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Animal Services Monthly Report July, 2008 <br /> <br />8 <br />Another recent challenge has been the overall economic downturn that North Carolina <br />and other regions have experienced in recent months. As has been discussed in <br />professional publications and reviewed on national networks news coverage, this <br />economic burden has forced many people to give up things they once were more able to <br />afford, including pets. Our impression is that may not only be affecting not only <br />adoption numbers, but also reclaim rates and the ability for people to provide different <br />levels of care such as spaying and neutering pets. Despite the economy’s effects on <br />businesses of all kinds, adoption and reclaim numbers have stayed moderately level, in <br />part due to staff’s dedicated work in areas such as outreach, visibility, awareness, and <br />education. <br /> <br /> <br />Conclusion <br /> <br />As a very young department that only came into existence in 2005, Animal Services <br />continues to develop new ways in which to better serve the animals and citizens of the <br />county. As suggested in our discussion of pet overpopulation, there are a number of <br />initiatives that must be taken to effectively address the underlying problem of pet <br />overpopulation. These include the creation of a spay/neuter fund and an effective <br />program to address feral cats, among others, and steps are being taken toward those goals <br />by the department in coordination with the Animal Services Advisory Board. <br /> <br />Also, on behalf of its citizens the County has committed itself to building a new animal <br />services facility. With the opening of this facility at the end of 2008, for the first time <br />Animal Control, the Animal Shelter, and Administrative staff will be housed under the <br />same roof. In addition to providing some true economies of scale, and better allowing the <br />coordination of animal services, it is expected that this facility will help to overcome one <br />of the major inhibitions to our placement efforts—namely, the inhibition that members of <br />the public have toward earlier generations of shelters which are often perceived as <br />dreadful places. <br /> <br />As it is being designed as a resource center that is an attractive public destination, the <br />new facility is expected to have a very positive affect on the number of adoptions, <br />transfers, community outreach programs, public visitors—and much more. With its <br />innovative and modern design, this new facility will become a community asset and help <br />further staff efforts to deliver integrated and coordinated animal services to the citizens of <br />Orange County. As well, it is intended and expected to enhance our adoption activities <br />and increase our average rate of “live releases” at the same time as it enables our staff to <br />work with community stakeholders to more effectively address and ultimately resolve the <br />pressing problem of pet overpopulation.