Orange County NC Website
<br /> <br />be put into the language of an amendment for consideration by the BOCC. <br /> <br />Managing Pet Overpopulation: The board will continue to work with staff to <br />implement a plan for managing free roaming cats. In particular, the board <br />will coordinate with staff to coordinate with the Agricultural Preservation <br />Board and other entities to advance the “working farm cat” program. The <br />board will also continue to work with staff to develop community <br />partnerships and resources for addressing the challenges presented by <br />free roaming cats in Orange County. <br /> <br />More generally, the board will work with staff to ensure that organizational <br />forms and practices responsible for the county’s success in managing over <br />population are recognized, supported and extended into the future. This is <br />a critical commitment to ensure that pet overpopulation is managed in the <br />long run in Orange County in a humane as well as cost effective manner. <br /> <br />Community Services and Community Centers: The board will continue to <br />work with staff to consider how to best implement community-oriented <br />developments in the fields of animal welfare and animal services in Orange <br />County. Exemplary of these developments is Pets for Life, a new initiative <br />oriented toward supporting pet ownership in underserved parts of the <br />county and related efforts seeking to enhance pet retention. It is expected <br />that Animal Services will partner with established community centers in <br />Orange County to build stronger community relations through which <br />various services and resources can become better known. Specifically, <br />plans are being developed to offer two community wellness clinics and <br />also to participate in several of the summer programs hosted by the <br />community centers. <br /> <br />Pets of the Homeless: Working with the county’s Homelessness <br />Coordinator to identify community resources that can be tapped to help <br />care for pets belonging to the homeless as they undergo different <br />transitions. Among the expected deliverables for this collaborative effort <br />are an infographic and an inventory of assorted services and resources <br />that may be useful to people with pets who are homeless or who are trying <br />to make a transition to some kind of housing. This has been a perplexing <br />problem for Animal Services to deal with on its own and there is a strong <br />sense that a broad based approach is the most successful way to find <br />solutions to what are very stressful situations. <br /> <br />Suffering Animal Surrenders: A task force of board members and staff has <br />been created to develop a satisfactory approach to animals suffering from <br />neglect that are surrendered to Animal Services. The task force is <br />expected to consider the pros and cons of sanctions up to and including <br />criminal prosecution. The task force is also expected to consider how to <br />address the potential adoption of animals by people who have surrendered