our first Executive Director. Following Edmund's death in 1988 and the resignation of George Wayland as President, Thelma was elected President in 1989.

 
In 1988 the By-Laws were amended to reduce the number of Board members and modify member's voting rights to prevent special interest groups from taking control of the organization. Board members and officers would now be elected by the Board, not the membership.

 
The end of the 1980s saw the organization positioning itself to increase adoptions and membership growth by proposing the building of a Westside satellite location. Sound familiar? Stay tuned for the 1990s, coming up in the next issue.