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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAnimal Shelter Statistics - 09-2005 Orange County Animal Services 501 W. Franklin St, Suite 106, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 (919) 968-2287 Animal Control PO Box 8181 304 Revere Rd Hillsborough, NC 27278 (919) 245-2075 Robert A. Marotto, Director Animal Shelter 1081 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd Chapel Hill, NC 27514 (919) 967-7383 Monthly Report Orange County Animal Services September 2005 Departmental Highlights 1. We are continuing the development of the Animal Services Department, including the centralization of shared administrative functions such as payroll, IT support, and reports such as this one. 2. The inaugural meeting of the Animal Services Advisory Board was held on September 14th with Board of County Commissioners Chair Moses Carey, County Manager John Link, and Assistant County Manager Gwen Harvey in attendance. Among the issues addressed during this initial meeting were creating standing committees and identifying a slate of candidates for the positions of Chair and Vice Chair. The Advisory Board also received select updates regarding the development of the Department and the functions within the Animal Control and Animal Shelter Divisions. 3. The process of filling the open positions within both Divisions continues. Interviews are being held for Animal Health Technician to replace Jess Allison after her promotion to Shelter Operations Manager. We have opted to reopen the search for an Animal Control Division Manager, in order to find a person capable of performing the duties of that position as part of our management team. Due to the time involved in this ongoing process, we have proceeded with interviewing for the opening of Animal Control Officer as well. 4. We are seeking to develop convergent activities involving both Divisions. One example of this was a spay/neuter information booth at the rabies clinic held at Efland-Cheeks Elementary School on September 8th. Staff provided information regarding the benefits of pet sterilization. On the basis of this experience, we have identified further strategies to address this aspect of the pet overpopulation problem. Orange County Animal Services September 2005 Monthly Report Page 2 Animal Shelter Highlights The September 2005 figures show a return to the more common pattern of lower numbers coming into the shelter than in the same month of the previous year (398 in 2005 and 427 in 2004). Last month, for the first time, we reversed this trend taking in more animals in August 2005 than in the same month of 2004. Shelter Activity September 2005 Dogs Cats Others Total In Shelter Custody as of September 1 2005 108 143 4 255 + Total Admitted Sept 2005 189 199 10 398 Sheltered in Sept 2005 297 342 14 653 - Dispositions for Sept 2005 (1) 185 194 8 387 Remaining in Shelter Custody on October 1 2005 112 148 6 266 (1) Includes corrections to previous month Returns: 0 dogs, 1 cat Placements continue the recent trend of being at or above levels for the previous year (226 in 2005 and 208 in 2004) and euthanasia numbers continue to be down (150 in 2005 and 188 in 2004). This is reflected in the breakdown of dispositions with a higher percentage of placements verses euthanasia and euthanasia as a percentage of dispositions being lower for 2005 (39 percent) verses 2004 (41 percent). Animal Dispositions Percent of Total Dogs Cats Others Total Dispositions Reclaimed 38 1 0 39 10.08% Adopted 51 94 1 146 37.73% Transfers (1) 8 28 5 41 10.59% Euthanized 81 67 2 150 38.76% Died 1 3 0 4 1.03% Other (2) 5 2 0 7 1.81% Totals 184 195 8 387 100.00% (1) Transfers are all to APS except: 15 cats, 3 dogs, 5 'other' to rescue. 1 cat, 2 birds surrendered for euthanasia 25 cats (37%) feral. (2) Includes corrections to previous month Orange County Animal Services September 2005 Monthly Report Page 3 The gross placement for September 2005 is 57 percent and was 49 percent in September 2004. The placement for adoptable animals was 61 percent in September of 2005 and 59 percent in the previous year. This is a combination of the lower intake figures and the higher placement numbers. The wider difference in the gross placement rates is due to the much lower number of feral cats turned in during September 2005 (25) compared to 72 in 2004. Looking at the period June, July August, September of 2005 shows a pattern with which we are familiar but which did not appear in 2004. Placements are lower in June (191) and July (178), pick up a bit in August (210) and continue to get higher in September (226). We believe this is due to the fact that people have vacations planned and delay adoptions until they get back. Program Report Volunteer Orientations: This orientation is a requirement of the Animal Shelter to protect the health and well-being of both volunteers and animals. The Program Coordinator held two orientations this month which 23 people attended. Policy Procedures /Animal Handling Training: This is an advanced and required training for volunteers wishing to work with direct handling of the animals, such as dog walking and socialization, cat-room cleaning, and related activities. 17 people attended this training session given by Program Coordinator, Animal Care Technician , and senior dog volunteer. Volunteers this month: 49 Volunteer hours total: 218 Outreach Program: Always presented by volunteers, with occasional assistance from the Program Coordinator, this is a program where we set up a table at a public location, often with select shelter animals, and provide information on adoptions and animal care. This month three programs were held at Phydeaux, Petsupermarket, and PetsMart. Rabies Clinic at Efland/Cheeks Elementary School: Our Program Coordinator staffed a table with spay/neuter information during the clinic as part of our efforts to reach problem areas. Weaver Street Market Dog Days: Volunteers staffed an information booth with shelter animals, a general educational outreach. RSVP Reception: The Orange County Depart of Aging threw a recognition reception for volunteers within their Retired Senior Volunteer Program, with all participating agencies invited to attend. We were represented by our Program Coordinator. Carrboro Parks and Recreation, Kids Dog Show and Expo: Program Coordinator and volunteers staffed an information booth with shelter animals, another general educational outreach. Orange County Animal Services September 2005 Monthly Report Page 4 Animal Control Highlights This month we began demonstrating the percentages of intakes from our demographic areas, as well as strays versus surrenders and Animal Control field calls versus the public bringing animals directly to the shelter. Coupled with some of the info we’ve started to obtain from outreach programs, this is providing indications of where to concentrate our program efforts. Demographics Total Percent Animal Control From Public Incoming of Total Strays (4) Surrender Strays Surrender Chapel Hill 14 2 26 23 65 16.3% Carrboro 16 1 9 8 34 8.5% Hillsborough 4 7 11 12 34 8.5% Orange County 138 49 13 18 218 54.8% Night Deposit 0 0 36 4 40 10.1% Other County 0 0 3 4 7 1.8% Total 172 59 98 69 398 100.0% Strays 270 67.8% Animal Control 231 58.0% Surrenders 128 32.2% Public 167 42.0% 100.0% 100.0% Two positive rabies cases this month brought our year’s total to 19, which is roughly twice that we had last year. This is not necessarily an indication of increased rabies within the county, since this cannot be accurately determined without baseline sampling of representative populations. Increases in positive results can also come about from increases in human interaction (from population increases or habitat destruction), changes in testing protocols, or simply greater public reaction due to media attention – in other words, people contacting Animal Control for situations they may have ignored last year. Rabies Exposure Investigations Dogs Cats Other Total Exposures Investigated 5 6 6 17 Tested Positive 0 0 2 2 These tests are performed solely to determine if a given situation warrants post-exposure treatments or actions, and are a protective measure for both humans and animals within the county. The numbers themselves, however, indicate that rabies prevention remains a primary concern within the county. Vaccination Statistics Vaccinated at Shelter 41 29 70 Vaccinated at Vet Clinics 496 477 973 Vaccinated at Rabies Clinics 129 43 172 Total Vaccinations 666 549 1215 Orange County Animal Services September 2005 Monthly Report Page 5 Appendix Placement Rate: This is a gross statistic which relates the number of animals placed (adopted, reclaimed, rescued and transferred) to the number of animals admitted in a given time period. This is expressed as a percentage attained by dividing the number of animals placed by the number of animals admitted. Adoptable Placement Rate: To gain a clearer representation of the placement program, the animals brought to the shelter that are not part of the placement program are excluded, namely feral cats and owners requests for euthanasia. Since the number of feral cats in particular can vary a great deal from month to month, they can obscure the true effects of the program. The adoptable placement rate is obtained by subtracting the number of feral cats and owner’s requests for euthanasia from the total intake number before the number of placed animals is divided by it. This yields a more refined statistic. Percent of Total Dispositions, which are given in the statistical report, are different from the placement rates in that they do not relate to the number of animals brought into the shelter. They are, as the title implies, the total number of dispositions broken down by category. Their function is to demonstrate the accuracy of the statistics.