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Animal Services Advisory Board August 20, 2008 Meeting--Approved Minutes Page 3 had was the cost associated with having to purchase liability insurance in order to rescue animals from the Animal Shelter. Ms. Binkley with All Creatures and Animals Sanctuary expressed her concerns regarding the high cost of an insurance policy and said that as a small rescue group they could not afford the insurance. She noted that the members of groups such as hers are covered under homeowner’s insurance policies and indicated that should be sufficient. Another rescue group, Doberman Rescue, replied via e-mail, saying that most small rescue groups do not have the funds to obtain insurance specifically for rescues and that if this was a requirement they would not be able to take in animals through Placement Partner Group. After much discussion it was decided that it would best to craft the agreement with an exception for responsible organizations that could not afford their own insurance. Ross Oglesbee and Jean Austin agreed to draft such a provision, with the understanding that staff would have the final provision reviewed by the County Attorney and Risk Manager before submitting the document to the BOCC. Six-Month Foster Program Report—Jess Allison gave an overview of the January-June 2008 foster report. There were a total of 114 animals fostered through the Shelter’s foster program, which was 6 percent of the total number of animals admitted at the Shelter during this period. Compared to the previous six-months there were 31 more animals fostered and 36 more compared to the same period in 2007. Ms. Allison also reported that the areas of improvement that had been identified previously such as revising documents and forms had been implemented and have provided a positive change and resulted in increased efficiency. New Business— Pet Co-location in Disasters—Bob Marotto and Captain Clint Osborn of Emergency Services provided a handout (attached to these minutes) and gave an update on the current practices in Orange Count and the prospect of pet co-location. Co-location means you can bring your animal to a shelter with you and that you would be housed in one area of the building while your animal would be in another area such as a corridor. Their work has been done at the request of the County Manager, and they noted that school administrators are in support of this program and will work with Orange County. Emergency Services Departments is looking at purchasing a Companion Animal Mobile Equipment Trailer (CAMET), which contains the equipment needed for a co-located pet facility. Co-location standards have not yet been developed but Emergency Services and Animal Services are reviewing best practices as part of this project. Motion was made by Jean Austin and seconded by Susan Elmore that the ASAB support this initiative as it provides for humane treatment of animals and promotes the bond between human beings and animals. VOTE: Unanimous.