[angiefox10]

We know many folks are without power and are still recovering from the hurricane. Because of this, "Shelter Reform for Sumter County, Florida" wants to keep everyone safe and think it would be best if we wait till the next County Commissioners meeting to address the agenda concerning the animal shelter.
Please mark your calendars for September 26th at Colony Recreation Center at, 510 Colony Blvd, The Villages, FL. The meeting starts at 5:00 PM
You and your fur families are important to us.
Thank you for your support and stay safe!!!!

Angie Fox
Lost Pet of The Villages
815-370-9115

[angiefox10]

Many of the people who wanted to come to the meeting have homes to take care of due to the storm, have no power, the roads are a mess, and there is a gas shortage. We have taken it all into consideration and had hoped they would as well. That being said, we would have thought they would have cancelled the meeting as well. Our first concern is for the residents of the county. I had hoped theirs will be too.

Angie Fox
Lost Pets of The Villages
815-370-9115

[justjim]

There should adequate shelters open for pets and residents. There is no reason why there can't be enough shelters for residents and their pets in The Villages. However, mixing barking dogs in every shelter with the elderly can be problematic. Shelters are stressful environments by nature and we need to be careful not to make them more unpleasant and stressful than they already are.

Hopefully, we learn from experience and make sure there are enough designated pet shelters made available should the need for mandatory evacuation arise in the future.

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by justjim

There should adequate shelters open for pets and residents. There is no reason why there can't be enough shelters for residents and their pets in The Villages. However, mixing barking dogs in every shelter with the elderly can be problematic. Shelters are stressful environments by nature and we need to be careful not to make them more unpleasant and stressful than they already are.

Hopefully, we learn from experience and make sure there are enough designated pet shelters made available should the need for mandatory evacuation arise in the future.

Good post.

[angiefox10]

You would need to address that with FEMA They are the group that handles the shelters with the pets.

The Villages opened more shelters without pets....

That being said, this post is about our High Kill Shelter that is killing our pets instead of trying to find the owners or to find homes for them.

[Carl in Tampa]

Originally Posted by justjim

There should adequate shelters open for pets and residents. There is no reason why there can't be enough shelters for residents and their pets in The Villages. However, mixing barking dogs in every shelter with the elderly can be problematic. Shelters are stressful environments by nature and we need to be careful not to make them more unpleasant and stressful than they already are.

Hopefully, we learn from experience and make sure there are enough designated pet shelters made available should the need for mandatory evacuation arise in the future.

I'm sure that whoever is leading this effort is aware that state law mandates that there be some "pet friendly" shelters. I wish you success.

Just an observation: I find it hard to conceive of a situation where there would be a mandatory evacuation in The Villages other than in the old section Mobile Homes and Manufactured Homes during predicted high winds, and that would be a relatively small group. Mandatory evacuations are in the coastal flood zones.

As I've said many times: The Center of the State is where people evacuate TO. The Villages just experienced "The Mother of All Hurricanes" with no deaths, major destruction of property, or significant flooding. I know lots of places who would trade what happened to them for the "lots of Palm fronds on the ground" that The Villages experienced.

I wish you success in getting more of the pet friendly shelters. I know my family would not leave their pets behind.

[angiefox10]

Originally Posted by Carl in Tampa

I'm sure that whoever is leading this effort is aware that state law mandates that there be some "pet friendly" shelters. I wish you success.

Just an observation: I find it hard to conceive of a situation where there would be a mandatory evacuation in The Villages other than in the old section Mobile Homes and Manufactured Homes during predicted high winds, and that would be a relatively small group. Mandatory evacuations are in the coastal flood zones.

As I've said many times: The Center of the State is where people evacuate TO. The Villages just experienced "The Mother of All Hurricanes" with no deaths, major destruction of property, or significant flooding. I know lots of places who would trade what happened to them for the "lots of Palm fronds on the ground" that The Villages experienced.

I wish you success in getting more of the pet friendly shelters. I know my family would not leave their pets behind.

Thank you for your support.

THE FIVE RIGHTS OF ANIMALS IN SHELTERS
Every animal in every animal shelter is entitled to the following rights:
1. The right to live.
2. If social and healthy, the right to a home. If sick, injured, or traumatized, the right to rehabilitative care. If not social with humans, the right to be released back to his/her habitat.
3. The right to love, care, and attention, including socialization with people and other animals, nutritious food, fresh water, clean living environments, prompt and necessary preventive and rehabilitative veterinary care, behavior rehabilitation, exercise, play, and mental stimulation.
4. The right to a shelter that has comprehensively embraced protocols which reduce impounds, increase adoptions, increase redemptions, reduce killing, reduce length of stay, reduce illness, and maximize physical and psychological well-being.
5. The right to have shelter resources used to save and enhance the lives of all animals, in a facility where staff do everything in their power to promote, protect, and advocate for animals.
How confident are you that Sumter County government and facility management and staff are doing all things possible to find homes, adopters, fosters, and rescue's for the helpless, homeless companion animals unfortunate enough to end up at SCAS?
Here are the Facts for Sumter County Animal Services:
JULY, 2017 LIVE RELEASE RATE - 61 %
*This means that out of all the dogs and cats that actually had a record or document filed on their Intake, only 61% of these pets left the facility alive.
Our coalition thinks it's time to return the term "euthanasia" to its dictionary definition - the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy.
"When we destroy animals which are suffering or are irremediably ill, that is euthanasia. Destroying healthy and treatable animals in places we call shelters using our tax dollars is not euthanasia. It is not merciful, it is not beautiful and it is not necessary. It is not “putting them down” or “putting them to sleep” or preventing “a fate worse than death.” We use those phrases – and many use the word euthanasia – to sugar coat the reality of the act. And because we have allowed ourselves to become so callous to, or complacent about, killing of shelter animals, we accept that word because it makes us feel better somehow, as if we did a good thing.
When we destroy healthy and treatable animals we are doing just that. We are destroying them and we are killing them. If you have ever had to euthanize a beloved pet which was genuinely suffering or so ill that any treatment would likely cause more pain or suffering, you know exactly what euthanasia means. And any person who ever lost a beloved pet to an “oops” killing at a shelter would not say their dog or cat was euthanized.
In no kill communities, healthy and treatable animals are not destroyed using our tax dollars and resources. Period. They are saved. And words are used for what they mean.
Let's stop calling this anything but what it is. Once we do that, we can have a realistic conversation about how we want our resources used in our communities."
~ Paws4Change

[Carl in Tampa]

Originally Posted by angiefox10

You would need to address that with FEMA They are the group that handles the shelters with the pets.

The Villages opened more shelters without pets....

That being said, this post is about our High Kill Shelter that is killing our pets instead of trying to find the owners or to find homes for them.

I don't think you are correct. Florida State Law provides for the opening of shelters, and specifies that there be some for pets.

The 2017 Florida Statutes

Title XVII
MILITARY AFFAIRS AND RELATED MATTERS
Chapter 252
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

252.3568 Emergency sheltering of persons with pets.—In accordance with s. 252.35, the division shall address strategies for the evacuation of persons with pets in the shelter component of the state comprehensive emergency management plan and shall include the requirement for similar strategies in its standards and requirements for local comprehensive emergency management plans. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shall assist the division in determining strategies regarding this activity.

-----------------------

State Law, not FEMA, governs pre-disaster shelters. FEMA comes in after the disaster and provides long-term lodging for people whose homes were destroyed.

----------------------

Clearly, I thought you were talking about Disaster preparedness, not "Dog Pounds" (Shelters) that kill animals.

I'll go away now.

[Kazmi]

The rescheduled meeting that Angie is posting about is in regards our animal shelters that take in lost and/or unclaimed dogs, cats, etc. The rescheduled meeting is not about sheltering pets during storms.

[justjim]

Originally Posted by Kazmi

The rescheduled meeting that Angie is posting about is in regards our animal shelters that take in lost and/or unclaimed dogs, cats, etc. The rescheduled meeting is not about sheltering pets during storms.

Oops--Sorry about that. From the original post I was under the impression Angie was spearheading discussion on more shelters for residents with pets during a hurricane. Perhaps I still have Irma on my mind. There are over 3,000 manufacture homes in TV and many pets but not even one pet friendly shelter in The Villages during Irma. We can do better.

Finding homes for animals at the Sumter Animal shelter instead of euthanasia is an important endeavor too.