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Message from the Director

By Cindy Williams– Operations Manager

Budget Crisis – Possible Impact to Animals?

It seems as if you cannot pick up the paper these days without seeing an article about the economy and the effects it is having on the federal, state and local governments as well as the public as a whole. The County of Sonoma is once again facing a budget crisis that is unprecedented. Many county departments are “general fund” departments which means their services are financed through property and sales tax. Due to the continuing recession, the general fund balance has steadily decreased over the past several years and it is not anticipated that there will be an increase for the next few years.

To offset the budget deficit in previous years, the County has implemented Mandatory Time Off (MTO), reduction in health care benefits, reduction in staff, moratorium on cost of living increases, voluntary time off programs, and increase in fees for service where appropriate (this list is not inclusive). These aforementioned reductions have certainly helped with the budget deficit, but they are not a permanent fix for the ongoing budget shortfall.

For the past three years, all departments that receive general fund dollars have been required to reduce their budgets by 10% to 20%. This year, all general fund departments are again being asked to reduce their budgets by 25% for Fiscal Year 2011/2012 (Animal Care & Control does receive general fund monies). What does this mean for the Animal Care and Control Division (ACC)? A reduction of approximately $243,000 from our budget that could result in a reduction in staff, reduction in services offered, and a reduction in hours of operation. It will also mean that we are going to need to rely more heavily on our wonderful volunteers and develop new ways to bring in donations and/or increase our revenues. The staff at ACC are holding monthly staff meetings and brainstorming on ways we can do business more efficiently and effectively with fewer resources.

ACC works well as a team and we are all willing to fill in wherever there is a need in our shelter--do not be surprised if an animal control officer answers the phones, or you see the supervisors helping out in the kennels—we are committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure our animals and the public are well cared for. Public Safety, the animals at ACC and in our community are our top priorities and will continue to be our top priorities – ACC staff is dedicated to continuing the excellent care of our shelter animals and keeping the public safe through our Animal Control Officer’s field services – even through these very difficult economic times.

“Oh Beautiful Girl” Daisy

By Greg Mortensen – Volunteer Coordinator

Daisy was going to be “fostered” by Erin Dunton, one of Sonoma County Animal Care and Control’s wonderful volunteers. But, on the way home in November the match was made, and the following week Daisy’s adoption was complete. Daisy is doing very well following an ear infection and after having some dental work done at the shelter. Daisy is at least twelve-years-old and shares 80 acres with another Border Collie that is six-years-old. Erin has made Daisy’s life 1000% better.

During the holidays, Erin had the pleasure of having her sister Kathi, and her sister’s friend Yvonne stay with her. They had a lot of fun, and Daisy was a part of it all. They stayed for about two weeks, and on about the sixth day Yvonne said to Erin that she had started a poem in her head about Daisy. On the twelfth day Yvonne gave Erin this beautiful poem titled “Oh Beautiful Girl.”

Collaboration to the Rescue

By Cathy Fenn – Animal Shelter Supervisor

Every year in the past we have had our “seasons” for animals. Starting in the summer of 2010 was different. Our shelter experienced more animals coming in last year than we have seen in the past five years. We usually get a “break” during the winter months, not this time.

Speaking to the managers of the other animal shelters in Sonoma County, we found we were all experiencing the same thing. This also held true with many rescue groups.

In January 2010, our shelter’s cat rooms were empty enough to be used to house little dogs. January 2011, we found our cat rooms full. Our dog kennels were no different. Even with several “dog specials,” our dog kennels remained full to the point we had to house strays in the adoptable kennels.

Ever since we opened our doors in October of 1989, we’ve worked closely with rescue groups along with all the other shelters in Sonoma County and beyond. When our shelter was full and we had nowhere else to house animals, we reached out to these groups. Sometimes they didn’t have room to help, but for the most part we could count on them.

This January was no different. We put out a plea to more than 50 rescue groups along with all our local animal shelters, and they came through for the animals at our shelter. The word spread and the San Francisco SPCA drove their van north and filled it with 11 of our cats.

We want to thank all the groups that were able to help the 82 animals this time and all those who have helped us in the past:

• California Animal Rescue (2 dogs)
• Forgotten Felines (5 cats)
• German Shepherd Rescue of Northern California (2 dogs)
• Noah’s Bark Rescue (7 cats, 21 dogs and 2 guinea pigs)
• Northbay Canine Rescue (1 dog)
• Petaluma Animal Shelter (4 dogs)
• Rohnert Park Animal Shelter (2 cats and 2 dogs)
• SFSPCA (11 cats)
• Sonoma Humane Society (7 cats, 4 dogs and 1 rabbit)
• We Care Animal Rescue (5 cats)
• Wonder Dog Rescue (6 dogs)
• ABC Rescue
• Ace of Hearts Rescue
• A Leg Up Rescue
• All Fur Love
• American Brittany Rescue
• Animal Care and Adoption Network
• Animal Friends Rescue Project
• Big Dog Rescue
• Border Collie Rescue of Northern California
• Cavy World Guinea Pig Rescue
• Chesapeake Bay Retriever Rescue
• Chow Chow Rescue of the Sierra Foothills
• Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network
• Countryside Rescue
• English Springer Rescue of America
• Feline Rescue of Northern California
• German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue of San Francisco
• Golden Gate Bassett Rescue
• Golden Gate Labrador Retriever Rescue
• Great Pyrenese Rescue of Northern California
• Home At Last Rescue
• Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue
• Little Bow Wow Rescue
• Little Paws Kitten Rescue
• Milo Foundation
• Nine Lives Foundation
• Noah’s Friends Animal Sanctuary
• NorCal Boxer Rescue
• NorCal Bulldog Rescue
• NorCal Collie Rescue
• NorCal German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue
• NorCal Golden Retriever Rescue
• NorCal Poodle Rescue
• Norsled
• Northern California Animal Rescue Friends
• Northern California Weimaraner Rescue
• Persian and Himalayan Cat Rescue
• Pug Rescue of Sacramento
• Purebreds Plus Cat Rescue
• Rocket Dog Rescue
• Russell Rescue
• San Francisco Bay Scottish Terrier Club
• San Francisco Bay West Highland Wht Terrier Club
• San Francisco Samoyed Rescue
• Save A Bunny
• Saving Animals From Euthanasia
• Sierra Pacific Great Pyrenese Rescue
• Small Paws Rescue
• Southern California Dachshund Rescue
• The Jindo Project
• Wild Abandoned Indigent Fund For Animals
• Whippet Rescue and Placement
• Wine Country Greyhound.

This is a long list, but we cannot thank those who help us rescue and save the animals enough. Many thanks also to those who adopt our wonderful pets, and we certainly hope no one has been missed. Thank you!

Wow! Look at These Guys!

By Jocelyn Schmidt, RVT – Shelter Vet Technician

In recent years, the start of a new school semester brings new faces to our shelter. Human faces. Let me tell you a little bit about our Veterinary Technician Intern Program at the shelter.

Sonoma County Animal Care and Control partnered with the Vet Tech program at the Santa Rosa Junior College several years ago, when we identified a need for more help, but were not able to hire anyone. We became aware that there were students in the JC program who were interested in acquiring the hands-on experience needed to become a licensed Veterinary Technician. We have since developed a symbiotic relationship with these students from the College. They have donated their time to us, in exchange for the experience they need to get into their field of interest.

We are in the third semester of our structured program, but we have been getting students from the JC to help the shelter for years. I have to remind everyone we got three of our paid staff from this same program about three years ago; Missy, Erin and Margery, our Animal Care Assistants.

This January we re-structured our program a little and were able to bring on twelve new interns this semester! That brings our Vet Tech intern total to twenty people! The Animal Care Assistants and Animal Health Technicians identified that they needed help in specific areas, so we recruited for those specific jobs. The response was incredible! Having these new people on staff has allowed us to do more for the animals. Ed has been able to use our interns to assist with behavior assessments. The help in the vet room has allowed us to increase the surgery load, and we are READY for the next kitten season! Our vet room interns are learning about animal anesthesia, surgical preparation, and post-op procedures. Others are assisting with getting the shelter animals medicated each morning, taking pictures, and vaccinating animals upon their arrival at the shelter.

We want to say thanks to our new interns Aaron O, Raeanna, April, Hannah, Danielle, Deborah, Alexandra, Minna, Dylyn, Ron, Meaghan and Clair-Marie. We also want to recognize our more ‘seasoned’ interns. Thank you for sticking in there and also for helping to train the new interns. Thank you, Lisa T, Heather, Pauline, Nadine, Lisa M, Ariana, Alec and Marley. You are all a part of our shelter family, and we are glad you are here. We also want to say thank you to Dr. Dan Famini for helping to put this program in motion. And thank you Dr. Mary Rengal (wherever you are) for your help with our program in its early days.

Chopper

By Shirley Zindler–Animal Control Officer

Lying on the cold concrete in the dark is not my favorite way to spend the evening but it's all part of the job. I had taken an emergency call of a dog that had been hit by a car and then taken refuge under another vehicle.  When I arrived I found a large male Boxer huddled under an SUV in the parking lot. Numerous witnesses were standing by but they had been unable to get near him.

I attempted to coax the dog out with treats and sweet talk but he wasn’t buying it and growled ominously as I inched closer. In my flashlight beam I could see a bloody abrasion on his foot. It didn’t appear to be serious but a scared, injured and cornered dog is a good recipe for a dog bite. I went back to my truck for a catch pole and spent the next 15 minutes flat on my back under the vehicle attempting to maneuver it over his head. He was jammed up in the undercarriage of the engine making it difficult to snare him in the tight space. I finally managed to loop him and was able to inch him out a little at a time.

Once I had a hold of him he calmed down and allowed me to examine him. In the glow of the street light I looked him over for injuries. Other than the minor abrasion he seemed to have gotten away with it. Unfortunately he wore no collar or tags so I scanned him and found that he had a microchip. Yes! I called the microchip company and after being on hold for quite some time I was told that the dogs name was Chopper and was given owner information. Several phone calls later I finally reached the owner and drove the dog to her home.

As I returned Chopper to his grateful owner I advised her to get a collar and ID tag for him. “Oh, he has one, it’s in the house.” She was quick to respond. In the house didn’t help him in this case but it was another successful return thanks to the microchip. It turned out that Chopper had jumped their six foot fence when his companion, another dog, was taken to the vet, leaving him alone in the yard.

Tags with owner information are the fastest way to get a lost pet home. Many people don’t realize that license and rabies tags cannot be traced after hours and its often going to be a citizen who finds your lost pet. Not everyone knows about microchips so a tag with several personal phone numbers is the fastest way to get your pet home. Backing it up with a microchip will provide added security if the collar is lost. Take a few minutes to make sure the animals in your care have tags with current phone numbers and if your pet needs a microchip most vets and shelters can provide them.

Cheyenne and Marilyn

By Greg Mortensen – Volunteer Coordinator

Among our many excellent volunteers, there are two special individuals whose contributions have improved the lives of the animals at the shelter and our customer service to the public while they are here. Cheyenne Vichi and Marilyn Sutton have volunteered at the Sonoma County Animal Shelter for two years and have donated a lot of time and love while serving as Client Service Assistants, and Feline and Canine Kennel Assistants.

Cheyenne and Marilyn have been very dedicated to the shelter, coming every Wednesday afternoon eagerly waiting to greet and welcome our clients. They assess their needs, answering questions and joyfully informing them where to go and what to do regardless. As Client Service Assistants Cheyenne and Marilyn provide information and support to people who have found or lost a pet, showing owners of lost animals the impounded animals, matching descriptions of lost pets to animals brought to the shelter as well as to those which have been reported found and are being held in someone's home, and by providing preliminary adoption counseling for our clients.

When Cheyenne and Marilyn are not busy assisting the public, they spend their time cuddling cats or walking dogs. As Kennel Assistant volunteers they not only provide hands-on care to the animals, but they help ensure that the shelter living environment remains safe, clean and as comfortable as possible.

We’d like to take a moment and thank Cheyenne and Marilyn for all that they do to help the animals, staff and community at the Sonoma County Animal Shelter. Thank you!

If you are interested in volunteering at the shelter, please contact Greg Mortensen at (707) 565-7116 or visit us on-line at www.theanimalshelter.org for more information.