HomeMy WebLinkAboutAnimal Shelter Statistics - 03-2008Summary Statistical Report:
March 2008*
Animal Services Department, Orange County,
North Carolina
Introduction
This is the Animal Services Department’s monthly statistical report for the month of
March 2008. Each month a standard set of summary statistics are generated regarding
our core or essential services and activities. These are essential for purposes of effective
management and administration in different program areas, in both our Animal Control
and Animal Sheltering Divisions. At the same time, these statistics are an invaluable tool
in communicating to various stakeholders, the general public and our elected officials and
County management the scope and extent of animal services.
Notably, these monthly statistics provide a basis for thinking about sheltering practices in
a broader context. Adoption and euthanasia numbers must be understood in the context
of a multitude of other influential factors, including the number of animals that come into
Orange County’s Animal Shelter and the availability of medical and behavioral resources.
By far the greatest factor influencing sheltering practices in our own community and
others is that of “pet overpopulation,” a community-wide problem consisting of a large
number of animals for whom there are no homes. As we continue to push forward to find
better and more innovative ways in which to improve, we must remember that all of these
factors work together to create the broader challenge we must address as a department, a
county, and a community.
Standard Statistics
Each of our monthly reports contains various statistics that summarize the various
activities of the County’s Animal Services Department. These are standard statistics
insofar as for a given month, such as March, they report on the same core or essential
services. They are all presented at the end of the narrative portion of this report.
Some statistics capture the overall effort of all staff as they work together to provide
integrated and coordinated animal services to the citizens of Orange County. These
include:
1.A.1 Monthly Demographics (which shows from where and how animals arrived at
Orange County’s Animal Shelter).
2.A.2 Monthly Shelter Activity (which shows total animal intakes and dispositions).
* Questions about the statistics or narrative discussion may be addressed to Andi Morgan, Administrative Assistant,
Orange County Animal Services at amorgan@co.orange.nc.us.
Animal Services Monthly Report March, 2008
Other statistics are more specific in summarizing the services and activities of our
department’s Animal Sheltering and Animal Control Divisions. These include:
Animal Sheltering
1.B.1 Monthly Dispositions (which reports the dispositions of all animals sheltered
in a given month)
2.B.2 Live Release for Placeable and Recovered Animals (discussed in detail in the
following sections).
3.B.3 Reasons for Euthanasia (which reports the specific reasons for which animals
were euthanized in a given month)
4.B.4 Volunteer Hours (reports volunteer hours and how they compare to previous
months and years)
Animal Control
1.C.1 Rabies Exposures Investigated and Positive Cases (which reports positive
rabies tests and related investigations conducted by Animal Control Officers).
2.C.2 Rabies Alert Map (showing positive cases year-to-date, by comparison with
previous years, and their location throughout Orange County).
3.C.3 Rabies Vaccinations (which reports the number of vaccinations given by area
veterinarians, at low-cost vaccination clinics organized by our department, and at
Orange County’s Animal Shelter).
Together, these monthly statistics provide a convenient summary of our critical services
and activities. In a very transparent manner, they describe the efforts of our staff in
delivering field services, sheltering animals whose dispositions they must ultimately
decide, and programs such as our volunteer program that, among other things, is
responsible for public outreach activities and dog walking.
Statistical Development
The summary statistics provided in our monthly reports are not static. They must be
subject to change as our services are redefined, our practices evolve, and we produce the
most useful statistical information. A good example of change is table B.3 Reasons for
Euthanasia. Staff captured and encouraged the reporting of this information to make
adoption figures, as well as the reasons for euthanasia, more meaningful and transparent.
It does matter greatly whether a behaviorally sound and healthy animal is euthanized as a
result of space limitations or an animal is euthanized because it is aggressive or infirm.
In the month of March, for example, the most common cat euthanasia reasons were feral
and behavior, with 31 cats euthanized for this reason. This number made up 49 percent
of all cats euthanized during the month and 26 percent of all animals euthanized. For
dogs, the primary reason for euthanasia for the month was behavioral, with 32 dogs
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Animal Services Monthly Report March, 2008
euthanized for this reason. This made up 59 percent of the dogs euthanized and 27
percent of all animals euthanized for the month.
Also, we anticipate further development of the euthanasia categories that are used to
report such information. Of special note is the generation of more specific information
concerning the medical and behavioral reasons for euthanasia—not only because this
clarifies the difficult decisions that staff must make on daily basis but because such
information enables us to discuss whether there are specific programs that may be offered
to reduce the rate of euthanasia of certain animals.
Finally, our intention is to link specific monthly reports such as this one to data about
trends in our services and activities. What we foresee is a related set of graphs showing
monthly data over time that enable us to identify and evaluate trends in key services and
activities in relation to policies, practices and our own mission. As allowed by time in the
coming year, these graphs will be prepared and they are expected to be presented along
with reports of standard statistics for a given month.
Adoptions and “Lives Releases”
The placement of healthy and behaviorally sound animal companions is one of the
foremost objectives of Orange County’s Animal Services Department. The direct
placement or “re-homing” of small animals, cats and dogs occurs through our own
adoption program. In addition, many companion animals are transferred to “placement
partners”—that is, non-breed as well as breed specific rescue organizations for cats and
dogs (as well as other animals)—for their final placement on the basis of additional effort
and evaluation by these various animal organizations.
Adoptions and transfer are two of the three elements of what may be referred to as “live
releases.” Animal companions recovered by their owners or a custodian—usually if not
always “stray” animals brought to Orange County’s Animal Shelter either by one of our
Animal Control Officers or a member of the public—form the third element of animals
that are released alive.
Using this basic formula, it is possible to calculate the total (or absolute) number of
animals that are released alive from Orange County’s Shelter.1 The figures needed to
make this calculation are provided by table B.1 Monthly Dispositions: March 2008. For
the month, there was a total of 150 “live releases,” consisting of 89 adoptions, 19
transfers and 42 returns to owners or custodians.
1 It should be said that we are using “live release” rather than “placement” for two very specific reasons as well as
because it has become a convention in the field of animal welfare since the appearance of the Asilomar Accords
(http://www.asilomaraccords.org/). One reason is that it includes all animals that are not euthanized, i.e., transfers to
placement partners and returns to owners and custodians as well as direct adoptions. The other reason is that it does not
presume that an animal transferred to placement partners is, in fact, “re-homed.” In the absence of feedback data from
these organizations, which is desirable and an objective toward which we are working, there is no way to know what
decision they have ultimately made about the disposition of a particular animal.
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Animal Services Monthly Report March, 2008
Moreover, it is possible to determine the rate of live release for placeable animals and
animals that have been recovered for a given month. Placeable animals do not include
animals surrendered by their owner for euthanasia (usually due to illness, infirmity or a
behavior problem); feral cats (as these are typically not placed); or animals that died
before arriving at the shelter or in our custody as a result of an “untreatable” injury or
illness. The number of placeable animals is determined by subtracting animals
surrendered for euthanasia, feral cats, and deceased animals from the total number of
animals dispositioned in a given month.
For the month of March, there were 271 total animals dispositioned. When we remove
the animals surrendered for euthanasia, the feral cats and those animals that arrived dead
or died of an untreatable injury while at the shelter, we are left with 234 “placeable”
animals. To find the “live release rate,” we must then divide the total number of “live
releases” (150) by the total number of potentially placeable animals whose disposition
was decided in the month (234)—and as can be seen in Table B.2 Live Release for
Placeable and Recovered Animals, the rate is 64 percent for the month of March.2
With respect to adoptions themselves, finally, several observations can be made. By
comparison with February 2008, there is a slight decrease in the number of adoptions (89
vs. 97), and a slight decrease in the number of “live releases” (150 vs. 157). When
compared with March in 2007, there was a slight increase in adoptions for the month (89
in March 2008 vs. 85 in March 2007), but a decrease in the total number of live releases
(150 vs. 170).
Pet Demographics and Overpopulation
It is often said that pet problems are people problems, and that pet overpopulation is a
community problem. These insights very much apply to our own circumstances and they
help create a broader perspective in which to understand our own sheltering statistics.
More specifically, the number of animals that are sheltered in a given period of time is
itself not caused by or a direct function of our sheltering operations and practices. The
number of unwanted animals in our communities (sometimes referred to as “surplus”
pets); the extent to which cats, rabbits and dogs alike are spayed or neutered rather than
allowed to remain intact and reproduce; the strength of norms and customs of responsible
pet ownership; the scope and strength of animal regulations and their effective
enforcement; and other such “variables” are what affect the number of animals that are
sheltered in our own and other communities.
Monthly and Seasonal Variations
2In earlier monthly reports, this was referred to as the “adoptable placement rate” versus the “gross placement rate,”
insofar as the latter was determined on the basis of all animals dispositioned in a given month.
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Animal Services Monthly Report March, 2008
Month by month there are significant changes in the numbers of cats, dogs and other
animals that are sheltered at Orange County’s Animal Shelter. In very general terms,
there is a significant “spread” in the number of animals that are sheltered each month,
which reflect the seasonal nature of pet demographics and animal sheltering in our own
and other communities.
During the peak summer months, the numbers are much higher than in other months of
the year. In March, for instance, 398 animals were sheltered. Whereas this is
comparable to the number sheltered last March (441), it is much lower than the number
sheltered this past June (733). Similarly, this March 229 animals were admitted to the
shelter—a large number that equates to more than 7 animals per day over that thirty-one-
day period. During the last twelve months, this was the fewest number of animals
admitted, and the greatest was in June of 2007 when 488 were admitted to the shelter.
Moreover, it should be underscored that the “live release rate” for a given time period is
determined by the number of animals that are sheltered as well as the total number of
animals that are adopted, transferred, or recovered by their owner. It may well be that
there is a very high percentage of animals that are released alive in a given month but that
the absolute number is lower than in other months because of the number of animals that
come to the shelter.
Addressing Pet Overpopulation
To work toward the desideratum of ending euthanasia as a means of population control, it
is thus essential to positively impact the number of animals that come into Orange
County’s Animal Shelter in the course of the year. Essential to this is a community
spay/neuter program for animal companions such as dogs and cats that promotes
responsible pet ownership and enables all community members to spay and neuter their
own pets. Developing such a program through the County’s Animal Services
Department, in coordination with the Animal Services Advisory Board, remains a
fundamental and realizable objective for the foreseeable future.
No less essential is progressive legislation that is enforced in an effective, fair and
reasonable manner. A starting point is what is sometimes referred to as “differential
licensing”—that is, licensing or registration fees that are much lower for spayed and
neutered animals than for intact animals. Orange County has had differential licensing
for many years, and this fiscal year that differential became $5 for sterilized dogs and cats
and $30 for intact dogs and cats. Other legislative options include an extra redemption
fee for intact animals recovered from the Animal Shelter, which may be refunded if they
are sterilized within a given time period, and permit systems that require a permit for
dogs and cats that are going to be bred.
Moreover, there is an overwhelming need to address the deep-seated problem of feral cats
in Orange County. Month after month feral cats (as defined by their community history
and/or observed behaviors in the context of the shelter) are one of the largest groups of
animals euthanized. In March 31 feral cats were euthanized, and they comprised 49
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Animal Services Monthly Report March, 2008
percent of all cats euthanized during the month (and 26 percent of all animals
euthanized).
In fact, euthanasia of feral cats is not a “shelter problem,” but rather a community
problem, and it needs to be addressed as such. There is a great need for initiatives in the
area of public education to raise awareness insofar as euthanasia is the end result for most
of these creatures, and their presence must be considered in relation to the risk of rabies,
given the ongoing and endemic nature of so-called “raccoon rabies” in our County and
region. Thus addressing the problem of feral cats must become part of a strategic plan for
the County’s Animal Services Department, again working in coordination with our
concerned citizenry through the Animal Services Advisory Board.
These are illustrations of the kinds of positive and proactive approaches that are needed
to address the problem of pet overpopulation as a community problem. In working to
reduce the number of unwanted animals that must be sheltered in our own communities,
we would also expect improvements in some of the outcomes of our sheltering practices.
We should all look forward to the day when there are very good numbers of adoptions
and “live releases” but no less notable ongoing decreases in the number of animals that
come to our shelter.
Rabies Cycle, Rabies Prevention and Rabies Control
With respect to rabies control—historically a core function of animal control—there is a
continuing concern about positive rabies tests based upon public reporting and our
surveillance of possible exposures of people and/or their pets. Table C.1 Rabies
Exposures Investigated and Positive Cases shows that this month there was one (1)
positive rabies test in Orange County in March, bringing the total for the year to three.
There were nineteen (19) positive rabies tests in Orange County for 2007.
Our own public education activities stress that pet owners not only need to be sure that
their pets are vaccinated and licensed but that a dog or cat with a current rabies
vaccination must receive a booster shot within seventy-two (72) hours of any exposure to
rabies. Unless an exposed pet with a current vaccination receives a booster shot within
that time frame, the requirements of North Carolina law is the same as for an
unvaccinated animal—namely, euthanasia or a six (6) month quarantine. In this regard,
staff stresses the immediate reporting of any possible contact to animal control and/or
public health authorities to ensure the health of all members of a household—human and
pet alike.
As can also be seen from the table on rabies exposures, Animal Control Officers
investigated ten (10) cases in which there were possible rabies exposures. Usually, these
are cases involving known or suspected contact between a domestic small animal such as
a dog or a cat and a wild animal such as a raccoon, as well as whether there is indirect
contact between a human and pet member of a household in these situations. But our
Animal Control Officers are also responsible for bite reports involving dogs and cats (as
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Animal Services Monthly Report March, 2008
well as other animals) and a human victim. In these cases, it is a legal requirement and
public health precaution that a dog or cat biting a human being be contained and observed
for a period of ten (10) days—thereby ensuring that the bite victim was not exposed to
the rabies virus.
Efforts to ensure current vaccination, for the welfare of pets and the people with whom
they come into contact, are ongoing and activities in this area are captured by vaccination
statistics compiled by our Animal Control Division. As is ordinarily the case, the
majority of these vaccinations—1141 out of a total of 1204 vaccinations—continue to be
performed at veterinary establishments. In addition, another sixty-three (63) animals
were vaccinated at our Animal Shelter prior to their adoption or recovery.
No low-cost rabies vaccination clinics were held in March, but there are four scheduled
for April Seventeen total clinics were held during 2007—and 1157 dogs and cats were
vaccinated as a result. Details for the upcoming April clinics can be found at
http://www.co.orange.nc.us/animalservices.rabies.asp.
All of these activities—public education and outreach, investigations and enforcement,
and providing low-cost vaccination clinics—are critical given that Orange County
continues to be affected by the epidemic of “eastern raccoon rabies” that began in the
latter half of the 1990s. Their essential nature is further underscored by the current view
that we have been on the upside of a raccoon rabies cycle that may bring even higher
numbers of confirmed rabies cases than we have seen in recent years.
Special Monthly Notes
There have been challenges and changes that have affected animal disposition numbers
this month. The most notable was the beginning of a remediation project being
conducted by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in preparation of their new
“Carolina North” campus. The project site has taken up much of the Animal Shelter
parking area and created a need for staff to find different avenues to keep the public
informed and aware of the Shelter ’s continuing operations. Parking for the shelter has
been moved behind the shelter and a detour has been created in order to clearly direct
visitors and staff to that designated area. The remediation project is scheduled to last
until August, 2008.
Conclusion
As a very young department that only came into existence in 2005, Animal Services
continues to develop new ways in which to better serve the animals and citizens of the
county. As suggested in our discussion of pet overpopulation, there are a number of
initiatives that must be taken to effectively address the underlying problem of pet
overpopulation. These include the creation of a spay/neuter fund and an effective
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Animal Services Monthly Report March, 2008
program to address feral cats, among others, and steps are being taken toward those goals
by the department in coordination with the Animal Services Advisory Board.
Also, on behalf of its citizens the County has committed itself to building a new animal
services facility. With the opening of this facility at the end of 2008, for the first time
Animal Control, the Animal Shelter, and Administrative staff will be housed under the
same roof. In addition to providing some true economies of scale, and better allowing the
coordination of animal services, it is expected that this facility will help to overcome one
of the major inhibitions to our placement efforts—namely, the inhibition that members of
the public have toward earlier generations of shelters which are often perceived as
dreadful places.
As it is being designed as a resource center that is an attractive public destination, the
new facility is expected to have a very positive affect on the number of adoptions,
transfers, community outreach programs, public visitors—and much more. With its
innovative and modern design, this new facility will become a community asset and help
further staff efforts to deliver integrated and coordinated animal services to the citizens of
Orange County. As well, it is intended and expected to enhance our adoption activities
and increase our average rate of “live releases” at the same time as it enables our staff to
work with community stakeholders to more effectively address and ultimately resolve the
pressing problem of pet overpopulation.
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Animal Services Monthly Report March, 2008
STANDARD MONTHLY STATISTICS:
MARCH 2008
A. Overview Statistics
A.1 Demographics: March 2008
(1) “Strays” under Animal Control Demographics also includes quarantined animals that have not been surrendered.
A.2 Shelter Activity: March 2008
Dogs Cats Others Total
In Shelter Custody
as of March 1, 2008 85 81 3 169
+
Total Admitted March 2008 141 80 8 229
Sheltered in March 2008 226 161 11 398
-
Dispositions for March 2008
(1) 153 111 7 271
Remaining in Shelter Custody
on April 1, 2008 (2) 73 50 4 127
(1) Includes corrections to previous month
(2) Within Shelter: 71 dogs, 47 cats, 4 other
In Foster Homes/ Pet Stores: 2 dogs, 3 cats, 0 other
B. Animal Sheltering Statistics
9
Total Percent
Animal Control From Public Incoming of Total
Strays (1)Surrender Strays Surrender
Carrboro 7 2 3 0 12 5.2%
Chapel Hill 7 6 23 13 49 21.4%
Hillsborough 31 6 6 7 50 21.8%
Orange County 53 25 16 7 101 44.1%
Other County 0 0 5 9 14 6.1%
Unknown 0 0 3 0 3 1.3%
Total 98 39 56 36 229 100.0%
Strays 154 67.2%Animal Control 137 59.8%
Surrenders 75 32.8%Public 92 40.2%
Animal Services Monthly Report March, 2008
B.1 Total Disposition: March 2008
Dogs Cats Others Total
% of Total
Dispositions
Reclaimed 35 7 0 42 15.50%
Adopted 54 32 3 89 32.84%
Transferred (1)9 7 3 19 7.07%
Euthanized 54 63 1 118 43.54%
Died 1 2 0 3 1.11%
Other 0 0 0 0 0.00%
Totals 153 111 7 271 100.00%
(1) Transferred to Rescue Service
B.2 Live Releases for Placeable and Recovered Animals: March 2008(1)
Dogs Cats Others Total
% of Total
Dispositions
Reclaimed 35 7 0 42 17.95%
Adopted 54 32 3 89 38.03%
Transferred (2)9 7 3 19 8.12%
Totals 98 46 6 150 64.10%
(1) Live Releases include all animals that are not euthanized, i.e., transfers to placement partners, returns to owners and custodians, and direct adoptions.
The “live release rate” is calculated by dividing the live releases by the total number of placeable animals. To calculate placeable animals, we must
remove the animals surrendered for euthanasia, feral cats, and animals that arrive dead or die in our custody from the total number of animals
dispositioned. For March, this number was 37, and removing these animals from the total number dispositioned leaves 234 “placeable” animals.
(2) Transferred to Rescue Service
B.3 Reasons for Euthanasia: March 2008
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Animal Services Monthly Report March, 2008
% of Total % of Total % of Total
Dogs Euthanized
By Reason Cats Euthanized
By Reason Others Euthanized
By Reason
Age 2 3.70% Age 6 9.52% Age 0 0.00%
Behavioral (1)32 59.26% Behavioral (1)11 17.46% Behavioral (1)0 0.00%
Feline Leukemia 0 0.00% Feline Leukemia 1 1.59% Feline Leukemia 0 0.00%
Feral 0 0.00% Feral 31 49.21% Feral 0 0.00%
Heartworm 6 11.11% Heartworm 0 0.00% Heartworm 0 0.00%
Medical (2)14 25.93% Medical (2)14 22.22% Medical (2)1 100.00%
Pregnant 0 0.00% Pregnant 0 0.00% Pregnant 0 0.00%
Owner Request 0 0.00% Owner Request 0 0.00%Owner Request 0 0.00%
Space 0 0.00% Space 0 0.00% Space 0 0.00%
Totals 54 100.00%63 100.00%1 100.00%
(1) “Behavioral” includes a wide range of behavioral issues that may prevent an animal from being available for adoption to the public. These issues vary
widely between cats, dogs and other animals, and can include aggression, lack of socialization, severe kennel stress or other factors that make the animal
a risk if placed back into the community.
(2) “Medical” includes a wide range of conditions and diseases that may prevent an animal from being available for adoption to the public due to unsound
health. These conditions range in severity and differ greatly between cats, dog and other animals. Additionally, because we test animals for certain
diseases as a standard protocol, these are often more easily identifiable and thus can be separated as a specific condition statistic. For example, the
“Feline Leukemia” category above is listed separately, though it is a medical condition.
B.4 Volunteer Hours: March 2008(1)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2005
2006
2007
2008
(1) Information for March 2006 is not available.
C. Animal Control Statistics
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Animal Services Monthly Report March, 2008
C.1 Rabies Exposures Investigated and Positive Cases: March 2008
Dogs Cats Other Total
Exposures Investigated 1 2 7 10
Tested Positive 0 0 1 1
C.2 Rabies Alert Map: March 2008
C.3 Rabies Vaccinations: March 2008
Dogs Cats Other Total
Vaccinated at Shelter 43 20 0 63
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Source: News of Orange
Total Rabies Exposures Jan 1- March 31, 2008: 3
Total Rabies Exposures Jan 1- March 31, 2007: 7
Animal Services Monthly Report March, 2008
Vaccinated at Vet Clinics 643 498 0 1141
Vaccinated at Rabies Clinics 0 0 0 0
Total Vaccinations 686 518 0 1204
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