Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Fewer animals killed at Orange County shelter in 2014; rate fell from 50 percent to 33 percent in 5 years


The kill rate at the aging Orange County animal shelter has plummeted over the past five years, sparing the lives of thousands of stray and abandoned dogs, cats and other animals.
Back in 2010 – when the recession was in full force and home foreclosures hit an all-time high – 15,093 animals entered the shelter but didn’t get out alive, according to county statistics. The overall kill rate was 50 percent, meaning one of every two animals was put down.
By 2014, the number of animals euthanized had plunged by nearly half – to 8,132 – and the overall kill rate had dropped to 33 percent, meaning one of every three animals was put down. That’s nearly 7,000 fewer dead animals.
The total number of animals taken in at the creaky 70-plus-year-old Orange facility was down more than 20 percent as well.
“Our numbers continued to move in a very positive direction,” said Katie Ingram, administrative manager for OC Animal Care, the branch of county government that runs the shelter for 18 cities and the county’s unincorporated areas, licenses dogs and handles enforcement of animal-related laws.
She credited an improving economy, greater acceptance of voluntary spaying and neutering, stronger partnerships with rescue groups, the tremendous reach of social media to help find homes for adoptable pets, and a novel program to spay or neuter feral cats, then release them where they were found, with the improving picture.
Animal activists lauded the progress but insisted it’s not enough.
“In order to change any result, the direct cause must be addressed,” said Jean Bland, an activist in Laguna Hills. “So I absolutely believe a mandatory spay-and-neuter policy, that includes a truly low-cost option for those who qualify financially, is essential for the county of Orange.”
Sharon Cody, former Mission Viejo councilwoman and passionate animal activist, agrees.
“This is great news, that the O.C. shelter is both receiving fewer animals and euthanizing fewer of them,” Cody said. “A mandatory spay-and-neuter ordinance would absolutely reduce further the number of pets impounded.”
Mandatory spay-neuter laws require dog and cat owners to have their animals’ reproductive systems neutralized, usually with exceptions for show dogs and the like. People who refuse to have their pets “fixed” can be subject to fines and other penalties.
PROGRESS IN L.A.
Los Angeles adopted a mandatory spay-neuter law in 2008 – the same year the Orange County grand jury urged the Board of Supervisors to do the same. O.C. rejected the idea as too “nanny state” after some dog enthusiasts denounced the idea as an attack on their pets and as the first step toward outlawing animal ownership entirely.
Nanny or no, the policy appears to be having its intended effect in Los Angeles:
• In 2010, the kill rate for dogs and cats was 40 percent, and 21,784 were euthanized, according to L.A. city statistics.
• By 2014, the kill rate for dogs and cats had plunged to 24 percent, with 8,239 animals euthanized. O.C. put down 6,621 dogs and cats that year – not much fewer than L.A., though L.A.’s program is much larger.
An aggressive, but voluntary, spay-neuter program adopted in the Live-Free-or-Die state of New Hampshire saw euthanasia rates drop 70 percent, by targeting low-income pet owners and offering free or nearly free spay/neuter procedures, officials have said.
In Santa Cruz, a mandatory spay-neuter law resulted in dramatic reductions. Within a decade, the intake of stray animals had plummeted 61 percent, and the kill rate dropped by nearly half.
Several bills to make spaying and neutering mandatory have been introduced in California over the years, and all of them came to a dead end. Opponents have little faith in these numbers and say the costs of mandatory spay-neuter can more than double the cost of animal control.
‘GOING TO THE DOGS’
That’s not, however, the conclusion that the grand jury embraced.
“The most cost-effective and humane long-term method to reduce animal overpopulation is to spay and neuter pets,” the grand jury said in its 2008 report, “Is Orange County Going to the Dogs?”
“The main reason that the county shelter is full and many animals are euthanized is that pet owners, in many cases, have allowed their animals to reproduce beyond the owner’s ability to take care of the offspring,” it continued. “The grand jury determined that there should be some form of mandatory spay/neuter ordinance for all Orange County cities and the unincorporated areas. This would reduce the animal population, save taxpayers money and lower the number of pets being euthanized.”
In its required response, county supervisors said, “This recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted or is not reasonable.”
Activists hope that, after all these years, supervisors might reconsider. All five members have been replaced since then.
“Of course you will have some people who use the tired term ‘nanny state,’ but to me that sounds like when teenagers are going through the rebellious stage and ‘you can’t tell them what to do,’” animal rights supporter Rose Tingle said.
Refining how animal control works is high on the county’s agenda in the wake of a critical examination by the county’s performance auditor. That report made dozens of recommendations on how to improve operations, and its new director, veterinarian Jennifer Hawkins, is eager to get to work.
“We’re at an old facility, but we’re trying to be as proactive and creative as we can,” Animal Care’s Ingram said. “Spaying and neutering, and responsible pet ownership, are the priority messages.”
The county has partnered with foundations to help offer free and low-cost spay-and-neuter. The next sessions are slated for Friday and May 22. More information is at ocpetinfo.com.
“It sure is an important message,” Ingram said. “If we can get it ingrained in our community, we’d see even greater impact on the numbers of animals that are euthanized.”
May 11, 2015
The Orange County Register
By Ted Sforza, Staff Writer

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