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In 2013 Monroe SPCA intends to form and host a community coalition to plan, develop, and manage a capital campaign project for the purposes of building an open-admission animal protection shelter and adoption center in Monroe County. As such, this shelter will be designed to intake, house, and provide care to any displaced animal or animal at-risk of displacement in a humane environment with priority being given to animals in Monroe County which are stray, lost, abandoned, and/or no longer wanted (owner surrenders).This means no animal in immediate need of shelter and/or care will be denied or left to fend for themselves, and humane and responsible holding policies and practices will be established as daily operations. Being able to determine, evaluate, and meet the physiological, behavioral, emotional, and social needs of each individual animal (humane values) will be emphasized in all phases of the plan and as a primary focus of all operations. Restructuring an existing facility will also be an option for consideration, for example, restructuring the current MCAC facility. A community training center will be included as a phased part of this comprehensive plan.
Because building a new shelter is a long-range project requiring much planning, we will be presenting a proposed plan to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office which will show how Monroe SPCA operations can be partnered with Monroe County Animal Control operations in the current county impoundment facility for the short-term (2012). This joint effort will help to save lives and improve conditions in the animal control facility for both people and animals by maximizing overall efficiency, productivity, and budgets and increasing overall skills, services, and available resources. It will also ensure in the short-term that all displaced animals in need of immediate shelter and humane intervention will receive it. As part of our plan to partner with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, we will propose that the Monroe County Animal Control facility begin operating as an open-admission facility and change its state licensing status from animal control shelter to animal protection shelter.
We will also present, propose, and recommend a plan that increases the accuracy and transparency of data regarding Monroe County animals using Asilomar Reports and Evaluation Matrixes. We will share this more efficient, transparent, and accurate method of collecting and reporting animal data with the Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Humane Society of Monroe County during the first quarter of 2013. Use of Asilomar Reporting and Evaluation opens the door to many grant possibilities, including an initial $40,000.00 award in 4 stages, upon implementation.
Monroe SPCA is already drafting a Standard Operations Policy Manual for the operations of an open-admission protection shelter which we will complete and share portions of with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office beginning in 2012. We will additionally propose that the Sheriff’s Office work with us and others to review and update all Monroe County animal-related policies and practices so as to more successfully reflect and respond to the needs of Monroe County residents and animals.
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