05/12/2020
🐾🐾🐾Come on Contra Costa County CALIFORNIA...GET WITH THE PROGRAM!!!!
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
[email protected]
When it comes to animal shelters, the old ways are not best; Los Alamos County Council learned during its regular meeting Tuesday night.
Wendee Brunish, chair of the Animal Shelter Ad-Hoc Committee, presented a report on the best practices that the committee recommends be implemented at the Los Alamos County Animal Shelter.
“This guide envisions an enrichment-based shelter that provides the best possible animal care, superior services to our citizens and serves as a partner in all pet-related activities in our community,” she said.
Brunish emphasized the importance of an enrichment-model for the shelter as opposed to the law enforcement model, which is currently utilized at the animal shelter. The trend nationally is to move away from the law enforcement model, she said, adding that it is damaging to the animals.
“The reason for this is we came to realize that a traditional shelter environment is so very, very stressful for the animals …,” she said. “The acute suffering that they experience in that environment is inhumane and we are subjecting them to that; and it produces both short term and long term physical and behavioral damage and then we pass these damaged animals on to our citizens.”
Brunish touched on various topics in the best practice guide. She said the vision and mission is “we would like to see the County, the whole County of Los Alamos, take a commitment to be a socially conscious animal community.”
As far as policies and procedures, Brunish said all policies should focus on enhancing animal welfare, providing the community with adoptable pets and partnering with the public to address pet-related issues.
She added that the staff and volunteers should be trained to reduce stress, focus on enrichment and social interaction.
Brunish emphasized that enrichment is key. It’s just as important as food and water and bedding, she said.
“It has to be a part of everything that you do,” she said.
Outreach is important, too. Brunish said the shelter should partner with community leaders to address pet-related issues including surrendering pets, owner education, spay/neutering, landlord education and information on training and resources.
The local ordinances should also be reviewed, Brunish said. The current ordinances follow the traditional method of punishing pet owners if anything goes wrong. She recommended the County work with pet owners and give rewards for when the do the right thing. Spaying and neutering regulations also are important to reduce unwanted pets and neglected pets. A licensing program is another recommendation. Brunish said having a licensing program can help promote responsible pet ownership.
Oversight needs to be implemented, she said.
The reason to have metrics is to facilitate a strategic plan, Brunish said.
“You want to figure out what to measure, how to measure it and how to use it to improve what you are doing,” she said.
One way to ensure improvement and measure progress, Brunish said, is to form a permanent advisory committee that would review shelter policies, procedures and performance.
As far as other programs, Brunish endorsed foster programs. Shelters are not appropriate for puppies or kittens, she said, the psychological and emotional damage is high. Young animals should not be in shelters but in homes to ensure they are adoptable.Council showed strong support for these recommendations.
Councilor Pete Sheehey said council did previously approve budgeting money to hire additional staff at the shelter as well as conduct training. He wondered if that had been done.
“Have we taken some steps so far in getting these transformations you envision,” he asked.
Brunish said from what she has seen – no.
“I would have to defer to the Chief but certainly the training plans that I have seen and the changes in the shelter that I have seen do not address our concerns … do not incorporate this fundamental rearrangement of having your philosophy and your priorities based on animal welfare and providing good pets to the community … I haven’t seen the kind of transformative change we are looking for,” she said.
Councilor Antonio Maggiore said he fully supports the Ad-hoc advisory committee’s recommendations and asked if the committee sees the shelter still being under the purview of the police.
Brunish said no; they recommended moving the shelter to the Los Alamos Community Services Department.
Council Vice Chair Randall Ryti voiced his support, too.
“I think it is important to recognize that … we support the animals … if there is a resource like this in the community that would actually be very beneficial and it would lead to better outcomes in the long run,” he said. “It (the shelter) is a community asset, and it is something we need to look at.”
