Animal Shelter Statistics 03-2009

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Animal Services Monthly Report March, 2009 6 allow the Animal Services Department to work with several existing programs to promote Spay/ Neuter and responsible pet ownership throughout Orange County in the coming months and years. In 2008, Animal Services, with assistance from the Department of Social Services, partnered with AnimalKind’s “The $20 Fix” to offer low-cost and no-cost spay/neuter surgeries to pets of qualifying households in Orange County. It is the hope of Animal Services and Orange County that this program will increase the number of pets that are spayed and neutered in the County, and in turn help eliminate the ongoing problem of pet overpopulation we face as a community. More information and an application can be found online at www.animalkind.org. Other legislative options include an extra redemption fee for intact animals recovered from the Animal Shelter, which can be refunded if they are sterilized within a given time period, and permit systems that require a permit for dogs and cats that are going to be bred. Moreover, there is an overwhelming need to address the deep-seated problem of feral cats in Orange County. Month after month feral cats (as defined by their community history and/or observed behaviors in the context of the shelter) are one of the largest groups of animals euthanized. In March, 43 feral cats were euthanized, and they comprised 57 percent of all cats euthanized during the month (and 33 percent of all animals euthanized). In fact, euthanasia of feral cats is not a “shelter problem,” but rather a community problem, and it needs to be addressed as such. There is a great need for initiatives in the area of public education to raise awareness insofar as euthanasia is the end result for most of these creatures, and their presence must be considered in relation to the risk of rabies, given the ongoing and endemic nature of so-called “raccoon rabies” in our County and region. Thus addressing the problem of feral cats has also been a major objective for the County’s Animal Services Department, and will be included in the Community Spay/ Neuter Fund’s program scope, beginning next fiscal year. These are illustrations of the kinds of positive and proactive approaches that are needed to address the problem of pet overpopulation as a community problem. In working to reduce the number of unwanted animals that must be sheltered in our own communities, we would also expect improvements in some of the outcomes of our sheltering practices. We should all look forward to the day when there are very good numbers of adoptions and “live releases” but no less notable ongoing decreases in the number of animals that come to our shelter. Rabies Cycle, Rabies Prevention and Rabies Control With respect to rabies control—historically a core function of animal control—there is a continuing concern about positive rabies tests based upon public reporting and our