Animal Services Advisory Board

Animal Control Advisory Board Minutes March 15, 2017 www.wichita.gov The Animal Control Advisory Board meeting was held at 4 p.m. at 3313 N. Hillside, Wichita, KS 67219. Eight Board members and five City staff were present; 10 citizens attended. Members Present Staff Present Teresa Burks Capt. Brent Allred, WPD Chris Hagman Lt. Joe Schroeder, WPD Judy Handley DC Jose Salcido, WPD Judy Hill Janet Johnson, City Manager’s Office Stephanie McCurdy Troy Houtman, Park and Recreation Director Melodee Myers Christy Rafferty John Stevens Members Absent Guests Listed on last page ORDER OF BUSINESS Chair Stephanie McCurdy called the meeting to order. Minutes from the Feb. 15 meeting were approved 8-0. STAFF REPORTS Lt. Joe Schroeder provided Shelter statistics for February. Total number of intakes for the month was 577. February reclaims (animals picked up by their owner) - Dogs – 138 – 39% of total intakes - Cats – 9 – 4% of total intakes - Other – 0– 0% of total intakes - Total reclaims 147 - 25% February transfers (animals taken by KHS or other rescues) - Dogs – 202 - 56% of total intakes - Cats – 140 – 69% of total intakes - Other – 1 – 7% of total intakes - Total – 343 – 59% of total intakes February euthanasia - Dogs – 18- 7% of total intakes - Cats – 55 – 27% of total intakes - Other – 14– 93% of total intakes - Total – 87 – 15% of total intakes Euthanasia breakdown was: Dogs = 18 Cats = 55 Other = 14 8 for medical 28 for fearfulness 5 for medical 5 for rabies specimen testing 16 for medical 5 for rabies specimen testing 2 found dead in kennel 4 for aggressiveness 4 for space (4 chickens) 1 for aggressiveness 3 for rabies 1 for age 2 DOA 1 DOA 1 found dead in cage 1 feral Page 1 of 6  Animal Control Advisory Board Minutes March 15, 2017 www.wichita.gov February dog bites totaled 48 - District 1 – 19 - District 2 – 6 - District 3 – 9 - District 4 – 8 - District 5 – 3 - District 6 – 3 February dogs deemed dangerous totaled 6 - District 1 – 1 - District 2 – 0 - District 3 – 3 - District 4 – 1 - District 5 – 0 - District 6 – 1 Lt. Schroeder said Stephanie called in a found dog and Animal Services went out and picked it up and discovered the dog had been stolen in a burglary the week prior. The owner was notified and came and picked up the dog. Judy Hill asked how many dogs are currently at the Shelter. Lt. Schroeder said he didn’t have the current count with him, but did note this is the slower time of the year and things will quickly pick up in the next few weeks. Teresa Burks commented on the last meeting’s discussion about the use of carpet in dog kennels. She said she would strongly discourage that practice; as a veterinarian she said some of the most miserable deaths she has witnessed were animals having eaten carpet. She said when dogs are in the Shelter and under a great amount of stress they are more likely to chew up blankets and carpets. She recommended the use of Kuranda beds. Lt. Schroeder said they would use the Kuranda beds if they had them, but they are expensive to purchase. He said they have been using the blankets that Hill brings in for dogs in sick and injured, as well as very young and old dogs. He said they tried using them with other dogs and they shredded the blankets and clogged up the drain three times. Mark Eby brought a Kuranda bed in from a KHS kennel and showed the Board what they look like. John Stevens asked about the dog bite by District report – the number of bites vs. the number of dogs deemed dangerous. Lt. Schroeder explained the process and the difference between a provoked and a vicious attack. He also explained that the numbers for District 1are skewed because WAS and KSH are both located in District 1, so any reports taken there will show up under the District 1 numbers. Action Taken: Receive and file. COMMITTEE REPORTS Spay-Neuter Committee Teresa Burks, committee chair, reported the committee didn’t meet this month due to scheduling conflicts. She said she needs a co-chair on the committee so the work can continue when she isn’t available. Dangerous Dog Committee John Stevens, committee chair, said they had some interesting guests at their last meeting. He said there was a lot of general discussion. Stevens reviewed the number of dog bites involving postal carriers. He said there were representatives from Omaha, Nebraska, who are on the postal service safety team and the Page 2 of 6  Animal Control Advisory Board Minutes March 15, 2017 www.wichita.gov committee asked them why they have been so successful in Omaha in reducing dog bites. They believe it is due to their local animal control structure and heavy fines. He said Animal Control in Omaha is very strict when it comes to follow up inspections and the maintenance of dangerous dogs. He said at the conclusion of the meeting the committee voted to increase the fines for dog bites. Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) Committee Judy Handley, committee chair, shared the survey the committee is wanting to put out. She said the purpose of the survey is to find out what the residents of Wichita think about feral cats. Handley asked for the Board’s approval to publish the survey. Teresa Burks/McCurdy made a motion that the survey be published. Motion passed 8-0. Handley said Lt. Schroeder attended their committee meeting and shared data regarding cats. She said Abilene has a successful TNR program so she is going to contact them to see how they run it. Action Taken: Receive and file. NEW BUSINESS Dog Parks Troy Houtman, Director of Park and Recreation, gave the Board an update on what the Park Board is looking at for Wichita in terms of future dog parks. He outlined some of the challenges with the current dog parks, in particular, the two that are located on former landfills. Challenges include: amount of shade, maintenance of turf, availability of water, rules and restrictions and oversight and enforcement. Houtman also listed several locations the Park Board has identified as potential future dog parks including: Harrison, Edgemoor, Meadows, Palisade, Peach Tree, Alice Wall, South Woodland, Eastview, North Riverside, Sunset, MacDonald and Sim Park. Houtman said the organization “Together Wichita” approached the Park Department about a partnership in developing a dog park at Harrison Park. The design is currently being developed and he hopes to have it done within a year. Houtman also said they have requested $200,000 annually in the 2020, 2022, 2024 and 2026 CIP (Capital Improvement Plan) for new dog parks. He said typically he looks for partnerships on these projects and the City provides the seed money and then the partners help fund it. Judy Hill asked Houtman what his biggest hurdle is, the City Commission or the City Manager. Houtman said money and the competing priorities. He said the best way to address it is for Board members and citizens to contact their Council Member and let them know what their priorities are. Teresa Burks raised the issue of people bringing intact males to the dog parks. She said not all three parks seem to have the same rules. She asked if the rules could be consistent. Houtman said that issue is an interesting one and he knows of dog parks that allow intact males and ones that don’t. He said it’s really more about the owners taking responsibility for their dogs. Burks said one of the other challenges is the ability to report issues. She wanted to know if it’s possible to have a phone number or e-mail address where citizens could report their concerns. Houtman said if the issue is operational, it can be reported via the e-mail address or the phone number on the Park and Rec website. He said if it’s about the rules, his staff don’t have the training or the ability to enforce those. Page 3 of 6  Animal Control Advisory Board Minutes March 15, 2017 www.wichita.gov Christy Rafferty said we should be looking at what other progressive cities are doing. She said she supports what Houtman is recommending and it’s important to push the city forward and to enhance quality of life, which attracts people to our city. Burks said another issue is that most of the poop bag stations are located on the outside of dog area and the poop is on the inside. She said it would make more sense to have poop stations throughout the park. Burks said it would be great if each dog park had its own cadre of volunteers who help maintain it. She said she thought Chapin has people who look after it and do things like pick up the broken glass that continues to rise to the surface from the old landfill. Houtman said when he worked in Austin, each dog park had its own volunteers. Lt. Schroeder said there is nothing in the ordinance governing dog parks that states animals have to be altered. He offered to work with Houtman in reviewing the rules. Judy Hill asked about recommending age restrictions, which was the impetus for the survey. Several Board members said because the responses to that question were pretty much 50/50, they didn’t want to recommend a restriction. The Board members said at some point when Wichita has multiple dog parks, they might be able have some specific parks, such as one that didn’t allow small children, but with only three parks, it isn’t feasible at this time. Recommended Action: Provide feedback Dog bite fines John Stevens presented a recommendation from the Dangerous Dog Committee for increasing dog bite fines. He shared documentation that compared Wichita’s dog bite fines to other cities. He also talked about neighborhoods that are losing their mail service due to aggressive dogs running at large. Stevens read a portion of the study that was done by City staffer Robin Bradley from the office of Project Management. He said part of the challenge is that Animal Services doesn’t have enough staff to send out on dogs running at large calls. He said it’s not Lt. Schroeder’s fault, it’s due to a lack of funding. Stevens said the Post Office was willing to print 60,000 post cards and send them out in order to educate neighborhoods on dogs running at large. Stevens also shared a state statute from Minnesota where the police chief is from. He said due to this statute, the Chief of Police didn’t have the problems that he does here. He said even if you can get ahold of Animal Control it doesn’t matter because there’s not one to send. He said we need to do something now because there have already been eight postal carriers this year who have been bitten by dogs and we aren’t even into the heavy dog season yet. Several Board members and citizens wanted to know if Animal Services is being notified of all the dangerous dog encounters that the postal service is reporting. Lt. Schroeder said he has only heard of one that occurred this month. He said he has provided a dedicated phone line for the post office and he often only finds out about the post office dog complaints when the residents call who received notice that their mail service is being cut off. He said the most recent call he got from a citizen like that involved a poodle and a Chihuahua. Lt. Schroeder said he doesn’t know what criteria the post office uses to cut off mail service. Stevens said the Animal Services phone system is not user friendly. Handley said her sister was walking her dog when a dog that was running at large attacked her dog and in the process of fighting it off, the woman was bit. Handley said the woman called 911 and an Animal Control Officer showed up within 20 minutes. Lt. Schroeder said it’s a matter of prioritization and an attack is going to take priority over a stray. Page 4 of 6  Animal Control Advisory Board Minutes March 15, 2017 www.wichita.gov Action Taken: Stevens/Myers made a motion to recommend that the City hire three additional animal control field officers. Rafferty asked for Lt. Schroeder’s opinion as to whether three additional ACOs would help. He said he is in the process of re-structuring staffing, but if asked point blank if three more staff would help, he responded of course, if someone can find the funding, he would gladly take three more staff. Allred said the problem is the funding. Hill talked about how the City budget process works and the fact that there’s no money. She said they need to get the attention of the City Manager and the Mayor. Burks said she likes this presentation because the data shows the needs. Capt. Allred said WPD had a consultant do a staff study and that study said that if the RFP is successful in finding an organization to run the Shelter operations, then additional ACOs won’t be needed, but if the RFP isn’t successful, then the study recommends an additional four ACOs. Judy Handley said she didn’t feel like the Board should wait on the RFP to make their recommendation. She and Burks felt like it was important the Board send a message now that they want more ACOs on the street. George Theoharis said that he asked the City Council to spend some of the Hyatt sale proceeds on Animal Control, but there wasn’t any interest. He said he talked to the Police Chief though and he is ready to do something about this issue. Motion passed 8-0. In a second motion, Stevens/Rafferty made a recommendation that the City hire a clerk typist who can write up service requests while answering the phone. Motion passed 8-0. John Stevens reported the Dangerous Dog Committee is recommending the following ordinance changes regarding dog bites.  Upon a first conviction of any violation of the provisions of this section, a minimum fine of $150 shall be assessed.  Upon a second conviction within a twelve-month period, of any violation of the provisions of this section, a minimum fine of $250 shall be assessed.  Upon a third or subsequent conviction, of a violation of any provisions of this section, a minimum fine of $500 shall be assessed. In addition to the minimum fines set forth above, the Municipal Court Judge may impose a term of imprisonment not to exceed six months, and a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars. Stevens made a motion that the Board endorse the recommendations for the change in the ordinance. Burks questioned the fine on the first offense. Lt. Schroeder said they typically only charge dog bites in cases where the owner was negligent, knew the dog was viscous and the let the dog out or they subject someone to a situation where they get bit. He said the majority of bites aren’t cited. Stevens asked how the owners of biting dogs typically react; specifically are they remorseful, or do they just not care. Lt. Schroeder said typically people are remorseful at the time, but he has seen instances where the next day they start playing the blame game. Page 5 of 6  Animal Control Advisory Board Minutes March 15, 2017 www.wichita.gov Chris Hagman asked if there was another part of the recommendation; something where people could take a class. Hill asked why the Board seemed to have concerns with the motion. She asked Lt. Schroeder if he had a problem with it. He said he didn’t have an issue with any of it, pointing out that it will ultimately be up to Council to approve it. Hill seconded the motion. George Theoharis ask some questions about how this relates to dogs being deemed dangerous. Lt. Schroeder gave some scenarios. Motion passed 8-0. BOARD AGENDA There were no items PUBLIC AGENDA Scheduled Items None Off Agenda items Sarah Coffman said she usually calls Animal Control about three times a week and she has never not been able to get through. She told John Stevens, as her District 1 representative, she has no faith in his data, doesn’t believe it, and his information comes from internet trolls. She said she hopes going forward he can work on correcting the problem instead of stating his same complaint for 20 minutes. Meeting Adjourned Guests George Theoharis Sarah Coffman Kevin Barnes Jerry McKee Page 6 of 6