HomeMy WebLinkAboutAnimal Services News 08 15 2018
Animal Services News
August 15, 2018
1. Miscellaneous Updates
a. Easements and Walking Trails
i. Ongoing discussion with Duke Energy (DE) and other county staff about the DE
easement
ii. Expectation is there will be further discussion with OWASA and DE staff about
walking trail possibilities
b. Staffing and staff vacancies
i. We have recently hired a new
1. Program Coordinator (Cooper Hatch)
2. Animal Control Officer (Rachael Warwick)
3. Customer Service Rep (Kayla Harrelson)
4. Veterinary Health Care Technician (Danielle Aldrich)
ii. We are in the process of hiring
1. An Assistant Program Coordinator
2. Another Animal Control Officer
3. An Administrative Assistant
c. Monthly Stats
i. They are at a standstill due to staff changes
ii. They will be resumed as soon as possible
iii. There were 202 adoptions in July
2. Dog Fighting Case
a. Principal defendant has his next appearance later this month
b. In all there are five (5) defendants
i. The principal and his parents
ii. Two “caretakers”
c. The District Attorney has released all of the dogs for disposition
i. All defendants were afforded an “evidence hearing”
ii. The last hearing was July 24
iii. Exit exams have been performed
iv. DNA samples are being prepared for testing
d. Euthanasia of dogs not eligible for rehoming
i. They totaled 22 and included 18 dogs regarded as dangerous under NCGS and 4
dogs with unfavorable evaluations.
ii. They were all recently euthanized by our veterinary health care team.
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iii. Critical incident and compassion fatigue support have been provided to staff
and are available on a continuing basis.
e. Eight (8) dogs remain and they are all eligible for rehoming
i. They have been rehoused and have more enrichments
ii. We are reaching out to rescue groups to identify rehoming options
iii. The goal is to rehome these dogs through rescue groups familiar with the breed
and with experienced foster homes.
f. Legislative Agenda
i. N&O Editorial on need for legislative change, among other things.
3. Musical Enrichment
a. We are seeking to counteract stress and enrich the experience of animals with music
b. To date, music has been introduced to five (5) areas in animal holding and isolation
during a prototype phase in which there’s testing and de-kinking.
c. We are about to enter the second phase and add another 5 areas in the back part of the
facility.
d. It is a wireless system using Sonos speakers which:
i. Operate on a schedule for days, nights and nap time
ii. Can use radio stations or online services for music, white sound, etc.
iii. Allows different music to be played in different areas
iv. Allows room level control of volume with a small keypad
v. Allows centralized but flexible control, e.g., different music in different areas
e. The effort has been made possible by a generous donation.
4. Working Cats & Other Spay Neuter News
a. We have already sterilized more than 110 cats through this new community initiative
b. Almost fifty (50) of these are from a single farm in Northern Orange.
i. All but the most recent litter have been sterilized
ii. The remaining kittens will be sterilized or brought to the shelter for adoption
iii. The family is very pleased with the effort and outcome
c. Recall that the working farm cat program provides basic vaccinations including for rabies
as well as a microchip and license in addition to sterilization.
d. Broadened eligibility for subsidized spay and neuter:
i. We submitted a second year grant application to the Petrie Spay and Neuter
foundation to continue this effort.
ii. We have not heard in writing but what we have heard is very encouraging
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iii. With these funds we can continue to provide free spay and neuter for cats from
households up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level.
5. Upcoming Events
a. Clear the Shelters, Saturday, August 18
b. Back to School Adoption Special for the month of August
c. Spay & Neuter Day, August 22
Prepared by B. Marotto