Minutes - 20021028 - Laserfiche WebLink

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accepts wildlife, the staff should have basic triage skills for wildlife. Secondly, APS has an agreement with several pet stares to adopt out pets. PetSmart has vet services on- site. A friend of hers adopted a cat from PetSmart. When she first saw it, it was sneezing, and when she picked it up it was visibly ill. She asked PetSmart why this cat was not treated, and the vet said it was because it belonged to the APS. PetSmart was afraid to tell the APS that the cat was sick because they thought that AP5 would euthanize it. She recommended that the APS, in their contract with the pet stores, build in a veterinary allowance far these cats. She said that the APS has some good people, but we all have things that need work. Tina Bennett is a new staff member at APS. She said that she has heard stories she can believe and some that she cannot believe. The bottom line is that there are two sides to every story. She said that the only way to resolve these things is with outside evaluation. Victoria Shields said that her family adopted a cat from the APS. She said that, despite what seemed like a chaotic situation at APS, they were able to adapt this cat. She said that she attended Casey's appeal hearing at the request of an acquaintance, and she found defensiveness and hostility and an "us against them" mentality. She said that the truth is that we need to look at a problem and figure out haw to resolve the problem and not take the issues personally. Anne Marie Meyer said that the two sides need to compromise and each group should give a little. She is trying to understand each side of the story. She hopes that the APS Board and the People for a Change can also compromise. 3. Board Discussion and Direction to Staff on the Proposed Piedmont Wildlife Center and Proposed External Evaluation of the (7range County Animal Shelter Chair Jacobs asked John Link or Rosemary Summers to walk the Board through the recommended course of action. John Link said that they are proposing a public process that includes a contract with the Humane Society of the United States. There is a general timeline with the elements that the Board of County Commissioners wants to be examined. The recommended elements that the Humane Society will examine are as follows: -program and management improvements -public interaction and customer service and satisfaction -consider what is necessary for the design, maintenance, and programming of any new facility -disease control -adoption policies -look at present provisions and make recommendations for improvements for effective law cost spay/neuter operations -look at animal shelter's operational policies, procedures, and protocols (including budgeting process) -haw they keep records -rules of the animal shelter and haw they are reviewed and adjusted -look at the governing structure of the animal shelter -recommend methods to insure continuous public feedback in the process The Board of County Commissioners can add any additional elements. The cost of this study will come out of the Board of County Commissioners' contingency account ar other account and not the Health Department's budget.