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10 <br /> <br /> <br />Three (3) ASAB members serve on the Animal Services Hearing Panel Pool. They chair the <br />appeal hearing panels convened under the Unified Animal Ordinance. Each month there have <br />been between two (2) and four (4) appeal hearings (ranging in time from three-quarters of an <br />hour up to two hours). <br /> <br />Unified Animal Ordinance: Several items of concern have arisen in the hearing process <br />experience over the last year. Some of these are more technical issues but there is a general <br />policy issue as well, namely, whether there should be more gradations in the manner in which a <br />dog is declared a danger to the public. As one panel member recently noted after a challenging <br />hearing, the ordinance does not have a lot of flexibility in this area and everyone would feel <br />better about their service if more tools were available to use in administering this part of the <br />ordinance. Thus, the ASAB will be considering whether there are reasonable options that may <br />be put into the language of an amendment for consideration by the BOCC. <br /> <br />Also, the board proposed a change from “vicious” to “dangerous” in the UAO and the BOCC <br />adopted an amendment making the change. This is a good illustration of the interdependence <br />of the ASAB and the Animal Services Hearing Panel Pool. In this case, members of the Animal <br />Services Hearing Panel Pool became concerned that the “vicious” language was alarming to <br />the owners of animals so deemed and the three members of the pool from the ASAB brought <br />this concern before the board for consideration. <br /> <br />Pets of the Homeless: Working with the county’s Homelessness Coordinator to identify <br />community resources that can be tapped to help care for pets belonging to the homeless as <br />they undergo different transitions. Among the expected deliverables for this collaborative effort <br />are an infographic and an inventory of assorted services and resources that may be useful to <br />people with pets who are homeless or who are trying to make a transition to some kind of <br />housing. This has been a perplexing problem for Animal Services to deal with on its own and <br />there is a strong sense that a broad based approach is the most successful way to find <br />solutions to what are very stressful situations. <br /> <br />Pat Sanford Award: <br />Three members of the ASAB serve on the review committee for the Pat Sanford Animal <br />Welfare Award. The committee is charged with reviewing applications and making a selection <br />based upon award criteria. <br /> <br />Accomplishments: <br />The ASAB continued to work with staff and stakeholders managing pet overpopulation in <br />Orange County. Free-roaming cats have been of great significance to recent eff orts in this <br />area, and among other things, the ASAB and staff together have sought to establish strong <br />working relations with potential community partners. These have included efforts to craft a <br />“working barn cat” program with the Agriculture Preservation Board. <br /> <br />Commissioner McKee asked if there has been any feedback from utility companies that <br />this easement would not be available, once the construction is complete. <br />Bob Marotto said there was an initial meeting with Duke Energy last week, and they <br />seemed open to letting Animal Services (AS) use the easement while the work is being done, <br />but AS is reviewing the processes before moving forward. <br />Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the dogs rescued from the dog-fighting ring have <br />been cared for.