Animal Control and Care in Chatham County

As is mentioned on SavannahPets.org, there is a new facility in the works for Chatham's animal control. Members from animal control, the humane society, county commissioners and the architects travelled to another county to check out their facilities last week. What they got were more ideas of how a good shelter can help to decrease euthanasia rates in our county. Since I do the paperwork for that every day, let me tell you, there is a lot of room for improvement. So, what would I like to see changed? Having spent the last four weeks working part time, here are some of my suggestions:

1. An adoption counselor on site. There is no reason the public shouldn't be able to come and do an adoption of a pet from animal control. Yes, there needs to be some screening in place, and definitely policies for spay/neuter, but why not keep them alive as long as we can?

2. Segregated areas for bite cases. Each day, at least one person has to walk through the kennels looking for their pet. We always have a least one bite case being held for ten days, and recently, they have been anything but friendly. I consider it a safety issue, as well as a well-being issue. These animals project their constant barking/aggression towards the animals around them. Even if they are placed in the pens with the fiberglass dividers, it can still unnerve one of their neighbors.

3. Lighting. The kennels are so dark and dreary. It's a very sad place to have to walk through with someone who is searching hard for their missing pet, and in many cases, it's harder to see identifying marks. I know animal control is not known as a cheery place, but I don't see a reason why we can't try to make it a bit more inviting to the public coming through.

4. Segregated areas for puppies/kittens from adults, and for that matter, sick/injured animals from general population. I know it is a lot to ask, but just take one walk through our kennels right now. Our cat room is littered with cats full of upper respiratory infections, and while healthy cats may be moved away from them, they all still share the same air and possibility for contraction. The same goes for puppies as I keep hearing about the number of parvo cases increasing at our local vet offices, though only know of one pup recently pulled from animal control that was positive (which would be our very own Chipper).

5. Educational opportunities for the public. When people are coming to reclaim their pet, why not have a packet of information available with a contacts list to help them keep their pets out of animal control? We do low-cost microchipping, and I try to remember to put flyers out for our upcoming clinics. Instead, I should have flyers up there about microchipping year round since we can do appointments. I don't mind driving if it can help save a life. Additionally, we really need spay/neuter awareness. Most of the pets come in are not spayed/neutered, and many have been giving birth in the kennels recently.

6. Exercise areas. We have two areas where pets can be taken out to be leash walked or showcased to a potential rescuer/adopter. Wouldn't it be great if these babies could all get the chance for some exercise, especially if it may help them bide their time?

7. Standards of Procedure for Medicating and Euthanizing severely sick or injured animals. Our goal should include providing humane care for the animals upon their arrival. Many times I have walked through and had to make special requests to have animals sent to the vet for care or euthanasia. This would be great to be able to do this on site. We do medicate as we can, but there have been several cases where the animal was so injured, it needed to be put down on arrival. Instead, we have to send it to another vet and let them make the call, taxing their resources on top of the animal control officer's that just delivered the animal to the shelter and did the paperwork. (In the last week, two puppies were brought to animal control by concerned citizens that both had to be put down at the vet.)

8. Automated phone answering. With all that goes on in the kennels with the numerous daily intakes, the phone is often missed. I feel like our outgoing message is too long. Instead, give options, such as press 1 for hours of operation and location, 2 for instructions on reclaiming a pet, 3 for bite cases, etc.

9. Lost and found service. We need a better way of getting the public to understand how to use animal control for lost and found. Often times, a flyer is dropped off, and the owner doesn't return after two visits. It's hard to clearly identify a pet from a black and white copy, in particular for the number of cats we see every day. This would be where offering microchipping and information on id tags and collars would be very appropriate.

10. Customer service training. I will admit, the guys at the shelter work hard, and deal with a lot of BS on a regular basis. We need them to do a lot of the dirty work. But there should be a friendly front person to assist people in and out of the kennel, make their experience less stressful, and provide as much information and options as possible. I'm not saying it has to be a woman, but someone with good people skills and tact.

I could keep going on and on, but I do need to sleep as well.

Intruder in the House

Crazy Dog Lady. Husky Lover. Mutts R Us. I'm always associated as a dog rescuer. Well, normally, that's what will be found in my house. But few people know that when I started in rescue seven years ago, I was really a, gasp, cat rescuer. Yep, I always had a cat or litter of kittens (or two) at home, and only one dog once I got out of college. So imagine the shock to my pack when the cries they heard from the carrier coming through the door this afternoon was not the typical howl of a Husky puppy, but the cries of an annoyed Siamese kitten. Yes, the cries of a ticked off kitty. This is a sound I have not heard in many years. Sia, as I am calling her, is a little confused by her new surrounding, though I would call it a considerable upgrade from her cage at animal control. I think she is going for some sort of kitty meowing record, as her mouth hasn't shut since she got home. Guess I know how my dad must have felt when I was a child.

Microchips: Use as Directed

A few weeks ago, Savannah Toyota hosted a microchip clinic for us, whereby we chipped 73 pets. I've been an avid supporter of chipping for recovery, but also to eliminate needless deaths in animal shelters.

This week at the shelter, I was given the task of contacting the owner of a Rottweiler that had a HomeAgain microchip. I was given seven numbers to call; four were disconnected, two never returned the calls, and the other claimed he didn't own a "damn dog" and slammed the phone down. But at least we got to know his name. Thor is a big sweet baby boy. He loves women; he's a sucker for a belly rub and a good scratch behind his ears. The shelter supervisor and I have been plugging away to find a good home for him. He deserves as much.

It's just amazing that people would pay for permanent identification, but not understand that it only works as long as they keep their information current. Since Thor had ID, the shelter is giving him ten days instead of five, so that's good news for him. And, essentially, good news for me since I have a buddy to play with when the tough stuff hits.