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Animal Services News
April 20, 2016
SELECT SHELTER STATS
• Our adjusted live release rate for the month of March was 91 percent (n=224)
• We had 100 transfers—possibly an all-time high—in March largely thanks to Carolina
Waterfowl Rescue taking 80 gamecocks to be rehomed
• Quarterly (Q1) Comparison for 2016 and 2015
o Euthanasia is down by about one third (96 vs 143)
o Overall, intakes are down – 5 percent for cats (172 vs. 182) and 10 percent for
dogs (330 vs. 367)
o Absolute live releases are up by 102 animals (519 vs. 417)
o Our unadjusted live release rate is up (82 percent vs. 73 percent)
o Strangely, dog adoptions are down (140 to 192)
Post-Exposure Rabies Management
• Attached are our new operating guidelines, developed in coordination with Orange
County’s Health Director on the basis of the 2016 Compendium of Rabies
• Changes apply to cats and dogs, while ferrets will be mostly managed as in the past
• Changes for dogs and cats include a 4 (vs. 6) month quarantine for unvaccinated
animals, and a booster vaccination for animals with current vaccination or a lapsed
but documented vaccination
• Other significant changes include:
o The possibility of titer testing for dogs and cats without a current vaccination
or documentation of a past vaccination
o A 45-day period of home “control and observation for dogs” and cats that have
received a booster shot within 96 hours of their (suspected) exposure
o The requirement for animals to have an exam by a veterinarian, in addition to
a booster vaccination
• The Health Director and Animal Services Director are planning to communicate again
with area veterinary clinics in to increase awareness of these changes
Odds & Ends
• Staff had a very positive meeting with Corey Root, Orange County’s new Homeless
Program Coordinator
o One next step is to meet with staff and some members of the Animal Services
Advisory Board
o A following step may be to create a work group to make some specific
recommendations
• We are on the brink of converting all stainless steel cat “cages” so that adjacent
enclosures are connected by a pass-through with a door
o Conversion kits available from the Shelter Medicine Program at the University
of California, Davis are on site and a contractor’s agreement is being drafted
Animal Services News
April 20, 2016
Page 2
o This project is made possible by donations received through the Orange County
Community Giving Fund.
• We are in the process of creating a Facebook page dedicated to our placement
partners, that is, the rescue groups with whom we have transfer agreements
o A prime benefit is more efficient and effective communication with and
between numerous rescue groups in regard to animals available for rescue
transfer
o Other organizations have found a dedicated Facebook page to save vast
amounts of time and produce higher number of rescue transfers, and have
found it to be a preferred method for communication about these needs among
rescue organizations
Staffing & Staff Development
• Positions and Internships
o We are in the process of filling two vacant Animal Care Technician positions
o We’ve created an Animal Care Supervisor position from an Animal Care
Technician position which we are in the process of filling
o We’ve created a Veterinary Health Care Technician Internship which we appear
to be ready to fill with a student from the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine
• Training and Development
o A roundtable discussion of wildlife issues was held with the NC Wildlife
Resource Commission District Wildlife Biologist and the Orange County Master
Enforcement Office plus the Executive Director of CLAWS
o CLAWS provided a basic training and refresher for responding to and referring
springtime wildlife questions and service requests was offered to all staff
o Two Animal Care Technicians and one Office Assistant recently attended a
Sheltering 101 class sponsored by the North Carolina Animal Federation
o Two Animal Control Officers will be attending the National Animal Control and
Humane Officer Level II Training Academy in Concord, NC in May
o Our Communications Specialist recently attended a conference for NC City and
County Communicators in mid-April
COMING EVENTS
• Ongoing is our Spring Adoption Special for the month of April (all adoptions fees are
reduced by half)
• Our seventh (7th) Annual Open House will be held from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday
June 4 at the Animal Services Center
• Our next low cost Rabies Vaccination Clinic will be held from 5 to 7 pm, Thursday, May
12 at the Eno River Farmers Market in Hillsborough
Prepared by Bob Marotto,
Animal Services Director