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She announced that Commissioner Carey was out of town and could not attend <br />the meeting. <br />II. HSUS Animal Shelter Study <br />Consultation Services Director for the Humane Society of the United States Kate <br />Pullen introduced her staff. She gave a PowerPoint presentation. <br />aj Presentation from the Humane Society of the United States on Assessment <br />of the Orange County Animal Shelter -Kate Pullen, Consultation Services <br />Director. HSUS <br />Process Overview <br />o The Animal Services Consultation process started out about 10 years ago as the <br />E Team, and is now a formal process and they do eight to nine a year far multiple <br />agencies. <br />o They put out a call to the public for input sa that they have an idea of how the <br />agency is perceived in the community. <br />o The Dispute Settlement Center report on APS was very valuable to HSUS in <br />putting together this report. <br />o They did have special one an one meetings with community advocates -both <br />critics and advocates. <br />o The report is delivered about three months after the site visit. It is a very long <br />process and is well thought out. In Orange County, they were asked by the <br />County to provide a preliminary report specifically on issues that had come to the <br />service about animal health problems, etc. <br />Suggestions on How to Receive the Report <br />o The report has observations, recommendations, and discussion. <br />o They specifically do not prioritize any of the recommendations because they feel <br />that they would be putting the agency in a hard place. <br />o Many agencies have been successful by establishing a task force to evaluate the <br />recommendations. <br />o It is important that the report be used as a tool and not a weapon. <br />Agencies With the Most Success Have Used the Report As: <br />o A springboard for strategic planning <br />o Status of where we are now and where we need to go <br />o Opportunity for change <br />o Opportunity to prioritize community goals and apply the needed budget and <br />staffing to achieve those goals <br />Kate Pullen said that HSUS was criticized on the preliminary report in that it had nothing <br />positive to say about APS. She said that this is true because the County and APS asked <br />them to provide the things in the preliminary report that needed immediate attention to <br />address animal health. This is generally not the place to put positive things. It was not <br />HSUS's intention to give everyone the impression that APS is devoid of strengths. <br />Strengths <br />o Dedicated and compassionate staff <br />