What is it?
The Hillsborough County Animal Services Advisory Board is comprised of appointees from the county commission, as well as representatives from local veternarians and non-profit agencies. They advise Animal Services on issues related to enforcement of animal-related statutes, overpopulation, vaccinations, etc.
The meeting started off fairly typical. There were motions to adopt the previous meetings minutes and to set the agenda. Tim Colton from the Kennel Club, Inc. of Brandon began by speaking about a Safety Fair at Columbus Elementary School where the topic was teaching children how to deal with approaching strange dogs, to minimize risk of injury. He also spoke of the Kennel Club’s new Basic Obedience Class, an inexpensive course to help curb what he cited as the number one issue with owners who surrender their pets.
Animal Services
Next, Dennis McCollough from Animal Services spoke. He said the ASPCA had just purchased a van for the department to use in patrolling the streets. The gift was accepted by the Hillsborough County Commission the previous week. The staff of Animal Services mostly operates on a volunteer program, minimzing the cost to taxpayers. McCollough had more good news, as he reported adoptions and transfers were up, and euthanasia was down. Also, every kennel now has a bed for the pets. He noted that the spay and neuter vouchers the department had been distributing was only at a 9.1 percent redemption rate, and that they were conducting surveys of citizens to see how they could boost that number, and intended to report on the issue at the next meeting. He mentioned that while the vouchers allowed owners to spay or neuter their pet for only ten dollars, many private practices also administered pain medication, which was not covered by the voucher.
See Pets currently available for adoption
Learn more about the Spay & Neuter Vouchers
Humane Society and Mission: Orange
Then things got tense. There was a mention of a free shot clinic being sponsored by the Humane Society. It is to be held on January 10 in the Sulfur Springs area of Tampa, an area referred to as being “economically depressed”. They are offering free vaccinations for rabies and distemper, free licenses, pet food, and the vouchers for spaying or neutering could be obtained there. And that’s when certain members of the board objected. Among the concerns raised were by the veternarians who seemed to suggest, without outright saying it, that this clinic was taking away potential business, and how were they going to determine who at the fair “needed” the assistance. (”Are you going to collect W-2’s?” was one comment). Other members of the board suggested that by offering free licensing, at least it got pets into the system so that Animal Services could keep a better eye on them.
Eventually, Ms. Holly O’Brien from the Humane Society ended the debate. The Humane Society was funding the project, with support from the ASPCA, the City of Tampa was waiving any legal fees, and they had not only the okay to go forward from the Council, but also from the Hillsborough County Commission. Talk turned to the Pet Safety and Protection Act, which would prevent the sale of pets for research, an issue most of the committee could agree on, before the meeting was adjourned.
Learn More About Mission: Orange
What is the Pet Safety and Protection Act?
After the meeting, I was able to speak to Dennis McCollough about the controversy surrounding the Mission: Orange shot clinic. He said that every day he makes his patrol he nearly fills up his van with strays. He doesn’t want to be known as a “dog-snatcher”, because most of the animals he picks up wind up euthanized. He estimated nearly 750,000 animals in Hillsborough County, or roughly three animals for every four people.
“Passions interfere with dialogue”, McCollough said. “What’s most important is to get these pets into our system.”
Meet you further up the road,
Brentin