We have seen a definite decrease in the number of people coming to the shelter to adopt pets.
“When the Eastbound ramp to highway 40 closed at Hanley, the amount of people coming to look at the animals started to decrease,” says Steve Kaufman, Director of Operations. “It has only gotten worse since then.”
The outlook for the next several years isn’t good either. “Not only are we dealing with Highway 40 being shut down, construction on Hanley is expected to begin in 2009, creating a permanent median in front of the APA which will make it even harder to get to us,” Kaufman adds.
Interestingly, the number of animals brought to the APA, whether they are strays or animals turned in by their owners, has not decreased.
In hopes of finding homes for the animals, the APA is taking an active roll in promoting adoptions. A new adoption program, “Adoptions 2.0,” is expected to be unveiled soon, and the APA is putting the finishing touches on a mobile adoption vehicle.
“We will do what we can to find new homes for the animals in our care,” says Kaufman.
Click here to see our map and to get new directions to the shelter.
The Missouri Department of Transportation has a website with regular information updates on their projects. Please visit GetTrafficUpdates.do for the most up-to-date information regarding the
I-64/US40 highway construction work.
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