PAWS aims to drop kill rate
The animal shelter is working on recommendations from nonprofit Target Zero.
A low-cost spay and neuter program is the likely linchpin for a concerted effort to bring down the kill rate at PAWS.
Floyd County’s $5.7 million Public Animal Welfare Services shelter opened in December at 99 North Ave. in Rome.
“When I was animal control director 15 years ago, I kept saying we’ve got to have a spay and
neuter program first,” County Commissioner Scotty Hancock said. “That’s going to take some funding, but I think
we can work that out soon. We just have to set up some guidelines.”
Hancock and Commissioner Allison Watters are strong backers of the report submitted last week by Target Zero, a national nonprofit that conducted a free assessment of PAWS operations. Public Safety Liaison John Blalock and Animal Control Director Jason Broome have already started implementing some of the recommendations.
“Jason and John are going line by line, sorting it into what we can do now, what we can do later and what will take money,” Watters said. “It’s basically changing our whole focus to improve our live outcome.”
The spay and neuter program could be seeded with about $20,000 in county money and, hopefully, expanded through a public-private partnership. Watters said it initially would be for pet owners identified as low-income, in some way to be determined.
Broome and Blalock also are drawing up draft requests for proposals to gauge interest from nonprofits to manage PAWS, except for enforcement, and from veterinarians to operate in the facility.
“We’ve got this beautiful surgical suite that’s not being used yet,” Watters said. “Ideally, every animal that leaves the shelter would be spayed or neutered.”
Currently, each person who adopts a pet is given a citation to appear in court, which is nullified when they return with proof the animal has been neutered. It’s part of what Target Zero called a “threatening” adoption process that likely deters some would-be adopters.
Hancock said the report’s recommendations for ordinance changes and more public outreach
are in the works. Using social media and online resources to publicize each animal taken into the shelter is another key to boosting the number that leave there alive.
“We have the software, but we haven’t been using it to its full potential,” Hancock said. “We would ultimately like to have a second party come in and help, but we’ll have to see about the cost.”
New volunteer guidelines also are being formulated, with an eye to encouraging more individuals and groups to help out.
Focus on cats
Officials also are setting their sights on a trap-and-release sterilization program for cats.
Target Zero notes that cats are seven to 10 times more likely to find their way home or be adopted from the street than from a shelter — and that frees up more resources for dogs.
Last year, just 2 percent of the cats brought in to PAWS were returned to owners, compared to 12 percent of the dogs, and 69 percent were adopted or taken by a rescue group, compared to 83 percent of dogs. The euthanasia rate
was 25 percent for cats and 4 percent for dogs. The small remainder either died or went missing.
PAWS has added some feral cat boxes, designed with sliding porthole-style entrances and carrying handles, to lessen the stress of capture. The cats typically nest in the enclosed space, and it can easily be removed from the cage for cleaning.
Sterilizing and vaccinating the animals, then releasing them where they were found, ends up lowering the number of feral cat colonies over time, according to the report.
Target Zero has offered PAWS a fellowship, which would mean free assistance in getting grants, forging partnerships and otherwise implementing the recommendations in the report. Hancock and Watters said they think they’ll be able to convince the remaining three county commissioners to sign on.
“We’re not going to be able to do everything in the report — there are some things we’re skeptical about how they’d work in Floyd County — but it’s a great free service and we’re going to follow up,” Hancock said.