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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 04-28-2005-2a4 ORANGE COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER SIX- MONTH PROGRESS REPORT July 2004 -December 2004 Organizational Summary With the hard work and support of many County Departments and the entire Animal Shelter staff, the Shelter has transitioned from APS management to County management, There were a number of challenges involved in the transition.. Staffing Staffing was the first and most immediate consideration. All supervisory management and several exempt staff went with APS, leaving the county to hire: 1 Shelter Operations Manager, 1 Administrative Service Manager, 1 Accounting Technician, 2 Health Care Technicians, 2 Animal Care Technicians and 1 Program Coordinator. In the early stages of the transition the Shelter was below staff but the County has since been able, not only to fill these positions, but to attract applicants with more experience and technical training. For example, the Shelter was able to hire two veterinary technicians with six years' experience each to fill the Health Care Technician positions. This has brought a higher level of knowledge and skill to the Shelter staff and allowed Shelter staff to provide more in house procedures, better monitor the health of the animals and more efficiently use the consulting veterinarian's time, The Shelter Operations Manager has management experience from a progressive shelter operation in Colorado and has brought new programs, procedures and ideas to the Orange County Animal Shelter, The Administrative Manager has been a professional computer and accounting consultant, run a professional photography business, and has previous management experience through APS. Several Animal Care Technicians have experience from other shelters, Fifteen permanent positions were approved for the transitional staffing structure, including one time-limited. Eight positions were filled through transfers from APS, and seven were filled through recruitment. The Animal Care Technician workload proved to be greater than initially anticipated and employees had to be pulled from other areas (such as, health care and office duties) for basic animal care duties. Temporary funds have been used to provide for the equivalent of two (2) additional temporary Animal Care Technicians. This has allowed Shelter management to more fully use staffs technical talents and define their duties more precisely, For example, office staff are now able to cross check lost and found reports, check lost reports against animals currently in the Shelter, and do a daily animal census rather than be pulled to other duties such as cleaning, This has accounted for the increase in animals returned to their owners. The Health Care Technicians can perform duties that take advantage of their advanced training and skill, Temporary help has allowed the Shelter to perform cleaning in a more through and timely manner and deliver better customer service, Shelter management is also observing improved staff stabi I ity/retention.. Attachment A is an organizational chart for the Animal Shelter. A mare thorough assessment of staff allocations and the need for temporary services will be part of budget planning and projections for the next fiscal year. The Shelter is able to provide more in house services for the animals. Treatments can be performed more quickly, with less expense and less staff time involved transporting animals. Shelter staff can treat a greater number of animals in house, which is not only cheaper, but also timelier, decreasing the amount of pain for animals with wounds or injuries. It has allowed the Shelter to do treatments that may not have been feasible in the past. The Transitional Operating Procedures Manual has been approved after input from the Shelter staff, County Management, the Review Committee, and the Shelter Task Force, This manual was based on the HSUS template and addresses many issues outlined in the consultation report. Attachment B is a copy of the Transitional Operating Procedures Manual approved by the Animal Shelter Operations Task Force at its January meeting. Animal Health Care A Health Care Technician examines each animal upon entry into the Shelter. Heartworm testing is performed for dogs, and Feline Leukemia and/or Feline AIDS testing for cats, Because of this initial screening the Shelter is better able to judge the adoptability of animals at intake giving us the opportunity to make better, more informed decisions on which animals should be available for adoption acid how to use the finite cage space more efficiently, Shelter staff can identify many of the diseased animals at admission and take appropriate measures to safe guard the health of the public and the general Shelter population, This increases confidence about the health of the animals being shown to the public, Prior to the adoption of this policy there was an instance in which a dog was admitted to the Shelter and kept for six days. At that time someone expressed interest in adopting the dog and it was tested for heartworm. The dog tested positive and the client declined the adoption. In this instance the cage space could have been better utilized by holding a healthy dog for a longer period and the client and their children were disappointed. Both outcomes could have been avoided if the Shelter had known the dog was identified as heariworm positive at intake.. All adoptable pets are given their inoculations including rabies upon intake so that both our pets and the Orange county residents are better protected. The Health Department and Animal Control supported rabies inoculation at intake. Attachment C illustrates the animal care services being conducted by in- house staff since July 1. Spay/Neuter Surgery The Nick's Road Clinic was the sole provider of sterilization far the adapted Shelter animals prior to the transition to County government.. This has been expanded to include two additional providers giving improved coverage for this service that must be performed before an adopted animal can be transferred to the new owner. The newest provider has enabled the Shelter to do adoptions on Saturday which is more convenient for our clients and allows them to take their new pet home when they can spend more time supervising and helping the new pet to settle in. The Shelter is considering an additional opportunity to acquire coverage on Sunday under a favorable price per animal rate. Equipment The Shelter has successfully completed replacing the basic equipment needed for the Shelter and in several cases upgraded or added equipment. New faster and more reliable computers - (We have also installed Chameleon, our shelter software, and trained staff.) Commercial dish washer, washer and dryer -Higher water and air temperatures sterilize dishes and soft materials aiding in preventing the spread of disease. Cat capes -New design corrects flaws on the previous cages. Kurunda dog beds -Have soft canvas tops that are more comfortable, higher off the floor to keep dogs warmer and provide better air circulation under the beds to keep floors drier, eliminating moisture that can harbor disease organisms, More precise scale -Better monitoring of weights and proper calibration of medication weights More medication -Faster, less expensive in house treatment of animals Programs -Outreach, Education, Communication, Special Events The Shelter has been able to continue many programs such as rabies clinics, temperament testing, environmental enrichment and the consulting veterinarian (expanding this to six days). Staff are currently working on an Outreach Program that would bring educational material and adoptable pets into the community. Sixteen people attended the Animal Handling and Shelter Procedures orientation on February 13, and ten volunteers are currently doing outreach. Two regular volunteer orientations are held each month. The Shelter has begun monthly rotations at Pet Supermarket, Phydeaux, PetsMart, and Walmart. Shelter staff also participated at the Carrboro Community Dinner and the Health Fair at Cedar Ridge High School.. The Shelter has commitments for continuing visitation at Phydeaux, PetsMart, Pet Supermarket and Wal-Mart for year round visitation and Southern States and Weaver Street Market spring through fall.. The OCAS will also be part of a new adoption program at the Morrisville Outlets. Annual events will include the Whole Foods Dog Wash, Chapel Hill Carrboro Christmas Parade, the Community Dinner at the McDougle School, Apple Chill, Festifall, Hillsborough Hog Day, Walkable Hillsborough, Hillsborough Last Friday and Carrboro's 4th of July. Staff is also in the beginning phase of implementing aspay/neuter outreach program that should help reduce the number of animals corning into the Shelter. This program will help identify populations that are inappropriately breeding animals and the means to reach these residents and pet owners, create a message which will motivate them to have their animals sterilized, and make services especially accessible and affordable. In Spring 2005 the Shelter is planning a county fair type event with exhibits, demonstrations, training, vendors and food. The tentative date and location are May 15 at Meadowmont. If successful, the Shelter would like to have a similar caliber event in the fall. The Shelter continues to receive positive media support. The Chapel Hill Herald and the Chapel Hill News both run pet of the week features. The Chapel Hill Herald is starting a new, monthly feature in February that will show 12 pets each sponsored by local businesses. WRAL gives us a monthly segment in the rotation of their Pet of the Day segment on the noon news. Shelter pets are featured on the Pe~nders Website. 4 The Shelter has put up a basic web presence on the County web site that makes customer information such as hours and location available on the Internet. With the assistance of volunteers, Shelter animals are on Pe~nders, a well-known and well-publicized adoption site. The public can view animals on line bath through a link on the Shelter site and directly through Petfinders, The Shelter's Administrative Services Manager has professional web site design experience and the plan is to use his skills to expand and improve the current web presence, The Shelter would like to make its web site an educational and information resource for the community. The Shelter's Program Coordinator has been exploring the possibilities of grants to fund programs such as ongoing funding for our spay/neuter outreach. The Shelter is currently applying for a grant to fund travel expenses to visit progressive shelters in other states to gain ideas for the new shelter. Volunteers and Donations Between July 1 and December 31, there have been 11 volunteer orientations and 70 active volunteers have contributed over 1452 hours. The Shelter continues to receive a great deal of voluntary support from the community as well as support in the form of in kind and monetary donations; the latter category is now above the amount budgeted for 04-05, These include a $10,000 bequest from the estate of Suzanne E. Day, a donation of $1500 from Franklin Street Reality, Chapel Hill, and a donation of $470 from GWS Apartment Homes. Volunteers are the basis for programs such as temperament testing and environmental enrichment. The Shelter continues to be a work in progress and staff has progressed beyond the point of basic "setting up issues" and is now looking to creating programs and procedures that improve the future of the Shelter and the animals in our care. Submitted by Joe Pulcinella Orange County Animal Shelter Director 5 ANIMAL SHELTER ORGANIZATION CHART { ANIMAL SHELTER DIRECTOR (1) PROGRAM COORDINATOR (t ) { ACCOUNTING TECHNICIAN (1) { SHELTER OPERATIONS MANAGER (1) TH CARE ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER (1) NEW ANIMAL HEALTH PROCEDURES AS OF JULY I, 2004 Performed within 24 hours of intake: • Detailed physical exam by a Health Care Technician (experienced veterinary technicians) FELV/FIV tests (cats over 6 months); FELV (cats under 6 months) • Heartworm test (dogs) • General vaccinations • Rabies vaccinations New in house services: • Eligible adopted dogs receive heartworm preventative • Adopted animals are microchipped Wound, laceration and injury treatment • Simple fracture can be set • Heartworm treatments Diagnostic procedures such as ear cytology and fungal cultures / All animals are monitored daily for health changes by Health Care Technicians. / Detailed medical records are kept for each animal. / Health Gare Technicians can give more detailed and technical information to clients improving customer service and education because of their veterinary technician experience. Animal Services Advisory Board Potential Make-Up The BOCC had not yet appointed to the Animal Services Advisory Board, The Clerk's Office has continued to advertise for volunteer positions on the Animal Services Advisory Board. Below are the many responses and how the current interested parties could be appointed. Veterinarian from Health Board Edith Wilder Veterinarian Kristin Ber strand Town Of Carrboro A ointee Ross O lesbee Town of Cha el Hill A ointee No a licants from Town Limits Town of Hillsborough Appointee (pick one) 1. Susan Caskie 2, Catherine Diederich 3. Suzanne Ro Non-Municipality (pick one) 1, Nancy Beach 2.James Kramer At-Large (pick one) 1. Pat Sanford 2. Bonnie Norwood At-Large (pick one) 1. Daniel Textoris 2. James Kramer Piedmont Wildlife Center Kristin Ber strand* FOCAS Jean Connerat-Levine APS Lisa Smith Certified Animal Handler/TrainedTech ick one i, Tamberly Campbell 2. Pat Sanford °' Kristin Bergstrand applied as a representative of Piedmont Wildlife Center, but she is also a veterinarian, so she could fill either position,.