Animal Shelter Statistics - 07-2006

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Orange County Animal Services – July 2006 Monthly Report – Page 7 In addition to these kinds of “rabies exposure investigations,” our Animal Control Officers are also responsible for bite reports involving dogs and cats (as well as other animals) and a human victim. In these cases, it is a legal requirement and public health precaution that a dog or cat biting a human being be contained and observed for a period of ten (10) days—thereby ensuring that the bite victim was not exposed to the rabies virus. As can be seen from the above Table, in July there were seventeen (17) such bite quarantines. Efforts to ensure current vaccination, for the welfare of pets and the people with whom they come into contact, are ongoing and activities in this area are captured by vaccination statistics compiled by our Animal Control Division. As is ordinarily the case, the majority of these vaccinations – 1,358 out of a total of 1,713 vaccinations – continue to be performed at veterinary establishments that service pet owners who reside in Orange County. And another eighty-four (84) animals were vaccinated at our Animal Shelter prior to their adoption or recovery. More than two hundred and fifty dogs and cats were vaccinated as a direct result of other Animal Services Department activities. More specifically, two hundred and seventy-one (271) vaccinations were given at three low cost vaccination clinics held throughout the County in the month of July. As a result of July’s activities, so far in 2006 one thousand two hundred and forty-six (1,246) dogs and cats have been vaccinated at low cost vaccination clinics. Seventy percent (n=871) of the vaccinated animals were dogs and thirty percent (n=375) were cats. These are the year-to-date cumulative totals of the fifteen low cost clinics and one rabies vaccination special conducted through the end of July. Rabies Vaccinations within Orange County Dogs Cats Total Vaccinated at Shelter 50 34 84 Vaccinated at Vet Clinics 598 760 1358 Vaccinated at Rabies Clinics 174 97 271 Total Vaccinations 822 891 1713 Appendix Placement Rate: This is a gross statistic which relates the number of animals placed (adopted, reclaimed and transferred) to the number of animals admitted in a given time period. This is expressed as a percentage attained by dividing the number of animals placed by the number of animals admitted. Adoptable Placement Rate: To gain a clearer representation of the placement program, the animals brought to the shelter that are not part of the placement program are excluded, namely feral cats and owner requests for euthanasia. Since the number of feral cats in particular can vary a great deal from month to month, they can obscure the true effects of the program. The adoptable placement rate is obtained by subtracting the number of feral cats and owner requests for euthanasia from the total intake number before the number of placed animals is divided by it. This yields a more refined statistic since the absent animals are generally not regarded as animals that can be placed in new homes. Percent of Total Dispositions, which are given in the statistical report, are different from the placement rates in that they do not relate to the number of animals brought into the shelter. They are, as the title implies, the total number of dispositions broken down by category. Their function is to demonstrate the accuracy of the statistics.