Potential pet owners follow trends and fads. They also have a preference for color.
"Black dogs, black cats," she said, "we'll get them, but nobody will take them. Everybody wants the blondes. They want the golden retrievers and light-colored dogs."
Puppies and kittens aren't immune. Everyone assumes, she says, the shelter should have no trouble finding them homes. The reality of the situation is a lot grimmer. In 2007, the shelter accepted 2,110 puppies. Only 869 found homes. The shelter took in 3,168 kittens, and just 711 were adopted.
By collecting collars, shelter board member Nicky Walters wants to show people what the loss of 6,553 pets in the past year represents.
Unlike dogs, there are no governing rules about how long cats and kittens should be kept. The shelter does not receive funding for their care and upkeep.
"Sometimes with the kittens," Clark said, "if we're short on space or if they're sick, we'll put them down the same day we get them. It's very sad."
On average, Clark says, the shelter puts down 15 to 30 animals a day Monday through Friday. The number of animals killed is usually heaviest on Monday because they try to avoid killing during the weekend.
It's also the day when the shelter sees more animals brought in: "People clean out their house and drop off their pets."
The shelter typically only sees a few adoptions each day. Some days, no animals leave the facility with new owners.
"We'll come in at 7:30 in the morning," Clark said, "and there will be people waiting at the door. It's like we're a bank."
Weekends are better. They can see as many as 16 adoptions, but sometimes the adoptions don't stick. Parents get dogs and cats for young children with the intention of teaching them responsibility. The children lose interest in the animals. Parents lose patience and bring the animals back to the shelter. Other times, the pet gets sick and the new owner simply refuses to take the dog or cat to the vet.
Healthy, attractive animals with a hope of being adopted can last for months in the custody of the animal shelter. A few may stay as long as a year.
The point of the vigil isn't to make people feel bad, but to make them think, Walters said. She hopes pet owners will understand how important it is to have their pets spayed and neutered to prevent unwanted animals. It should be as routine, she believes, as taking them to the vet. She wants people to live up to the responsibility of the animals who rely on them.
"We have to do something about this," she said.
STORY BY BILL LYNCH, GAZETTE STAFF