Animal shelter reports improved live-release rate, readies for area-wide enforcement and expanded spay/neuter work
April 09, 2026 | Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska
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Vanessa Forbes, director of Animal Care and Regulation, told the assembly the shelter handled roughly 2,500 animals in 2025 with an average daily population of approximately 125 and has improved its live-release rate from about 73.9% to 83.4%.
Forbes credited increased foster placements (12 active rescue partners and five new rescue partners in 2025), volunteer support (nearly 1,500 hours) and partnerships with organizations such as Alaska Rural Veterinary Outreach for transfers and clinic work. The borough-funded community spay/neuter program launched last July performed 32 in-house procedures and partnered on 54 additional surgeries through outreach partners.
The director said the shelter will expand services and capacity as it assumes area-wide contracts with three cities on July 1, projecting roughly 800 additional enforcement cases annually. Forbes said the department expects the additional workload to stretch staff and that an additional officer is requested to maintain response levels.
On next steps the shelter plans to pursue visiting large-scale clinics (e.g., The Good Fix) with grant support to provide low-cost spay/neuter access in outlying communities and to continue strengthening relationships with rescue partners to push the live-release rate closer to 90%.
Assembly members praised volunteer and partner contributions and asked for continued tracking of outcomes and program costs as area-wide enforcement begins.
Forbes credited increased foster placements (12 active rescue partners and five new rescue partners in 2025), volunteer support (nearly 1,500 hours) and partnerships with organizations such as Alaska Rural Veterinary Outreach for transfers and clinic work. The borough-funded community spay/neuter program launched last July performed 32 in-house procedures and partnered on 54 additional surgeries through outreach partners.
The director said the shelter will expand services and capacity as it assumes area-wide contracts with three cities on July 1, projecting roughly 800 additional enforcement cases annually. Forbes said the department expects the additional workload to stretch staff and that an additional officer is requested to maintain response levels.
On next steps the shelter plans to pursue visiting large-scale clinics (e.g., The Good Fix) with grant support to provide low-cost spay/neuter access in outlying communities and to continue strengthening relationships with rescue partners to push the live-release rate closer to 90%.
Assembly members praised volunteer and partner contributions and asked for continued tracking of outcomes and program costs as area-wide enforcement begins.
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