Animal services
Division stresses importance of spaying, neutering
The more than 40 dogs and cats residing at the city animal shelter on any given day arrive under varying circumstances, making 319 Davidson Drive the repository for the abandoned, lost, unloved and maladjusted.
Last week the menagerie included peacocks and baby chickens who became wards of the city after their owner was served with an arrest warrant. Many animals are biding time at the shelter until their incarcerated owners reclaim them. Some are being held pending the adjudication of bite cases,
and some have owners who can no longer care for them. Some are strays, adrift from human companionship, and others have had the misfortune of belonging to cruel, indifferent owners.
Many of the elements putting animals at risk are intractable, Hot Springs Police Chief Jason Stachey conceded, pressing the animal shelter into a necessary, if unfortunate, role.
“It would be my hope that there would be no need for us,” said Stachey, whose department assumed direct responsibility for Hot Springs Animal Services late last year. “That’s the ultimate goal. That animal services just gets dissolved. That everybody is going to take care of their animals and be responsible for them.
“But that’s not going to happen. That’s why we’re here, and that’s why we’re going to continue to do the job we do every day.”
While the shelter’s inevitability as a way station for animals beset by unfortunate circumstances will remain an implacable reality, Stachey said measures can be taken to reduce impoundments.
The six puppies animal services picked up last week are a cautionary tale, he said, showing what happens when animals don’t get sterilized. They were found underneath a house when animal services picked up their mother. Now the seven of them are sharing the same kennel space.
“This is a great example of why we’re stressing spaying and neutering,” Stachey said. “That’s what we don’t want to see. We’re really encouraging people to spay and neuter their animals.”
He encouraged county residents to take advantage of spay and neuter vouchers offered at the Garland County Sheriff’s Department. The Garland County Quorum Court said 43 of the $50 vouchers have been issued since the program began last month. State law prohibits shelters and animal rescue groups from releasing dogs and cats 3 months or older who haven’t been fixed.
“What better way to get citizens motivated to have their animals spayed and neutered?” Stachey said of the voucher program.
The fewer animals the shelter takes in, the fewer hard choices its staff has to make. Space is limited, and no new arrivals can be turned away. Animals can be placed for adoption seven days after intake. Age, disposition, health and congeniality with humans and other animals all figure into the difficult, often Darwinian, calculus of determining an animal’s adoption potential.
For some, the shelter is the end of the line. “The staff has to decide which animals are adoptable,” Stachey said. “They’re the ones who are looking into the eyes of these animals, and they’re making that life and death decision.
“Eventually, they’re the ones who have to put those animals down. It cannot be overstated that this is probably one of, if not the most difficult, jobs the city of Hot Springs has. We have some really great employees here. They’re not out here for the pay and benefits. They’re here because they have a heart for animals.”
Stachey said adoption rates are up since animal services came under the police department’s direct supervision, but shelter staff is working to find homes for more animals. In addition to clear-the-kennel adoption events on Saturdays and a more prominent profile on social media, the shelter is partnering with Happi Dog Animal Rescue, a Memphis-based organization that finds homes for shelter dogs.
Sgt. Richard Harkness, who oversees animal services for the police department, said the rescue group specializes in finding homes for larger, older dogs shelters have difficulty placing. It’s agreed to take four dogs from the shelter.
The Hot Springs Board of Directors adopted an ordinance last month allowing the city manager to lower adoption fees for reputable nonprofit placement organizations and
during special adoption events. Fees are $55 for dogs and $35 for cats. The city’s 2018 budget projects $25,000 in adoption fee revenue.
Stachey said the shelter’s noon-to-5 p.m. hours of operation Monday through Friday allow staff to clean during the mornings, part of an effort to make the shelter an attractive space for the public. Animal services Coordinator Michelle Stone said visitors frequently comment on the building’s cleanliness.
“Animals make messes,” Stachey said. “One of the things we’re really proud of is how clean this facility is. I’ve been to some shelters where the smell is so overwhelming it’s hard to stay in there for any amount of time.
“One of the things we take pride in is keeping the outside well manicured. There’s fresh flowers planted in front, and we keep the shrubs in nice shape. When people pull up, we want them to see it’s an inviting place.”