County adopts no-kill policy

EAST COUNTY — With no additional funding and the potential for cutting costs, Manatee County commissioners have embraced a resolution and action plan for converting the county to a no-kill community for animals.

The plan already is gaining national attention, winning praise from local animal advocates as well as inquiries from a rescue group in Georgia that hopes its local officials will adopt a similar ordinance. Additionally, a Kentucky couple has proposed that a local museum feature 5,500 paintings of euthanized dogs.

“The exciting part is getting everybody energized,” said Commissioner Carol Whitmore, who has championed the cause for the past four years. “It’s overwhelming. I’m having people every day congratulating me. It’s taken us three years to get this far. It’s not just me, it’s everybody who (has worked toward this).

“(This resolution is) a good step for the county because it’s definitely a humane step,” she said. “It’s something that can be done so easily if you have community buy-in. I’m so excited. We want to keep the momentum going.”

Changes to the county’s animal-services department include placing animals into the adoption program more quickly, working to improve owner retention, holding off-site adoptions and obtaining voluntary referral services for sick animals, grooming and behavior specialists.

Under the plan, Manatee County Animal Services will work toward a 90% live-release rate, saving animals through owner retention, returning animals to owners, increasing fostering and adoption, providing free and low-cost spaying and neutering and implementing a feline trap/neuter/return program. Only terminally ill, suffering or vicious dogs would be euthanized.

Currently, Animals Services has a live release rate of about 61%. The county’s goal is to have a 2% increase in that each month, starting this month; it projects having a 91% release rate by December 2012.

“I think a lot of people don’t actually know what’s going on with these cats and dogs in the community,” said Debbie Rubin, interim president of the Lakewood Ranch Humane Society. “They think they are just problem dogs that are being put down, but it’s really adoptable dogs and cats, puppies and kittens. They are just killing too many loving pets. (This change) is going to save many lives.”

Rob Oglesby, president of Honor Animal Rescue, agreed.

“It’s a very big step, a needed step,” he said. “Hopefully, we can all work together and make it happen.”
By Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

Voices of Dissent
Each morning — or night — when East County resident Mike Picchietti wakes up to the barking of dogs, he can’t help but cringe.

It’s a sound to which Picchietti and his wife, Brenda, are growing accustomed, although they are still losing sleep because of it.

More than six months ago, Honor Animal Rescue opened its ranch rescue facility on the property next door to the couple. And throughout the day — especially in the mornings — the Picchiettis hear dogs barking at a volume higher than what’s considered acceptable under Manatee County’s noise ordinance, they say.

“It’s too close, really,” Picchietti said of the shelter. “My bad luck, really.”

Picchietti was the lone constituent to speak against Manatee County’s recently adopted no-kill ordinance during the Oct. 11 County Commission meeting, not because he believes animals should die, but because he believes the county should have taken more time to investigate the potential impacts of implementing a no-kill policy. Dog kennels and animal rescues are allowed uses on agricultural properties such as Picchietti’s, but animal rescue operations located on agricultural property are granted special exemptions from restrictions found in the county’s noise ordinance.

And in Picchietti’s case, that exemption eliminates his safeguards against noise pollution and other considerations, he says.

“The permitting process didn’t take us into account,” Picchietti said. “That’s 100% of the problem. You can’t pick and choose (what’s exempt). That’s the heart of it.”

During the meeting, Manatee County commissioners acknowledged Picchietti’s argument and said it’s a topic they may need to discuss at a later date.

“It’s something we definitely need to look at it, but it won’t be retroactive,” Commissioner Carol Whitmore said.