Pet adoption proposal a councillor’s pet peeve

City-run plan inefficient, says Aidan Johnson

The city is proposing a new in-house pet adoption program in the hopes of helping more animals find homes — and it’s ruffling the feathers of one city councillor.

A report heading to the planning committee Tuesday suggests the city begin an 18-month pilot project that would launch a city-run adoption program through Hamilton Animal Services.

Right now, the city passes any adoptable animals to the SPCA and other rescue organizations to be re-homed.

City staff say the proposal would cut down the number of animals who are euthanized or left to languish in the shelter.

The report suggests the idea would be revenue-neutral and could be implemented with existing staff and a volunteer support team.

But Coun. Aidan Johnson, the planning committee chair and council’s representative on the SPCA board, says a city-run adoption program would duplicate the work already being done by the SPCA.

He argues that if the city partnered with the SPCA instead of starting a program of its own, it would be more beneficial for animals and taxpayers alike.

“I think the proposal arises from a place of caring. However, the road to inefficiency is paved with good intentions,” said Johnson.

“My own view is that this would be too many cooks in the kitchen. I feel that the City of Hamilton should be augmenting the SPCA’s very efficient and effective adoption program, rather than getting into the adoption business.”

Currently, the city, in the absence of an adoption service, has been supplying the adoptable animals to the SPCA first and then offering the remaining adoptable animals to other rescue organizations. That generally means the city is left with animals that are difficult to rehome — which, in turn, means the animals are often euthanized.

Euthanasia rates at Hamilton Animal Control have been dropping — in 2005, the city euthanized 4,000 animals, a figure that dropped to roughly 500 as of fall 2016.

City staff say that although Animal Services staff no longer euthanize healthy animals to create space for more animals, the health and mental state of an animal can deteriorate while waiting in the shelter.

“An animal that was once considered healthy can become stressed, sick or aggressive in the shelter environment,” reads the report. “Unfortunately, the end result is euthanasia for poor health, behavioural or temperament reasons.”

When there’s no room for any animals at Animal Control, the SPCA, or other rescue organizations, the city ends up closing the shelter to any additional animals — mainly cats.

Johnson says the solution is for the city to contract all of its animal welfare programs to the SPCA. He suggests that the SPCA is a leaner organization with fewer staffing costs, and as a result, more money could be funnelled directly into caring for and rehoming animals.

“City of Hamilton staffers using their paid time to run an adoption program is not a maximally efficient use of city resources, given that the SPCA is running an identical program,” he said.

“In my view it would be cheaper, and thus more efficient, for the SPCA to do all the city’s mandatory animal services work — and I say that with human taxpayer value as a secondary concern and animal welfare as a primary concern.”

The planning committee meets Tuesday at City Hall at 9:30 a. m.