Animal Response Team Advisory Committee

Hampton Animal Control Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes – March 16, 2017 Present: Andy Anderson, Debbie Sheffield, Betty Bates, Melanie Paul, Dan Winters, Steve Bond, Angie Taylor; (Staff) Annette Oakley [City Manager’s Office], Kim Karle [City Attorney’s Office]; (Guests) Deborah North [Interpreter], Kevin Myers [Director of Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services], Robin McCormick [Director of Marketing & Communications], Lynn Fahnert [Treasurer]; Pam Christianson, Frances Fuller, Jim Harris and Tom Oswald [Citizens] Call to Order & Welcome Vice Chairman Anderson called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. He welcomed everyone and asked guests and members to introduce themselves. Review Agenda & Approval of Minutes Vice Chairman Anderson reviewed the meeting agenda. He then stated the draft minutes from the January 19, 2017 meeting were distributed for review in advance of the meeting. There being no changes, he called for a motion to approve the minutes. ACTION: Debbie Sheffield made a motion to accept the minutes and Melanie Paul seconded. A vote was taken and motion passes. City Manager’s Report Mr. Bond reported staff is busy with the budget at this time and because there is a long agenda this evening, he has no specific report at this time. Animal Control Report Ms. Taylor reported Animal Control currently has two officers who have returned from training, but one is leaving, so they have three vacancies. They are in the process of doing interviews and have another position posted. Ms. Sheffield inquired about the number of officers on the road. Ms. Taylor responded they currently have five officers on the road on rotating shifts. Ms. Sheffield inquired about the cat trapper position. Ms. Taylor responded they have an applicant and hope to get them hired, trained and on the road. Vice Chair Anderson inquired why employees are leaving. Ms. Taylor stated due to pay and hours. Mr. Winters inquired if the officer positions were upgraded since it falls under the Police Department. Ms. Taylor responded there was an increase, but not the same as a Police Officer. He inquired if this makes it more difficult to recruit people. Ms. Taylor responded it is. Vice Chair Anderson inquired about getting higher pay for the recruits. Mr. Bond stated given this year’s challenging budget; it’s a maintenance budget, if not a cutting budget, so it is not realistic right now. Mr. Winters inquired if a lower level or part- time position could help take the load off the full-time officers. Ms. Taylor stated staff requests Animal Control’s input on the budget and personnel and they have given their input. Vice Chairman Anderson inquired if this committee could make a recommendation to City Council. Mr. Bond stated yes, but there are more needs than we have revenue. At this this time, the City Manager’s budget is almost ready for submission and it would probably not get added to this year’s proposed budget. Vice Chairman Anderson commented, since he has been on this committee, there always seems to be vacancies and turnover in Animal Control. Mr. Bond stated it’s a stressful job and hard to deal with many of the situations, as well as the pay may be a factor. He stated it is a concern, but throughout the City there are many positions that have turnover due to pay and stress. Ms. Taylor mentioned other localities have similar issues within their Animal Service Departments. Current Issues/Trends  Presentation regarding Coyotes: Todd Englemeyer of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF), gave a brief presentation about coyotes, stating the following are some of their characteristics: o Coyotes have been on the Hampton Roads landscape over 20 years o They tend to self-regulate depending on food resources o Have a fairly large home range; that could extend the entire area of the city o Reclusive – they usually stay away from people o Provide ecological services to the area; they remove sick or nuisance animals, and can reduce deer populations o Removing them tends to not reduce populations o Can seem frightening, as they look like a wolf o Can kill pets, but it’s not typical o Largest size in Eastern Virginia is about 35 pounds Mr. Englemeyer stated the DGIF uses educational aspect of the issues. Coyotes are categorized as a nuisance and therefore it is permitted for coyotes to be trapped and their fur can be valuable, although today, this is not very popular anymore. Mr. Winters stated it seems, as far as online, coyotes are a growing problem, but for DGIF it is not an issue. Mr. Englemeyer stated the coyotes hide and are good at it, so they are not often seen. Mr. Winters inquired why there has been an increase in population in Gloucester. Mr. Engelmeyer stated usually when there is an increase, it’s probably due to available prey. Ms. Sheffield has seen two coyotes from her night camera; one sitting and seems to be waiting and watching. Mr. Englemyer stated coyotes are very intelligent. Ms. Sheffield inquired when the committee members are asked questions, would our stance be that coyotes are not a bad thing. Mr. Englemeyer stated it’s an educational thing and members can defer them to read about coyotes. Ms. Sheffield commented she was in a panic at the first siting, but is now more protective of them. She stated they do take care of the raccoon population. Mr. Englemeyer stated coyotes are vocal and communicate with each other at distances, which can be unnerving to people. Ms. Sheffield mentioned she brought up the coyote conversation at the last meeting because there has been a lot of talk about them. She doesn’t want there to be a situation where people are taking this into their own hands. Mr. Engelmeyer stated people are entitled to take care of their property, but should look at each individual issue. Ms. Paul inquired if she is outside with her dogs and a coyote comes after one; would it be afraid or still go after her dog. Mr. Englemeyer stated in his experience, they will run, but when hunger gets in any animal, they will take greater risks. Ms. Taylor mentioned she received calls and reached out to the USDA as well as private trappers and first thing they will ask is ‘where are they damaging’ and ‘what are they damaging’. She could not say because they are just randomly spotted throughout the city, and neither were interested in trapping, unless the coyotes were causing damage or a disturbance. Ms. Paul inquired if a person can detect the coyote’s odor. Mr. Englemeyer stated he could, however, dogs can detect odors at parts per trillion. Vice Chairman Anderson inquired, other than possibly killing domestic animals, what other damages do coyotes do. Mr. Englemeyer stated possibly damage fences or chew on things, but are normally very minor.  On another note, Mr. Bond stated he spotted two red tail hawks in his pine tree and inquired if he should be worried about his three dogs. Mr. Englemeyer responded yes, but this area is rich in food sources, so they should not run out of food. He stated he usually gets about one call a year that an Eagle or large raptor has taken a domestic dog. Steve mentioned he was concerned that because there were two, they may be a mating pair, looking for a place to nest. Mr. Englemeyer stated they can be scared away, but they will not return to the same tree as an Eagle does. He mentioned, depending on their location, it could be an interesting experience to see them raise their young. Vice Chairman Anderson thanked Mr. Englemeyer for attending and giving his presentation. Old Business  Rabies Vaccination Reporting Process for Dogs – Lynne Fahnert gave a brief presentation, stating in 2008, the State code was updated to state that any veterinarian or technician that gives a rabies shot to a dog, must notify the Treasurer of that locality within 45 days. As far as she knows, they have not had issues with compliance. She mentioned they receive the notification in a variety of ways; hand-written, pdf, Excel, etc., and the Treasurer’s Office still has to manually enter the information into an Excel spreadsheet and try to link that up to dog licenses that have already been issued. If a dog license has not been issued within the 90 days that they receive the vaccination, a letter is sent. If the vet is in another locality, but knows the pet owner lives in Hampton then that locality is supposed to send the rabies certificate to Hampton Treasurer’s Office. She stated they try to do matches, but often times the names of the pets differ and addresses change or differ, etc. If they do not find a match, they send a letter. In response to the question if non-profit clinics, such as PETA, SPCA, and Chasing Tails, provide that rabies vaccinations; since they are not in Hampton, they do not provide the information directly. These clinics will forward the information to the Treasurer’s Office if the resident lives in Hampton, however they do not see large numbers of those. Ms. Taylor mentioned when the Animal Control schedules the PETA Snip Van, they also provide a City flyer regarding licenses to each resident that uses the clinic. Ms. Fahnert stated, per State code, the veterinarians are not required to report cats, only dogs. She mentioned House Joint Resolution #160 passed the House and Senate on February 23rd. This resolution is regarding the Department of Health to review the reporting procedures and see if it’s feasible to establish a State-wide system for recording rabies vaccinations and licensing. Ms. Fahnert mentioned the Treasurer’s Office is trying to make the process better and one way is setting up a payment portal, where citizens can set up an account. Ms. Fahnert provided information on the 2016 Dog Rabies/License Data, which is on file. Vice Chair Anderson thanked Ms. Fahnert for the information.  Citizens Survey – Robin McCormick stated she provided preliminary results prior to the end of the survey, stating the results are similar. She reviewed the final survey results with the committee; a copy is on file. After some discussion, Mr. Bond stated the committee needs to think about what their recommendation will be to City Council; probably at a meeting around the April timeframe. New Business  Dog Swimming – Kevin Myers stated in regards to Newport News, there is no public open swimming area for dogs; they have tried some areas, but had issues with people abiding by the leash law. There is a lake at Newport News Park, but they do not promote that area, due to the other side being the City reservoir. He stated in regards to Sandy Bottom Nature Park and Grandview, there are environmental issues. Ms. Sheffield inquired about Gosnold’s Hope Park, stating the water is salt water and near the BMX track. Mr. Myers stated it may have limited access, but he will look into it. He also mentioned to the committee that Parks is in the process of a  redesign/renovation at Briarfield Park and one idea is to install a dog-run. Once staff makes a recommendation, and get public input, he would like the Committee’s assistance with this project. Vice Chair Anderson thanked Mr. Myers for sharing this information. Public Comment  Robin Clark thanked the committee for the opportunity to speak. She mentioned she wrote a letter to Animal Control and Ms. Taylor invited her to attend this meeting. She comes to the meeting to strongly encourage the leash law. She stated she loves animals, but fearful of some dogs, as they are unpredictable. She was attacked by two pit bulls in Hampton that were running at large; dogs don’t always respond to their owner and she feels they should be on a leash. Ms. Bates inquired about the next steps. Mr. Bond stated the committee decides on a recommendation and would present it to City Council at an upcoming meeting. Mr. Winter stated he inquired of Animal Control about their thoughts on limiting the number of animals. He read some of the responses, and basically the consensus was not having a limit. He would like to make it easier for Animal Control to enforce; they should be able to make judgement calls.  Frances Fuller commented that there is not enough help for Animal Control to assist with situations, such as the recent situation with the pit bulls found in a home. She and others have sent emails regarding this issue, but have received no response and Mayor Tuck suggested she start here with this committee. She stated people are scared of pit bulls and there is no education in Hampton. She suggested an educational program be set up to address various issues related to animals. Ms. Fuller inquired why Animal Control did not notice the smell two weeks before the pit bulls were found; people are furious about this situation. Mr. Bond responded that there is an on-going criminal investigation and we don’t comment on them. He stated as far as education, there are programs in place, for example, Neighborhood Watches, civic organizations, etc. He stated he constantly fields calls from citizens and he always responds with the various programs offered, but also reminds callers that the City is not just city government, but its every citizen, family, civic group, etc. that make up the fabric of the city. He stated we all have a responsibility to get involved in issues we are passionate about. He encouraged Ms. Fuller to also talk to her neighbors and people in the community on issues of concern. He mentioned the website called nextdoor.com that may be a way to get the information out. Ms. Bates suggested also talking to her Neighborhood Commissioner. Mr. Bond agreed and suggested calling the Community Development/Neighborhood Office to find out who her commissioner is for her neighborhood. Ms. Taylor also mentioned Animal Control has spoken to many neighborhood watch groups, and that there is also a Community Relations Department within the Police Department that can help locate others in the community that want to get together. She stated they are currently responding to schools to educate children and provide informational fliers to them and their parents. Ms. Bates inquired what people were afraid of and Ms. Fuller responded retaliation. Ms. Bates mentioned citizens can call the Police anonymously. Mr. Bond mentioned the Look Listen Call (LLC) Program, where Police Officers will come out to talk to groups about suspicious activities and ways to make their residence and community safer. They also talk about callers can remain anonymous. Ms. Sheffield asked if Ms. Fuller can explain to those who ask, that one person was responsible for the death of the dogs found and that Animal Control staff has lived through something horrific; she can only imagine what Animal Control went through. She stated they are overworked, tired and under- staffed. She feels all should be reminded to have sympathy for them and what they went through during this situation. Ms. Fuller agreed with Ms. Sheffield and thanked Animal Control for their service.  Ms. Paul inquired if there would be public comment at the City Council meeting regarding leash law and limiting the number of animals. Mr. Bond stated if the ordinance fits that criteria, but there is public comment opportunity at every City Council meeting.  Tom Oswald stated every year around springtime he sees dead cats in the road and calls Animal Control; he realizes in the spring cats are having kittens. He trapped female cats near his house and had them spayed. He stated prior to having them spayed, they had several litters of kittens. He could not sustain them and The Cat Corner took them. He knows of a litter near Mallory and Mercury that need spay/neuter and someone is feeding them, but he cannot take in any more cats and inquired about his options. He stated he is again concerned about this upcoming spring; cats will show up, but he is overwhelmed and cannot take them in. He would like to thin out his home population and inquired what he can do when outside cats start to show up. Mr. Winters stated there are alternatives to catch and kill, such as; trap-neuter-return (TNR) and establishing a feral cat colony. There was some discussion about cat colonies and Mr. Winters stated he will be glad to provide Mr. Oswald with some educational information on colonies. Ms. Taylor stated through Animal Control, PETA offers free spay/neuter services and have spots (appointments) available. They can do three cats at a time by appointment. Ms. Paul showed the Animal Hero Award that her dog received, stating Channel 13 came to her house and did a video. She is very proud of her dog and wanted to share this information with the committee. Next Meeting Vice Chair Anderson stated we need to meet prior to the next City Council meeting, to come up with a recommendation for the Leash Law and Limiting Number of Animals. There was a consensus to hold a Special Meeting on either March 23 or March 28, once all members were polled for their availability. Adjournment Vice Chair Anderson called for a motion to adjourn. Dan Winters made the motion and Debbie Sheffield seconded. Motion passes. /mao