Chapel Hill News May 19, 2004 Numbers don't match APS representations APS President Ann Peterson stated to the Orange County Board of Commissioners on April 20 that shelter animals are owned by the county and could not receive veterinarian services through APS at a lower cost than it offers the public. Instead, she said, the county would pay double the rate, or $22,000 per month, for these services. "It's not that we don't want to help, but state law prohibits us to cooperate." APS is a private, nonprofit corporation with the charitable purpose of "promoting the care of the stray, mistreated, or hurt animal." It contracts with a licensed veterinarian for spay/neuter services and in the past has made a profit on this service. This profit was formerly used to fund its now defunct wildlife operation. APS can charge any rate it chooses and can offer a lower rate for owners with many animals. No state law "prohibits us to cooperate." APS's proposed charge of $264,000 per year is more than twice what it charges the public. It is 60 percent of the $428,818 county payment for running the shelter last year. The $264,000 comes from the claim that an average of 80 to 100 county animals are spay/neutered each week, more than 4,000 each year. Actually only 1,855 dogs and cats were adopted last year and 1,977 in 2002, based on APS reports to the county. Based on APS public rates, this should cost the county only $119,377, not $264,000. Peterson testified in her deposition that she did not know why APS has not yet filed its income tax return that was due in July 2003. She did not know why APS had not received financial statements for that year or for the previous year. Former APS secretary and board member Virginia Ellington wrote the Humane Society of the United States that "the board has little understanding of the financial records, number and disposition of animals, membership lists and other aspects of the Shelter's overall operation." Evidently the same is true of Ann Peterson. I believe that this is a violation of her fiduciary responsibility. APS is removing all equipment from the shelter, requiring the county to purchase new equipment for $107,000. APS is holding the county animals hostage, asking that the county pay APS for lost adoption fees on July 1 or else APS will keep the animals. APS clearly has contempt for the Orange County commissioners, the public that has generously supported APS and the animals. APS is no longer worthy of public support. -- Elliot Cramer, Chapel Hill --- Comment: These are only the latest in a series of blunders by APS. The County is now investigating a possible violation of the State animal cruelty statute during the interim manager's tenure (see www.ourpaws.info "the story of Hope". What APS originally proposed as a kennel/adoption center morphed into a half-way house for which they now claim to have raised about $200,000 (after previously claiming $350,000). It appears that this will now be an animal warehouse. APS has committed itself to taking about 200 of ITS shelter animals on July 1, about five weeks from now. Given the current state of construction, it is not apparent where these animals will be housed. With its outrageous and uninformed veterinary cost estimates, APS has lost the opportunity to provide steady income for its Nicks Road animal clinic. After allowing for animals already spay/neutered, the County estimates only 1500 animals will require surgery next year. Four proposals to the County are now in hand. With this loss in income, the Nicks Road clinic can not survive. Barring a multi-million dollar inheritance, neither can APS. Former APS Board member and Secretary Virginia Ellington resigned over a year ago when she realized that she could not effect positive change in APS. She later wrote: "How in the world did so few do so much damage to so much in such a short time? No one on the outside is responsible for all of this. The Society self destructed. It is sad to see all of this happen. It's almost like the death of a dear friend." APS top 15 blunders 1. Appointing Laura Walters Executive Director 2. Abandoning its plans for a kennel/adoption center with an associated loss of $65,797.06 3. Firing Bobby Schopler 4. Ignoring its personnel committee's unanimous recommendation to put Laura Walters on administrative leave for "poor management judgment and lack of integrity and trust" 5. Closing the Wildlife Center 6. Taking voting rights away from the APS membership 7. Suing Cramer and Reitman for slander to shut them up 8. Not firing Laura Walters and the APS Executive Committee immediately after the HSUS Preliminary Report 9. Mismanagement that caused APS to suffer a loss of $257,915 in fiscal year 2002-2003 10. Attempting to blackmail the County with its demand for an extra $10,600 per month to operate the shelter 11. Appointing Suzy Cooke interim manager 12. Demanding that the County reimburse APS for lost adoption revenue or else it would keep its animals on July 1 13. Demanding $264,000 for spay/neutering and veterinarian care after July 1 14. Contracting for a $550,000 "adoption center" after it was apparent that APS would not retain its County contract and would not have any revenue to support it 15. Hiring a staff of eight effective July 1 at a cost of over $250,000 per year with only $370,000 in the bank (as of July 1, 2003) ________________________________________________________________ Chapel Hill Herald May 24, 2004 Making a break from pet prisons BY JESSE KAUFMANN Guest Columnist Animal sheltering as a practice is changing with the times. I have been researching what the most modern shelters are doing to help save animal lives, improve the quality of life for the animals, and end pet overpopulation. How do the best shelters carry out their missions? I discovered that animal shelters have changed since I worked in one years ago. Even though our shelter had fantastic workers who were very good to the animals, it was still a grim place to work. Shelters don't have to be animal prisons. They can be humane and enriching places for the animals. I visited the new Wake SPCA nonprofit facility that opened in March. The shelter is beautiful with a soaring entryway. The architecture greets visitors with its lofty humanitarian vision. Housing for the animals is like a deluxe zoo habitat where domestic animals are viewed through large windows in hospitable "pods." It is a far cry from the cages that one expects in a shelter. The pods house just a few dogs each; the free-roaming cat rooms house about 10 cats. Pods are spacious and clean with beautiful colored tile. Animals are not howling or barking. It does not smell. The animals can move around in their rooms. They can occupy themselves by chewing on playtoys stuffed with treats. Trained volunteers and staff use positive reinforcement training methods to socialize the dogs daily. The environment is safe, cozy and stimulating. Temperament testing determines the best canine candidates for adoption and their daily routine is structured to provide the animals with enrichment. Dogs are taken out for playtime several times a day by volunteers or staff. They are put to bed in their own crates at night. This is cozy for the dog, and they are on their way to being housebroken when they are adopted by their new owners. A behaviorist is careful to monitor personalities of each animal to match up good roommates. This works extremely well with the dogs. Cats are matched up in free-roaming rooms, which have been proven to yield a higher adoption rate than caged cats. The resulting rapid rate of adoption is the big payoff for cats and dogs whose stay at the shelter is often only two weeks or less. Even a small shelter can create a calm and enriching environment for the animals. Animal behaviorist and shelter owner Sue Sternberg owns Roundout Valley Kennels in Accord, N.Y. She converted many chained kennels into cozy rooms for the dogs she houses. Each room has at minimum a bed and toys, some even have a sofa or chair. The closed walls give the dogs safety and privacy. People view the animals through an open Dutch door, yet the dogs don't have to stare at each other. Shelter workers say the rooms are easier to clean and sterilize than chain link cages. Both Roundout Valley and Wake SPCA rely heavily on temperament testing by a skilled behaviorist. It is important that aggressive animals are not sent home to people who want to have a nice family pet. Temperament testing prevents prospective owners from physical harm and emotional distress. New owners do not need to experience the frustration, guilt and disappointment of adopting an animal that they cannot keep. Counselors match families to compatible animals and advise the new owners how to help their new pet make a smooth transition to their home. I reflected back on my own golden retriever who came into the shelter when she was 8 weeks old. At the time she couldn't be with other puppies because of disease exposure, no toys were allowed in the kennel because she might choke, and she did not bond with people because she was seldom handled. Even though she was adopted the day she came in, she wasn't allowed to go home until her weight came up. She fell ill and the initial adopters removed their deposit. It took a solid year of working constantly to stop her "mouthing" my hands with her needle sharp puppy teeth. It took over a year before she could stay calm enough to be petted. It doesn't have to be like that anymore. I am working to see that the newest shelter in Orange County, at the aps Felicite Latane Animal Sanctuary in Mebane, will be a progressive shelter where every animal gets a home and every animal and their owner have access to the resources to enjoy a lifetime of love together. Jesse Kaufmann is a member of the Education Outreach Committee of the Animal Protection Society of Orange County -- The new APS shelter which probably will not be ready before August has conventional kennels which appear to be somewhat narrower than the County kennels. (see http://www.animalprotectionsociety.org/facilities/adoptioncenter.html) ________________________________________________________________ Durham Herald May 24, 2004 County shelter must take all animals; private shelters can choose BY CHRISTOPHER KIRKPATRICK : The Herald-Sun ckirkpatrick@heraldsun.com DURHAM -- Carrie Miller strokes a frisky orange-and-white cat at the Durham County Animal Shelter. She doesn't want to talk about her nightmares. Mostly, Miller says, she just tells herself that the cats she "puts to sleep" have gone peacefully. In animal shelter parlance, it's called "pulling papers." And in the summertime, during high kitten season, any cat or kitten's file could be pulled. It happens in a back room with nine metal cages, where the cats lie in the dark after a lethal injection. The room is next to another that houses a dull green furnace that cremates the dead bodies of cats and dogs too sick, too vicious or too unlucky to be adopted. Animal rescue professionals say euthanasia is necessary. But a new "no-kill" shelter in Wake County -- the Curtis Dail Pet Adoption Center -- has raised questions from the public lately about the practice, several shelter managers say. The Wake shelter's "no-kill" name makes the Durham shelter and others nearby seem like cruel killing houses, say Durham shelter manager Jennifer Sherian and shelter managers from other counties. And that creates a poor, inaccurate perception, they say. "We've had people call up and say, 'Why aren't you going to be a no-kill?' " Sherian said. The Durham shelter took in 2,688 cats and kittens and 3,793 dogs and puppies in 2003 for a total of 6,481 animals. Of those, 1,002, or 15 percent, were adopted; 4,808 cats and dogs, or 74 percent, were killed. The others were either returned to owners or remained at the shelter when the year ended. Orange County APS refers all questions about adoption and kill rates to the county. Todd Jones of the county's Information Technology Department said the county had only just begun to track the numbers. Not really 'no-kill' For many people, a "no-kill" shelter sounds like a good idea. But some animal-rescue workers say the term confuses the public. For one thing, they say, the privately funded Dail Center, run by the nonprofit Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Wake County, is not really "no-kill." It turns away some animals, which can end up being killed at the county-run Wake County Animal Shelter. Officials at the Wake County Animal Shelter have said the same. And it is an extra burden, they say, for their shelter to be the only one in Wake that kills animals. "It hurts us a little bit because it makes us look like we're just a kill facility, that we just have animals here to put them down," said Mykol Hill, a worker with the Wake County Animal Shelter. "That's the perception, but in reality, we do the same thing they do. But since they are a private organization, they have the option of closing their doors and turning animals away and forcing people to bring them here." "No-kill" means different things to different organizations and societies, said Joe Pulcinella, director of the Orange County APS. While some no-kill shelters never turn away or kill an animal, others separate out and euthanize unadoptable animals but still use the no-kill label, he said. The Orange County APS is trying to determine if it will open a no-kill or traditional shelter near Mebane. The county is taking over the existing shelter in Chapel Hill, and the APS already had begun building the other shelter when the county announced its decision. Workers at Durham and Wake's shelters say that, whatever the names or definitions, killing animals is a fact of life. "There is no way a county can be a no-kill shelter. We can't be choosy," said Durham County Commissioner Becky Heron, who for years has taken a strong interest in the operation of the Durham shelter. "These no-kill shelters -- they're great, but they don't take in all the animals. They're only taking the ones that can be adopted. We have to take everything, [even] fighting pit bulls ... which we will not put up for adoption." Suzy Cooke, interim director of the Orange County Animal Shelter, agreed. "I think no-kill is fantastic. That's our goal," Cooke said. "But it's restricted access. You only take in the adoptable animals. Everyone's goal is not to euthanize animals. We all love animals." Deflecting criticism The SPCA of Wake County, which runs the no-kill Dail Center, tries to deflect criticism about its acceptance policies. Impoundment and killing should not be the function of a private nonprofit organization, Wake SPCA spokeswoman Mondy Lamb said. Counties or other governments fill that role better, she said. Placing animals into good homes is about advertising and marketing, Lamb said. The more pleasant the adoption facility, the more quickly the animals are adopted, she said. If adoption also is associated with killing, the results are not as positive, she said. The no-kill facility holds 55 dogs. But Lamb said the more important question was "not how many dogs do we hold, but how long are they going to stay here." "The number one reason we did this is that some people will not set foot in a place because they fear walking down doggie death row and feeling the pressure to adopt," she said. "We want to be people-friendly." Lamb said the ultimate goal was for the entire county to be no-kill by 2010, although government would still put down animals with no hope of being adopted because they are sick or because they bite. "It's widely accepted in this business that the horribly sick, horribly diseased or aggressive dogs will always have to be euthanized," she said. The SPCA of Wake County spent four years working on the no-kill shelter and opened it in March. "We did 46 adoptions in the first seven days we were open," she said. "People aren't scared to walk through that front door. Their fears and misconceptions can be left in the parking lot." Doing her duty Durham's Miller, a cat technician, injects the cats with the barbiturate sodium pentothal. The drug is either injected into the leg or directly into the stomach using a short needle, supposedly a more "soothing" way for the medicine to enter the body, she said. The nightmares, which she refused to talk about, only ever came a couple of times, she said. Miller doesn't internalize the stress, she said. On a recent Thursday, Miller cared for cats as nine recently surrendered kittens of varying stripes and colors bounded about in a makeshift playroom filled with string and a scratching post. Some climbed the post, then launched their fuzzy bodies onto the kitten pile below. Others lay on their backs and lazily swatted a ribbon hanging from the top of the cage. Three other sick cats were injected and died Thursday morning -- unadoptable and not getting any healthier, Miller said. "It is very important that it is peaceful and quiet and dignified," Miller said. "It can also be an oddly comforting thing to know that a cat is sick and is peacefully sent over the rainbow bridge [to cat heaven], rather than living life in a cage looking though bars and having people walk by and never stopping." --- Durham County Animal Shelter 2117 E. Club Blvd. (919) 560-0640 www.apsofdurham.org Orange County Animal Shelter Animal Protection Society of North Carolina Municipal Drive, off of Airport Road (919) 967-7517 www.animalprotectionsociety.org Wake County Animal Shelter 820 Beacon Lake Drive Take I-440 exit 13B toward Rocky Mount. Go to the second traffic light and turn right onto Corporation Parkway. Turn right on Commerce Park Drive. Go to Beacon Lake Drive and turn left. (919) 212-7387 www.wakegov.com Curtis Dail Pet Adoption Center SPCA of Wake County 200 Petfinder Lane, Raleigh 27603 From I-440, take exit 298A and travel south on South Saunders Street. Go approximately 1.5 miles and pass under the Wilmington Street overpass. Get into the right lane and take a right at the next light onto Tryon Road. Go 0.4 miles and turn left onto Withers Road. Turn left onto Petfinder Lane. Follow the road to the right. (919) 772-3203 www.spcawake.org ________________________________________________________________ News and Observer May 25, 2004 Pennies for pet care PITTSBORO -- In this day of class action lawsuits and corporate accountability, I wonder how astronomical the settlement would be for North Carolina's humane societies, rescue groups and the compassionate individuals who provide medical care, food and housing for the many cats and dogs tossed into streets, shelters and the woods of North Carolina by some hunters, irresponsible breeders and citizens. What generates more wonder is why, despite the efforts of thousands of caring citizens, North Carolina has a euthanasia rate for dogs and cats twice the national average. What is the cost of suffering by the 1,000 animals per day gassed, injected or otherwise put to death without any due process -- and what is the compensation due those who struggle daily to give them a chance at life? Perhaps more insulting is that North Carolina lacks an enforceable system of accountability for the way in which these animals are euthanized, although state law mandates specific procedures. Enter the N.C. Animal Protection Act, currently floating in General Assembly somewhere between committee and the floor. Among the no-tax-on-anything-else contingent is the pet food industry lobby, which has taken a stand against the Animal Protection Act -- a bill that would provide state spay-and-neuter funding, as well as regulating county animal shelters. The industry is using the rationale that the bill burdens pet owners (to the tune of 10 cents on a 30-pound bag of dog food.) That, however, raises the question of costs for the thousands of pet rescuers and humane groups who have taken these animals off the streets and out of the woods at their own financial and emotional expense. For animal control departments, it costs $30 million yearly in tax funds to "dispose" of these animals. Estimates are that for a large network of individual rescuers, rescue and humane groups that "fix," foster and find homes for these animals, the cost is much higher. The Animal Protection Act would fund an education effort by the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services on the benefits of spaying and neutering cats and dogs. This education is sorely needed both by the public and by animal shelter personnel, many of whom work at facilities that are seriously underfunded and not properly staffed. Why the pet food lobby, some hunters (with assistance from organizations such as the National Rifle Association) and breeders oppose the Animal Protection Act is revealing. It appears to be more cost-effective for them to have others pay the tab. Many hounds have been pulled off the road and patched up, and many rejected "pure-breds" have gone to great homes instead of the gas chamber (an outdated and vile means of killing), thanks to the an unappreciated network of caring people from the humane community. The price they pay is enormous. The least of it is the cost of pet food, where any tax or increase would be insignificant in comparison to other costs, such as medical expenses. Although Congress passed the Animal Welfare Act in 1966, many of the county-operated shelters in North Carolina often ignore and selectively enforce local animal protection ordinances, leaving this federal legislation unenforced. Under the N.C. Animal Protection Act, county and municipal animal shelters, privately run shelters and sanctuaries, boarding kennels, dog day care facilities and animal dealers would have to meet minimal animal welfare standards. This bill is a step toward easing the suffering of animals and helping the thousands of people in North Carolina who, out of mercy and compassion, take these animals into their care and pay a huge price. (The Rev. Terry Dorsey is a pastor for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.) ________________________________________________________________ Chapel Hill News May 26, 2004 Animal shelter jobs to cost $500,000 The county is firming up plans to take over the shelter July 1; APS manager will stay on with county shelter. By Kathleen Kearns, Staff Writer CHAPEL HILL -- As Orange County prepares to take over the animal shelter July 1, it is firming up details on how to staff the shelter and provide veterinary services for the animals there. On May 18, the county Board of Commissioners approved a plan similar to the staffing structure the Animal Protection Society uses. Current shelter manager Joe Pulcinella, presently an APS employee, confirmed Tuesday that he plans to stay on as shelter manager for the county. "I felt I needed to stay here and go through the transition," he said. "Everybody knows me. They know my name. If they have any questions, I hope they'll call." Pulcinella took on the role of APS shelter manager on April 19. For the preceding 17 years, he was shelter director at the Delaware County SPCA in Media, Pa. Pulcinella will report to the county's new animal services director, a position that the commissioners will finalize when they decide on the governance structure for animal control and animal shelter. That discussion is yet to be scheduled. The commissioners on May 18 approved 14 core shelter positions: a shelter director (Pulcinella), a shelter operations manager, a shelter program coordinator, an accounting technician, an administrative manager, an office assistant, two health-care technicians and six animal-care technicians. The total annual cost of salary and benefits for the 14 positions is estimated to be $493,334. The position of animal control officer, presently filled under a contract between the Town of Chapel Hill and APS will be absorbed by Orange County with Chapel Hill providing revenue to cover the cost. Shelter staff positions may be added in the future. Besides Pulcinella, other shelter employees who now work for APS may go to work for the county come July 1. County Personnel Director Elaine Holmes said that as of May 10, seven of the 16 full-time APS employees had said that they did not plan to join the county and planned to continue work with APS. These employees include the shelter operations manager, customer service volunteer/manager (the position the county will call shelter program coordinator), the accounting technician and the administrative manager. Pam Jones, the county's purchasing director, said that four veterinarians have expressed interest in providing shelter spay/neuter services under contract with the county. "We've done phone interviews," she said Tuesday. "And we expect to do some site visits Wednesday." Jones said the county estimates they will need 115 to 125 spay/neuter surgeries a month, or about 1,500 a year. "We'll have a recommendation to the commissioners June 8," she said. Shelter animals are spayed and neutered starting at eight weeks of age. The current APS-run shelter lacks in-house surgical facilities, and the county is currently planning how to transport animals to and from veterinary offices. It may eventually set up a mobile unit for use by various veterinarians providing the spay/neuter services, Jones said, but such a unit will not be in place by July 1. ________________________________________________________________