Brevard County, FL Animal Services: Reactive vs. Proactive

Regarding the resignation of our current county animal shelter director and the search for yet another one:

This entire situation makes me so sad...I've lived in this county since 1965 and here we are in 2011 yet hardly a thing has changed in all those years. Brevard is 72 miles long and currently home to over 500,000 people. But we still have ONLY two animal shelters, both of which are in abhorrent shape. NACC should've been demolished decades ago (I used to work there so trust me on this one) and SACC never lived up to its touted expectations. So, if it weren't for the various humane societies, rescue groups, etc., I can't even imagine how our abandoned animals would suffer...as if they're not suffering enough already.


But it always seems to boil down to the same crap: money (not enough) and politics (too many). Animal services in this backwater county has always been reactive vs. proactive. As someone who has been involved with animal issues for over 30 years, I've never seen a time when this place didn't have serious issues with how we handle homeless pets.

For the record, I am not a proponet of "no kill" shelters UNLESS and UNTIL there are sufficient funds and space to make this program work. Nor am I a TNR fan. Sorry, but as a former shelter employee, I'd much rather see an animal humanely euthanized than to live out its life in a cage or simply "sustained" in a colony.

Do I have an answer? Well, I wholeheartedly agree that there should be more "publicity" (ie, adoption events, foster programs, etc.). I'd also be in support of a mandatory spay/neuter law for a set amount of time, one that was heavily enforced. But all that takes money. Personally, I'd like to see our shelters privatized as Brevard's powers-that-be still have their heads up their butts and I doubt a new director is going to be able to change a damn thing.

But since I know my "ideas" won't ever come to fruition, I just continue to beat my head against this wall that should've been demolished long ago. In my dreams, huh?

The Easter Bunny

My childhood Easter memories: A new spring dress, white shoes and gloves; a rainbow-hued cellophane-wrapped basket crammed with candy; multi-colored eggs in hiding…and the animals. Soft and furry bunny babies. Green, blue and pink chicks; little “peeps” that mysteriously disappeared after a few days.

I honestly don’t know where the tradition of giving tiny, helpless creatures to children on this holy holiday originated but it is a tradition that should be irretrievably broken.

Although I’ve watched TV ads with dismay as a lime-tinted hatchling popped out of a plastic egg, thankfully the horrible and inhumane practice of dyeing has been deemed animal cruelty by those who possess an ounce of decency. Yet, unfortunately, fluffy chicks can still be found in cheap abundance at your local feed store.

And much to the detriment of Peter cottontail, the Easter bunny myth rages on. Come the lovely month of May you need look no further than our animal shelters for proof. Rabbits galore, and they didn’t breed themselves silly to get there.

These hapless young animals are the remnants of Easter Sunday, tossed out as casually as that torn and crinkled cellophane, tragic symbols of an otherwise glorious occasion.

Far too many people do not project far enough into the future when acquiring a pet. Their own financial, physical, and emotional capabilities notwithstanding, the very real needs of the animal are often ignored.

This is especially true at Easter. For that fuzzy, itty-bitty chick will soon be a scratching, squawking chicken. And although baby rabbits are adorable, as adults they are a whole different animal than that precious little hippity-hoppity of six months ago.

So soon there will be a mini-farm in the back bedroom and the kids will have returned to their video games. Now what?

Humane societies constantly see the pitiful aftermath of these hasty, impulsive decisions. Yet they will take your feathered former-friend and hope for the best. They will try to calm your Easter bunny that, for lack of attention, has been reduced to a cage-trashing maniac. And they will listen to the loud and clear testimony cloaked in your sob story that the newness has worn off and, oh, what a mistake you made. That baby cluck has turned foul and the infant March hare is now a ‘dirty wabbit.’

Hopefully, the lesson will be learned here before it’s too late. For, although your children may beg and plead, the reality is that not long after the sun sets on a few Sundays, they will most likely ignore those once-upon-a-time little bundles of life.

If parents succumb to this seasonal whim, odds are great that it will be the animals who pay the ultimate price. Alone, neglected, and in a hell not of their own making, the meaning of Easter will surely be stained.

So please resist the temptation of crass commercialism and teach your children intelligent compassion instead. Cute and cuddly stuffed animals don’t mind at all being tossed aside and forgotten.

My Kindle Book: I did it!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Animal-Advocate-ebook/dp/B0045OUK9S

Well, here is the link to my labor of love (probably more like childbirth as it was such a pain). But, other than a couple of minor formatting errors I found in the preview, I think it turned out damned well for someone who learned it all from the ground up.

Anyway, I have no clue if you own a Kindle or any other e-reader but I do know you can download Kindle to PC (free), then I assume order the book (not free; it's a whopping $3.49). But, whatever, PLEASE DO pass this link along to any and all you know who might be interested in reading my pet columns. Or paste in on Facebook. Or Tweet it. Or stand on the street corner and shout, "Extra! Extra! Read all about it!"

Seriously, I'm starting my "marketing" campaign with family, close friends, and those who have followed the column for years.....after that, it's going to be a crapshoot of linking, posting on forums, submitting to local papers, etc.

I appreciate anything you can do because if just one person along the way buys the book and learns something to help our precious animals - or is simply entertained by it - then it will indeed have been a labor of love.

Dragging My Tail

It's been six months - SIX MONTHS - since I last posted.....where does that precious time go? Anyway, as I'm still in the mind-boggling throes of compiling columns for a book, I do admit I've been sidetracked quite a lot. Always, always an animal issue to address and - now - my local humane society has graciously agreed to host The Animal Advocate on its website.

So, until I get back to this venue (whenever the hell that will be), if you'd like to read my most recent work, please visit http://www.crittersavers.com/ (scroll down to third logo on right & you'll see the column's link).

Hope to be back here sooner rather than later.....

"No-Kill" Animal Shelters: Heaven or Hell?

Recently, the commissioners in Brevard County, FL (population: 500,000+) "dictated" to the new, incoming county manager to hire an animal services director who "understands the no-kill shelter management philosophy." And I was amazed...

I still can’t believe how many ignore Brevard’s statistics when it comes to promoting such a policy. Whether the program is phased in or not, this county simply does not have enough space in its "open intake" facilities for such an undertaking, not to mention the fact that the two shelters we do have - 50 miles apart, mind you - are beyond decrepit.

Neither do we have a proactive county government regarding animal issues as it is not willing to fork over the necessary dollars to fund such an endeavor. Nor do we have a proactive Animal Services department in that homeless pets are never "promoted" (as in adoption events); both shelters are closed on Sundays; volunteers & rescue groups have been basically shunned and/or stymied in their efforts; foster homes are few & far between; and, to date, county employees can barely handle the duties they have now, let alone if we become "no kill."

As a former shelter employee, it would be a pipe dream to see this policy implemented. However, under the present circumstances - and learning from past history after living here 45 years - it would be more than "cruel & unusual" to see our homeless animals languishing in filthy cages, suffering anxiety & terror daily, and crammed together like so many pieces of discarded furniture just so we can tout that we're "no kill."

I agree with Commissioner Anderson on this one. Privatize the shelters, thereby allowing those knowledgeable in such operations to take over. And merging animal/code enforcement would likewise increase the amount of officers in the field to do what has been lacking for too long: Enforce the law. Maybe then we’d see some real progress on this most emotional - and very sad - issue.

Don't Breed; Don't Buy.....ADOPT!!

Received the following email that is circulating the "animal" world.....Have no clue who wrote it but I'm posting it in its entirety as the message needs to be taken to heart by ALL breeders (yeah, right) in addition to those who are considering acquiring a pet through ANY breeder (pet store/puppy mills, show dog breeders, backyard breeders, etc.):

A Letter from a Shelter Manager -

I think our society needs a huge "wake-up" call. As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all...a view from the inside if you will. First off, all of you breeders/sellers should be made to work in the "back" of an animal shelter for just one day. Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would change your mind about breeding and selling to people you don't even know.

That puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it's not a cute little puppy anymore. So how would you feel if you knew that there's about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter where it's been dumped? Purebred or not! About 50% of all of the dogs that are "owner surrenders" or "strays" that come into my shelter are purebred dogs.

The most common excuses I hear are: "We are moving and we can't take our dog (or cat)." Really? Where are you moving that doesn't allow pets? Or they say, "The dog got bigger than we thought it would." How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? "We don't have time for her." Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs! "She's tearing up our yard." How about making her a part of your family? They always tell me, "We just don't want to have to stress about finding a place for her. We know she'll get adopted, she's a good dog." Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is?

Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off. Sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose.

If your dog is big, black or any of the "bully" breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc.), it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door. Those dogs just don't get adopted. It doesn't matter how 'sweet' or 'well behaved' they are. If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn't full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of execution, but not for long. Most dogs get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment.

If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don't have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment.

Here's a little Euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being "put-down." First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash. They always look like they think they are going for a walk. Happy, wagging their tails. Until they get to "The Room" where every one of them freaks out and puts on the brakes when we get to the door. It must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there. It's strange, but it happens with every one of them.

Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs depending on the size and how freaked out they are. Then a euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process. They will find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the "pink stuff." Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being restrained and jerk. I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood and been deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don't just "go to sleep," as sometimes they spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves.

When it all ends, your pet's corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed, waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? You'll never know and it probably won't even cross your mind. It was just an animal and you can always buy another one, right?

I hope that those of you that have read this are bawling your eyes out and can't get the pictures out of your head, those I deal with every day on the way home from work. I hate my job, I hate that it exists & I hate that it will always be there unless you people make some changes and realize that the lives you are affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter. Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in every day than there are homes.

My point to all of this is DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE! Hate me if you want to. The truth hurts and reality is what it is. I just hope I may have changed one person's mind about breeding their dog, buying a dog, or taking their loving pet to a shelter because they never should've taken on a dog/cat in the first place.

I hope that someone will walk into my shelter and say "I saw this and it made me want to adopt." That would make what I do worth it.....

Note from The Animal Advocate: This letter makes me really think a mandatory - and enforceable - spay/neuter ordinance in every county, in every state, should be enacted.....

Separating the Wheat from the Chaff...

After reading one of my columns regarding shelter adoptions, I received a message from a lady arguing about how “expensive and time-consuming” it has become to acquire a dog or cat from a humane organization vs. the hassle-free purchase of a pet through a commercial establishment.

Naturally, being the mouth that I am, I responded at great length and I’m going to share.

Where, oh where, does this person think shelters/rescue groups get much of their “inventory?” And why?

The majority of companion animals relinquished to humane societies once belonged to possibly well-intentioned, yet ultimately irresponsible, people - many of whom bought from pet stores.

They are those who couldn’t have cared less if their pets were spayed/neutered (thereby producing litter upon potentially-homeless litter); those who chained or penned the dog in the back yard or who let their cats roam free (instead of keeping them in the house where they belonged); those who moved and dumped the dog or canned the cat just like any other disposable item.

These are the heartbreaking conditions that shelter personnel face day after day and do not want to see reoccur. Heartbreaking because those animals that cannot be “re-placed” into responsible homes will most likely be euthanized.

Although some may think that it’s a royal pain in the butt to be “screened” before adopting a shelter/rescue animal, these rules are enforced to hopefully prevent the revolving door syndrome; to ensure to the best of the organization’s ability the adoption will be a lifetime success in that the pet will be forever loved and cared for.

Obviously, you can bypass the personal questions, sidle up to a pet store counter, and plunk that platinum down. And, to be honest, you may be offering that puppy or kitten the best home money can buy.

Yet the reality is that when no one is terribly concerned where that animal is going and when the almighty dollar is the bottom line, odds are that some of those dependent creatures are headed for misery.

Shelter employees are not in the business to make things difficult for potential adopters. In fact, they’re not in so-called business, period.

Money taken in through donations and adoption fees is funneled right back through the system, one designed to provide temporary safe haven for discarded pets while they patiently wait for that special someone to show up.

All my dogs have come from humane societies and I was more than willing to pass inspection, if you will, as it proved to me that shelter personnel were not simply trying to clear their shelves for new stock.

Frankly, adopting an animal should not be an easy process. Dogs and cats are living, breathing entities that require - and deserve - a lifetime commitment.

So if any of you really think that shelters should ease up on personal questions that range from asking if you have a fenced yard to inquiring if you can afford all pet-related expenses, or that there shouldn‘t be a waiting period or follow-up visit, then I suggest you visit the euthanasia room just one time.

Believe me, if that doesn’t change your tune, the only pet you should have is a rock.