Animal Advisory Committee

Animal Advisory Committee - Meeting Minutes Monday, May 22, 2023 Regular Meeting Johnnie Arolfo Civic Center Committee Roll Call: Susanne Joosten Jasmine O’Keefe Patricia Rytlewski Dr. Betsy Robinson Stacey Warner Absent: Amy Potter Losh Assistant Chief Cliff Woitena Meeting was called to order at 6:15 p.m. AGENDA: Jasmine provided a handout with April statistics and the shelter updates. A copy of the handout will be included in the meeting minutes. The committee reviewed and discussed each section of the handout. Discussion held on: • Staffing recommendations – Jasmine has asked City Council for additional staffing in the upcoming budget year. • Upcoming events - Pups & Pints and Shellside Community event. • Dog transport options to out of state shelters - many are having the same overcrowding problems. • Committee Goals – Board should get involved, work a shift at the shelter; virtual fostering • Ideas to increase spay/neuter. Have a designated place in the shelter to perform the procedure; ask local veterinarians to donate 1 procedure per year; look in to obtaining a grant for equipment Public comment: Discussion held on Laurel’s House contract for spay/neuters. Meeting adjourned at 7:38 p.m.  April Outline • Ca nine:80 • • Feline: 30 Beginning 165 • Othe r: 0 Animal Count • Foster: 55 • Ca nine: 117 •••••• • Intakes 245 • Feline: 126 • O ther: 2 •••••• •••••• •••••• •• • •. Outcomes 175 • Tota l Live Outcomes: 167 • C anine : 89 • Ending Animal Count 234 • • • Fe line: 43 O ther: l Foster Care: l 01  .>..League City ~ I Animal Care Volunteer • Volunteer scholarship for Best Friends Animal Society Conference • TOP dog classes have begun o Jasmine on every other Tuesday o Lynette on every other Thursday • Monthly newsletter se nt out • 28 Applicants • 18 Accepted General • Got Skillz class on Dog Handling Level 1 completed by all staff o Next Class: Customer Service for Animal Shelters by Maddie's Fund • 19 protocols updated and sent to staff • Cruelty case; seized 22 cats • Met with Mara Hartsell to discuss staffing needs and case management study • Preparing for Case Management Study starting June 1st • Community Pet Day Event June 17th Foster /Marketing • Kitten season has begun! • Continuing photography • Best Friends Animal Society partnership event April 29th & 30th • Bissell Pet Adoptions May 1st- 15th; adopted out 30 Dogs & 29 Cats • Pups & Pints eve nt June 3rd •••••••••• ••••••• 13  . ; . .League City ~ I Animal Care League City Animal Care Volunteer Program Volunteer Flow Step 1 • Apply: • Complete Application • Community Outreach Coordinator(s) review applications & approve a ll who meet the required guidelines. o Applicants have agreed "Yes" to volunteering at least 2 shifts monthly for at least 6 months. o Applicants have answered " Yes" to a ll four Policy Agreement questions. o Applicants are at least 16 years of age or older. o Applicants are not volunteering to meet Court Ordered Community Service requirements. • Approved applicants are moved to " In Process" status and are sent an email welcoming them to the program a nd informing them of the next steps to get started. Step 2 - On-boarding Flow for " In Process" Volunteers: • Complete three required elearning modules o Volunteer Orientation o Introduction to Enrichment o My Impact Training • Sign-Up for first Enrichment Shift • Complete four Enrichment Shifts • Volunteers are moved to " Accepted " status and are sent an email congratulating them on completing their onboarding and informing them of their current capabilities & next steps. Step 3- Accepted Volunteers: • Accepted Volunteers are eligible for the following: o Continue to sign up for Enrichment Shifts o Sign up for general help shifts such as Laundry/Dishes, Donation Sorting, Foster Prep, and Adoption Center Check-In • Accepted volunteers may also complete elearnings to begin working in our Animal Handling Programs - Canine Companions and Feline Friends o After completing elearnings for these programs, volunteers must complete a minimum of one Shadow Shift with a n experienced volunteer before signing up for shifts on their own. •••••••••• ••••••• 13  >..League City ~ I Anima l Care • Spay/neuter appointments o Current sga'y'. and neuter golicy_;_ Animals can be adopted without being sterilized. o Rationale: Remove adoption barriers, lower shelter stay duration, and address high shelter population crisis. This can result in a decrease in spay and neuter services as the goal is to minimize the animals length of stay. However the biggest cha llenge facing shelters today is a la ck of low cost veterinary services . o SuQ.gort: Industry leaders like Best Friends Animal Society endorse this policy. o Sterilization agreement: Digital record attached to unaltered animals, including surgery date and legal consequences for non-compliance. o Waitlist: Animals without scheduled surgery dates are added to a waitlist; staff schedules and communicates surgery dates to adopters . o RFP for sga'y'. and neuter services: Animal Alliance submitted a single bid of $191,000, $91,000 over the original contract. o Reason for Animal Alliance's grice increase: Inability to subsidize negotiated price beyond the l 03 decrease in pricing already offered to shelters. o Alternative solution: Laurel's House is open to a contract but cannot guarantee weekly visits due to veterinarian shortage; they can schedu le 2-4 visits per month based on availability. o Best Friend's article: The paradox of adopting out unaltered animals • https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/editorials/adopting-out- unaltered-animals. •••••••••• •••• • • • 13  Year To Date Summary Dog Live Release Rate April Live Release Cat Live Release Rate 97% 93% • Dogs • Cats • Other • Total 300 200 100 0 Intakes • Dogs • Cats • Other • Total 300 200 100 ~ : I : > <::::::: : : 0 Live Outcomes