Advocacy for adopting animals

County care and adoption division names new director

Broward County’s Animal Care and Adoption Division has a new top dog. Thomas Adair was recently named the division’s director.

“[He] brings a wealth of knowledge to Broward County, having worked in both the public and private sector of animal welfare,” said Cynthia Chambers, director of environmental protection and growth management, which oversees the division.

Adair’s career spans two decades in many areas of animal welfare. At the first shelter he worked for, he filled every role from road work to specialist positions, which taught him to spot “deep problems” and to be able to find solutions, he said.

One of the problems he saw was the need for specialized training. That led Adair to develop professional training seminars for private and government agencies in topics such as bite prevention and animal cruelty investigation techniques.

“The interesting thing about animal care is there’s a lot of focus and attention placed on the shelter end. But it’s a very complex organization that incorporates so many other pieces,” Adair said.

After serving for many years with the Humane Society of Charlotte in North Carolina, Adair was recruited by Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League in West Palm Beach.

“[It] was a new facility when I arrived,” Adair said. He managed the challenges of expansion first hand, which has prepared him to monitor Broward’s transition into its new shelter currently under construction.

The new Broward County Animal Care and Adoption Center is on track for a May 2016 opening. The 40,000-square-foot building, which costs an estimated $15 million, will nearly double its current size.

Overcrowded wards will be eliminated. New features include adoption visitation areas and extra

space for temporary medical segregation.

Additionally, the Animal Care and Adoption Division has made an overall increase in its live-release rate.

“We are on track to achieve the minimum 90 percent live-release rate with the help of the public and our community partners,” Chambers said in an email.

“My plans are to really

make this a model community for other communities,” Adair said. “And show where we’ve come from in the short amount of time it’s taken us to get there.”

Helen Wolt can be reached at hwolt@tribpub.com.