DeKalb County Animal Services Public Opinion Meeting Tonight
Decatur Metro | August 16, 2011Heather writes in…
DECATUR – The DeKalb County Animal Services Task Force is seeking public opinion on several proposed initiatives to improve public health, safety and code enforcement related to animal services in DeKalb County. The proposed initiatives seek to increase adoptions of abandoned and lost animals, encourage responsible pet ownership, improve the conditions of animals under the county’s care and reduce euthanasia rates at the animal shelter. Residents are encouraged to attend the following meeting TONIGHT!
Tuesday, Aug. 16 from 6 – 8 p.m.
Decatur Library
215 Sycamore Street, Decatur
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Last summer I spotted a puppy running around outside without a tag. I thought he was going to get hit so I grabbed him and put him in the backyard. I called Dekalb County Animal Control and the guy that answered told me that he was in Stone Mountain and could I meet him halfway to pick up the dog. Um, not gonna happen. This guy was on the clock, in a county vehicle and he wanted me to do that. I told him my car was broke down. He took the bait and eventually showed up to get the dog. This didn’t give me a very favorable impression of Dekalb County Animal Control.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to attend this meeting (heard about it too late). Do you happen to know who we should contact with suggestions? My wife is uniquely qualified to help. She is an industrial engineer and for her senior design project at Tech, she worked with the Atlanta Humane Society to improve adoption rates. She came up with several cheap, easy-to-implement techniques that had immediate and substantial impacts on adoptions.
From some of the stories I’ve heard about DeKalb County Animal Control, they can use all the help they can get.
On the Dekalb Animal Services Task Force home page there is a survey you can take to give your ideas on improvement. There is also a presentation under documents that was to be presented at last night’s meeting.
In another county where I volunteered, post-adoption support seemed to help somewhat. Many adopters may underestimate the finances, time, and patience that are needed to care for a pet. That’s especially true for folks adopting from county shelters, where the application process is very abbreviated and there isn’t an opportunity for much pre-adoption counseling.
A volunteer support team can reduce return rates by advising people on where to find low-cost vet care and supplies, providing access to discounted training (through partners or group events), and lending an ear to owners who are stressed over chronic behavioral problems.
Lumpintheroad – you can go to this link: http://www.co.dekalb.ga.us/astf/index.html and there is a survey link on the page that I hope gets your comments heard! and please share it so as many residents as possible can put their 2cents in! Thanks!
There is another meeting coming up. The Druid Hills patch had an article about last night’s meeting.
http://northdruidhills.patch.com/articles/animal-lovers-urge-reduction-in-60-percent-kill-rate-at-county-shelter
The task force’s next hearing will be Tuesday, Aug. 30, from 6:30 – 8 p.m. at the Goodwill Career Center at 1295 Columbia Drive, Decatur. For more information on the task force, contact or visit http://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/astf to take an online survey.