Agenda - 02-12-2013 - 1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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9 Microchip placement has been shown to improve pet recovery rates. The committee also believes that microchip placement will reduce staff time and effort in identification of pets and their respective owners, provide easier documentation of animals repeatedly brought in to the shelter, as well as confirmation of ownership in situations in which the owner denies responsibility for the stray pet. The Animal Services microchip fee will cover implantation of the chip as well as registration of the animal with the microchip company prior to the animal leaving the shelter. The fee will be in addition to other fees, including the impoundment fee, boarding fee, rabies vaccination fee, licensing fee, and any other fees the animal may have incurred during an animal's stay at OCAS. If the owner finds these recovery fees difficult to pay because of limited resources, OCAS staff may be able to set up a payment plan for the owner (depending upon prior contact, the circumstances of impoundment, and other factors). B. Mandatory sterilization of stray animals repeatedly impounded by OCAS: This committee was charged with considering whether legislative action should be taken to require sterilization of animals repeatedly impounded by OCAS and recovered by owners. Six major factors were considered by subcommittee members: 1. Respect for owner choice 2. Safety and care of the animals and pet overpopulation 3. Safety of the general community 4. Sensitivity to pet owners who are experiencing difficult financial circumstances 5. Costs incurred by OCAS as a result of repeated impoundments 6. Consideration of additional time and effort required of the staff regarding instatement of new recommendations Given the preponderance of evidence and opinions against mandatory spay /neuter laws for all animals in a jurisdiction, and the lack of any evidence of spay/neuter laws restricted to recovered stray animal populations, the subcommittee unanimously agreed not to recommend that mandatory spay/neuter laws be implemented for animals recovered by owners from OCAS. It was further noted that State of North Carolina veterinary Practice Acts do not allow OCAS the option to sterilize cats and dogs in the shelter that are owned by someone other than Orange County. The committee recommends a multifaceted approach to encourage owners of recovered animals to spay/neuter their dogs and cats. The goals are to: 1. Educate owners about the benefits of spaying/neutering their pets. Every contact OCAS staff has with an owner of a recovered animal is an opportunity to educate the owner about the benefits of spaying/neutering his/her pet. OCAS should create an easy -to- read handout (copies in English and in Spanish) that can be given to the owner to reinforce information delivered face -to -face. 2. Ensure that owners are aware of affordable, accessible, safe, and efficient spay/neuter programs in our area. Every contact OCAS staff has with an owner of a recovered animal is an opportunity to let him/her know about spay/neuter options in the community. It is particularly important to make pet owners aware of Orange County's Community Spay/Neuter Program, which provides low-- cost and no -cost pet sterilization on the basis of either household income or the receipt of public assistance. This program also provides the general population with information about spay/neuter services in the area. The handout mentioned above will contain this information, as well as contact information for OCAS staff responsible for helping residents to access affordable spay/neuter options. 3. Identify low- income families who may be reluctant to spay/neuter their pets due to cost, and provide personalized service to link then/ to affordable, accessible, safe, and efficient spay/neuter programs.