Tight connection to my heart

You want to talk to me.
Go ahead and talk.
Whatever you got to say to me
Won't come as any shock.
I must be guilty of something
You just whisper it into my ear

Madame Butterfly
She lulled me to sleep.
In a town without pity
Where the water runs deep.
She said, 'Be easy baby.
There ain't nothing worth stealin' in here'

I'm gonna get my coat.
I feel the breath of a storm.

There's something I've got to do tonight,
You go inside and stay warm.

You're the one I've been looking for
You're the one that's got the key
But I can't figure out whether I'm too good for you
Or you're too good for me

Well they're not showing any lights tonight
And there's no moon.
There's just a hot blooded singer
Singing 'Memphis in June'
And they're beatin' the devil out of a guy
Who's wearing a powder-blue wig.

Later he'll be shot for
Resisting arrest.
I can still hear his voice crying
In the wilderness.
What looks large from a distance
Close up ain't never that big.

I never could learn to drink that blood
And call it wine
I never could learn to hold you, love
And call you mine.

You got a tight connection to my heart

Miami Dade Shelter Report 2001 - 2010

This spreadsheet represents MDAS shelter records FY 01/02 through FY 04/05.  This represents a period of time where MDAS was managed by Miami Dade Police Department.

Category	FY 01/02	FY 02/03	FY 03/04	FY 04/05
Intake	30,640	32,423	28,623	28,566
Adoptions	2,796	4,238	3,466	3,002
Transfers**	875	774	1,611	1,365
Return to owner	741	1,038	1,164	1,300
Number animals saved	4,412	6,050	6,241	5,667
Number euthanized	20,294	20033	19,071	18,722
Percent euthanized	66%	62%	67%	66%

This spreadsheet represents the data from FY 05/06 through FY 09/10 which represents the time period after Dr Sara Pizano took over managing the Miami Dade Animal Services Unit.

Category	FY 05/06 (*)	FY 06/07	FY 07/08	FY 08/09	FY 09/10
Intake	30,136	34,163	34,504	37,332	35,924
Adoptions	6,000	6,724	5,887	8,327	8,334
Transfers**	1,751	2,261	3,261	3,888	4,074
Return to owner	1,289	1,428	1,482	1,485	1,534
Number animals saved	9,040	10, 413	10,630	13,700	13,942
Number euthanized	20,022	22,378	21,920	21,367	20,112
Percent euthanized	66%	65%	63%	57%	56%

Evaluating Key Shelter Performance Factors


Adoptions


The number of dogs and/or cats adopted from MDAS is a critical measurement in life saving performance.  Adoptions during the four years prior to Dr Pizano's tenure averaged around 3,300 per year.  As the numbers show adoptions doubled the first year alone to an astounding number of 6,000 dogs/cats being adopted back into the community.  Adoptions have continued to climb at a rate of 37% in years FY 08 through FY 2010.  Adoptions only saw a slight decline in FY 2007/2008 which represents the beginning of south Florida economic decline.


This is an area where improvement under Dr Pizano's leadership will continue once the new shelter is built.  The fact that she has been successful in improving adoptions despite being burdened with an old, disease pronged shelter is refreshing. 
Performance Grade - A


Rescue Transfers


Rescue transfers were almost non existent while MDAS was under police department control - averaging around 1,150 dogs/cats each year.  Many of these transfers occurred in 2003 - 2005 as a result of rescue groups stepping up to pull animals and as a result of a loosening of restrictions on rescue groups because management was under fire.  

Under the watch of the "old guard" police, policies enforced  included banning volunteers, prohibiting rescue volunteers from taking pictures of dogs/cats listed as urgent, and a data base that was so inaccurate it was useless for all practical purposes.

With the implementation of MDAS "rescue partners" program dogs and cats being transferred to rescue has risen dramatically to over 4,000 during the last fiscal year.  This represents an increase of over 300% from the results under the Miami Dade Police Department control. 


This is also an area where the rescue community can continue to see improvement if they double or triple the number of rescue groups that become team players with MDAS Partner program. 
Performance Grade A Plus


Return To Owners


Returning family pets to their owners is a community effort.  It requires policies to be put in effect that encourage pet identification and offers low cost options that assist pet owners with identifying their pets.  These numbers have remained fairly stagnated with  only a slight bump in the number of pets returned home.  Still the number of pets returned to owners under the old leadership team averaged slightly over 1,050 each year to an average of slightly over 1,400 (or 40%) under the new leadership team.
Performance Grade - B - Minus/C Plus


Number of Animal Saved


In FY 01/02 less then 15% of the dogs/cats entering the shelter survived.  Many died horrible deaths due to diseases contracted during even very short stays at the shelter.  In FY 02/03 the number saved only increased to 19%.  In FY 03/04 the number of animals saved improved to 22% in part due to a 10% decrease in the number of animals entering the shelter.  In FY 04/05 or the last year of management under the police department the number of animals saved dropped to 20% - in other words, MDAS was killing four out of five dogs and cats entering the shelter.


During Dr Pizano's first year the number of animals saved jumped to 30% (FY 05/06).  This represented an increase of 63% (5667 to 9040) in one year alone.  FY 06/07 that number of animals saved increased to 10,413 or another 10% increase from the previous year.  However, this increase was negated by an increase in intake numbers of 13% as intake climbed from 30,000 dogs/cats entering the shelter to over 34,000.


In FY 07/08 MDAS was able to hold it's own on the number of saved animals despite what was the beginning of an economic recession taking hold in south Florida and throughout the country. 


In FY 08/09 the number of animals saved again increased from the previous year by over 30% as it climbed from 10,630 to 13,700.  This number represents a sustained increase of over 250% (5,667) from the previous total under the "old guard" of MDAS mismanagement in 2005. 

MDAS was able to improve the number of animals saved slightly in FY 09/10 as the saved numbers rose to 13,942.  Performance grade on saving animals - A plus.


Shelter Intake


Unfortunately, all of the gains made in adoptions and animals transferred to rescue has been negated by an startling increase in the number of animals entering the shelter (intake) over the last five years.  Intake has climbed from a four year average of 30,000 dogs/cats a year FY 01 through FY 05 to an average of over 34,400 during the last five years.  This represents an increase of 15% on intake alone. 


Intake numbers represent a community problem that must be dealt with in order to reverse this trend.  It is NOT an area where shelter management of an open admission shelter has much control.

Dr Pizano has put forth a number of recommendations that focus on reducing intake by expanding spay/neuter programs, promoting  pro-active pet retention programs and partnering with rescue partners by transfering animals before they enter the shelter.

Performance Grade - community D MINUS - MDAS policy review - B - minus


Number of dogs and cats killed at MDAS


No one disagrees that the 20,000 dogs and cats that are consistently being killed at MDAS remains a serious community problem for which solutions must be found.  Those solutions are NOT going to come from the constant attacks from many groups who aren't even from the Miami Dade/South Florida area. 


The solutions needed for MDAS will only come by continuing to build a foundation of local support that can address the growth in intake numbers, by doubling even tripling the number of rescue partners and a surge in efforts to educate the community on responsible pet ownership while providing pet owners the programs needed for this transition.  The solution also requires building the long overdue new shelter as well.


History of Miami Dade Animal Services
Note: Miami Dade Animal Services (MDAS) became an independent department in October of 2005.


Animal Services was originally a part of the Dade County Public Safety Department, and was later designated as the Animal Care and Control Division under the Public Works Department.


In 2001, the Miami-Dade Police Department took over the operation, and on October 1, 2005, the Animal Services Department (ASD) was created as a stand-alone entity in an effort to provide focused care for the County’s animal population.

By becoming an independent entity, the Animal Services Department is be able to concentrate its resources on its core mission of caring for the animals in its custody. MDAS receives approximately 22 percent of its budget from the County’s General Operating Fund, while the remaining 78 percent is derived through dog license tag sales, shelter fees, enforcement fines, private grants, and donations.


Miami Dade Animal Services Director - Dr Sara Pizano

Sara Pizano, D.V.M., is responsible for the oversight of the Miami-Dade Animal Services Department.

She began her career as a veterinarian intern at the Animal Medical Center in New York City, one of the busiest animal centers in the country. She moved to South Florida in 1998 and has been very involved in the animal care community.


She brings to Miami-Dade more than 11 years of experience in the field of veterinary medicine and animal services delivery, including five years as the director of veterinary services for the Humane Society of Broward County, where she was responsible for managing a $1 million budget and increasing clinic donations by 231 percent.


Dr. Pizano holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University.


Five Year Performance Report Highlights


In 2005, the Miami Dade Animal Services Department (MDAS) became independent, answering directly to the County Manager. Since then, a myriad of changes and improvements have been and continue to be made.


In 2010 the Department was presented with the Outstanding Team Achievement award for a spay/neuter initiative as MDAS was responsible for the sterilization of over 4,000 community cats with minimal impact to the operational budget.


Miami-Dade Animal Services is one of the top ten largest shelters in the country, based on the number of animals abandoned. Between FY 2005-2006 and 2008-2009, the intake of animals increased by:

• Introduced micro chipping for community pets that includes automatic registration (2008)
• Created new educational handouts to prepare pet owners for adoption and care of their new pet
• Lost and Found Procedure Improvements
• Created lost pet handouts for owners
• Trained staff to enter tag/chip information into Chameleon (pet and owner information database) to generate reports for shelter animals with identification
• Created Pet Detectives Volunteer Program to increase reunification rate of lost pets with their owners
• Updated adoption and spay/neuter contracts to include the picture, microchip, tag and animal ID (2005)
• Introduced spay/neuter agreement to decrease time shelter pets were exposed to infectious diseases.

Community Outreach


• Advertised on trains, buses, newspapers and magazines
• Developed an ad campaign featuring three (3) uniform messages :   Spay/Neuter o Adopt-a-Pet o
• Secured approximately $50,000+ annually in in-kind advertising (ongoing)
• Secured regularly featured spots on Comcast Pets on Demand, Telemundo 51 and GenTV
• Partnered with Petsmart to do mobile adoptions (2009)
• Created a Facebook page

Concentrated outreach efforts have helped to increase adoptions and improve MDAS’s overall visibility and reputation throughout the community, though proper funding has not been allocated in the budget to this area. MDAS has developed advertising campaigns, improved media relations and developed partner websites that all contribute to getting people involved and saving more animals.

Outreach efforts included the following:

Rescue Partnership


In 2006, a formal Rescue Partnership was created with 501c3 Rescue Groups and humane societies. Twice daily, our Rescue Partners receive auto e-mails via the Chameleon shelter software with a list of shelter pets that would most likely not be moved into adoptions.


For the FY 2009-2010, there were sixty (60) Rescue Partners, one of the largest partnerships we know of in the country, who collectively saved a record breaking 4,074 shelter pets. Rescue Partners also provide Medical Foster Care for some dogs during their stray hold period.


Volunteers Partnership


Volunteers were welcomed back to the shelter in 2006. They attend a formal orientation and tour to learn about the operation of Animal Services, then help with the care of shelter pets, adoptions, bathing dogs, assisting in the clinic and with events. Shelter volunteers have donated a total of 39,762 hours between FY 2006-2007 and FY 2009-2010.


As an extension of the volunteer program, the Pet Detective Club was created as well and volunteers research the Internet matching flyers of lost and found pets at the shelter or found by Good Samaritans. The Puppy Foster Care program was created in October 2008, and since then hundreds of puppies have been saved that would have otherwise been killed. Continued program for dog spays and neuters for the public for $25 

Challenges for tomorrow - reducing intake 

It will take a community effort to overcome these challenges.  A community working in partnership with Dr Pizano and her staff.    

Spay/Neuter Programs

Targeted spay/neuter programs have proven to be the only way to effectively decrease shelter intake. Examples of targeted programs include those that focus on free roaming cats, areas with high shelter intake and for low income pet owners. The Animal Services Department has developed many private sector collaborations to increase the number of donor subsidized spay/neuter opportunities in our community and are open to foster new collaborations and seek grant funding for sterilization programs.

MDAS is seeking the help of the Florida Legislature to expand use of the $5 surcharge on animal code enforcement violations to include Spay/Neuter Programs (state law currently requires proceeds from the surcharge to be used solely to pay for costs of training for animal control officers). Spay/Neuter programs help to minimize population growth and MDAS has created numerous donor-subsidized initiatives that include:

• Maddie’s Funding Received $22,000 in funding in FY 2008-2009

• Florida Animal Friends Grant Coalition plus donations to Animal Services Trust Fund helped provide 1,401 free cat spay/neuters for the public on the mobile surgical unit (MAC)
• ASPCA Pet Fair Grant Received. $24,000 in FY 2010-2011.
FY 2009-2010 to provide cat spay/neuter services for a $15 co-pay on the MAC
• Volunteer Vet Surgery Days FY09/10 funding used to continue cat sterilizations for a $15 co-pay on the MAC
• Continued efforts to apply for spay/neuter grants with PetSmart Charities
• Partnered with the Clydey Foundation 908 cats sterilized between 5 events. Hosted the spay/neuter mobile unit at Animal Services. 
• Dog Spay/Neuter Program sponsored by the Animal Services Trust Fund Offered dog spays and neuters for the public for $30 (over 700 surgeries performed) o
• Created partnership with the Humane Society of Greater Miami (HSGM).  HSGM now operates the Spay/Neuter clinic and utilizes MDAS's Mobile Animal Clinic (MAC) units.

To read the complete Miami Dade Animal Services Five Year Report:
http://www.miamidade.gov/animals/library/asd_report_2011.pdf

Rest in Peace Honey - how did we fail you?

Many of us have been following the dreadful story of the Sanctuary Animal Refuge in Florida.  A few hours ago I came across an email thread that simply broke my heart.  It was about a desperate plea for information on a disabled dog named Honey.  I've omitted the names in order to focus on Honey's story:

"We called her Honey, also known as Punkin.

We sent her there, she was paralyzed and had bad urine scald, when she was sent to the Sanctuary Animal Refuge, it was supposed to be for a better life, not death... Please copy all parties if you can tell us anything about her. The news we are getting is that all the paralyzed dogs are dead, and buried on the grounds all over the place.
We must know!!  If she is there we will find a place for her.
Thanks ............." 

"I am on scene and have been here since day one. We have confirmed that all paralyzed dogs are dead. I am so sorry. The devastation that Palena has caused cannot even be put into words.  "xxxxxx" and I have been the only ones on scene through this ordeal and we are going to leave here with memories that will haunt me for the rest of my life. I am so sorry about Honey." 

"Thank you True for your work there and trying to help the remaining animals.  I and others are trying to understand what happened to these handicapped pups and why they are dead? 

A former emplyee that cared for her has stated that she died in the early winter and I would like to know how. Were these animals euthanised or did they die from neglect? 

I am sorry , but I would really like to know what happened as was responsible for this poor pup and want to never make a mistake like this again that caused an animal even more suffering than she had already been through.  Thank you, ..............." 

"We can all speculate.  All I can say factually is there are no veterinary records once dogs were at the Sanctuary."

I too am so sorry for Honey and the rest of the sanctuary dogs who supposed to be safe.  Honey deserved a better end to her story then one of neglect and suffering.  This is the part of the No Kill Mantra that hasn't been addressed.  While the No Kill Movement in south Florida is calling for the head of MDAS's shelter manager have we in rescue built a foundation of support where dogs like Honey will not face an even more horrible situation.  No one is opposed to stopping the killing - as long as that process considers the reality of providing safe havens for ALL of the dogs and cats being rescued - especially for disabled dogs like Honey.

Many of my rescue friends have shared my story of Mulligan, our once crippled basset who bravely overcame his disability.  During Mulligan's struggle to regain his ability to walk I was graced with meeting the kindest of people who fostered disabled dogs.  This news of Honey's demise puts into perspective the responsibility we must take on in providing a disabled pet a safe and loving environment in which to flourish.  If anything, disabled pets need MORE attention not a life in a setting where there is no hope.

While you'll hear all the fancy rhetoric and slogans being tossed around the No Kill Nation world reality tells a different story for victims like Honey.  You won't find Honey's story on No Kill Nations - because her story doesn't fit the mantra and dream of a No Kill Nation without consequences.  It does tell a story of complacency with a FACEBOOK advocacy movement that seems to ignore consequences of our own ignorance.  Those consequences are a tragic reality for all those dogs we fail.

It is my hope that advocates step back and think hard about the decisions and policies we embrace.  We must never forget - this battle to save our beloved pets isn't about US - it's about dogs like Honey who we have all failed. 

You get what to get

Welcome to our latest blog "Drat, the squirrels and nuts are taking over".  This blog is a spin off that combines the writing from my local "We the Pet Owners of Gwinnett" blog that addressed animal welfare issues and my "Trailed by 20 Hounds" which was a portrayal of life living with twenty plus hounds.

Over the years I have shared the experiences of the 1,500,000 miles traveling this great country with my beloved hounds.  While the focus of my stories has always addressed social issues the stars were always the hounds themselves.  I  have shared the laughter their antics have added to my life and I've shared the heartache as they pass.

This morning I awoke to this comment from Steve Phipps: "You think everyone is against you Randy. That's a symptom of your addiction. When are you going to get help. I know some of your friends want you to get help. Why don't you?"

No, Steve, I don't think everyone is against me.  If I thought that I'd run and hide like you.

To clarify that statement, Steve Phipps has never been one of my friends, thus, he has no knowledge of the relationship my friends and I have.  I share my life with my friends on Facebook everyday.  We won't talk about Steve's addiction to guns and the religious right - until later.

Fact is, anyone is welcome to follow the antics of my hounds as well.  I am blessed with being able to spend most of my time in the company of my beloved hounds.  Living with twenty plus hounds for ten years now only has been nothing but joyous - to suggest that I am ungrounded is simply a shallow opinion that Mr Phipps would have no knowledge about.  People, who again are not my friends nor who have ever actually met me, would suggest I'm an idiot or suggest I'm less then intelligent.  You be your own judge - below are the links to issues I've addressed.  You can disagree with any fact or issue I've commented on but to simply attack me only shows the quality of character lacking.  

If you want more information on articles I have written over the last ten years you would have to go through yahoo grooups like Puppymillfighters, stopthesskillingmachine, or a number of others.  Of course, you could also google "by20hounds" and you'll come up with more information on my background.  Quite frankly, I'm not looking for new friends - if that makes you angry, get over it.  I already have the most loyal friend in the world and I get along quite well with him.  That friend is MYSELF.

As for the direction this blog will take - this isn't a short term project.  This blog will  be used to open up discussions on a variety of my OWN interests.  Those interests will reflect my observations from over forty years of advocating on a number of issues not just limited to my work advocating for animals,  It's a blog about life itself from my perspective - if you don't like what I write the easy solution is too not read it.

 Billy L commented that this blog only has three followers.  It does, but I have 300 plus friends who share my comments with their friends and so on.  I'm not as worried about the distribution of my work as apparently Billy is.  They probably should worry.

One last comment, one unnamed person commented on my spelling and grammar skills - my lack of spelling skills, especially on Facebook reflect the fact that there are much more important uses of my time then proofreading my comments - of course spending time with my hounds would be at the top of that list.  I don't get "paid" for my writing - you get what you get and that's all you get.  This is my discussion and I don't need any one's permission to have it.

Have a good day - today I have a date with a few of the hounds.  Can't think of a better way to spend my day


No Kill Gwinnett on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/No-Kill-Gwinnett/126165217428735?v=info
We the Pet Owners of Gwinnett on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/#!/pages/We-the-Pet-Owners-of-Gwinnett/146231598744336
Blogs
We the Pet Owners of Gwinnett http://by20hounds.blogspot.com/
Trailed by20Hounds http://by20ounds.blogspot.com/No Kill Gwinnett on Twitter  http://twitter.com/#!/by20hounds

Billy LeFeuvre "It's the rescue community - fool"

"He is the type of person that gives animal welfare advocates and rescue groups a bad reputation, not No Kill Advocates who choose to distance themselves from these people." -   Billie Lefevere

Seems No Kill Nation's, Billy LeFeuvre, the latest mouthpiece on No Kill has some interesting comments on who's responsible for "perpetuating" the myth of pet overpopulation.  According to our latest expert it's not the breeders who have are working hard at recapturing that image problem that is costing them market share - it's the animal welfare advocates who are responsible. 

In a recent post Billy writes:  "Unfortunately, Amelia, animal welfare advocates have been ineffective... at changing the situation at shelters and, in fact, they have even helped to perpetuate the myths of "overpopulation" and "irresponsible public." They are, too often, their own worst enemy."

Billy goes on to write "What successful No Kill groups have shown is that you don't need a consensus or agreement from all interested people. In fact, it is a waste of time, a distraction."

Keep in mind, we're only talking about less then twenty "No Kill Community's" out of a pool of 3,500 public kill shelters across the country.  Billy comes from Ontario so it's easy to see how he can dismiss the "southern reality" of regional "overpopulation" of our public open admission shelters.  He doesn't talk about his success in reforming animal control but instead focuses on spewing his great knowledge on everyone else. 

Billy and his ilk completely ignore the issue that when these same advocates question what doesn't work in implementing the No Kill Equation" they're questions are answered with accusations of being "part of the problem".

In a more confusing comment Lefeuvre writes: "Every No Kill Community has achieved that status despite opposition from rescue groups, national organizations, shelter management, and other naysayers. If they put collaboration and consensus before the welfare of animals, then they would not be where they are today." 

So, now it's the rescue community who is responsible for the killing - not the cult of irresponsible breeders giddy over this shifting of blame? 

Lefeuvre explains his premise with  "Instead, they (the rescue/ineffective advocate community) would still be stroking egos and playing politics, as people agreed on half measures that don't work and haven't worked for the past 50 years.  If you have read Redemption and the other materials I mentioned, you should know that."

There you have it - our latest No Kill expert explains the errors of our ways - had we only just "read the book" history would have been different and thousands of innocent lives that we in rescue killed would still be alive.  Of course, Billy would know that, after all, he's not one of "those" killing apologists from the rescue community.

His final comment explains it all "Collaboration is completely overrated. The only thing that counts is what is true, and what is effective. The train doesn't have to stop for anybody. I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding of social justice movements. Perhaps you should read The People's History of the United States."

To think, all these years we've been doing this all wrong.  Thank you Billy for showing us the errors of our ways.

MDAS Comcast Pets - if you want to help

MDAS PROUDLY PRESENTS – COMCAST PETS – ON DEMAND!

THESE PETS AND MORE ARE AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION TODAY AT MDAS.
PLEASE COME IN TO SEE AND PLAY WITH ALL OF THEM! PLEASE CROSS POST!

WE ARE STILL IN NEED OF VOLUNTEERS TO HELP US FINISH PAINTING THE SHELTER IN THE FINAL STAGES OF RENOVATION. MONDAY 4/18 AND TUESDAY 4/19 PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COME IN AND HELP. YOUR TIME AND WORK IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. WE ARE TRYING OUR BEST TO RESUME SERVICES AND BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE OUR HOMELESS PETS  UNTIL THEY FIND A LOVELY HOME. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE TO MAKE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY SHELTER A SUCCESSFUL RESOURCE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. THE SUCCESS OF A SHELTER IS ONLY ACHIEVED WHEN VOLUNTEERS LIKE YOU ARE INVOLVED. GOD BLESS.
MDAS

Animal Services Location and Hours
Miami-Dade Animal Services is an open-admission shelter meaning that no homeless animal is turned away. Our goal is to reunite lost pets with their owners and when that is not possible, find a new home for them, provided that they are healthy and not aggressive.
Animal Services has a myriad of responsibilities, including the enforcement of Chapter 5 of the Code of Miami-Dade County. The code addresses a number of regulations, including cruelty and special breed issues; but the Department also specifically serves the population of homeless animals in Miami-Dade County.
Shelter Address:
7401 NW 74 Street
Miami, Florida 33166
Telephone: Dial 311
 Adoption and Lost and Found
Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Saturday/Sunday 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
 Animal Citation Payment
Room 106
Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Closed on Saturday and Sunday
 Rabies and Microchip Clinic Hours
Monday - Friday 10:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday/Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
 Facility Hours
Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturday/Sunday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Pet Surrender / Pet Euthanasia
Monday - Friday 8 a.m.- 6:30 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
Closed all major holidays
County Clerk, Code Enforcement (citation and license fees payments)
111 NW 1 St., Suite 1750.
Miami, Florida, 33128
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Miami Dade Implements new cleaning protocol

Miami Dade Animal Services has released details of it's new cleaning procedure for West Wing.

 

Cleaning Procedures

We are in the process of updating the official Standard Operating Procedures with regards to sanitation but this memo will serve as a review of how the west wing is now flowing.

 

Each morning, the kennel staff feeds and moves the west wing dogs to the inside part of the runs and proceeds to clean the outside section.  First, all material such as feces, vomit or toys, are removed.  Then the degreaser/Bio 12 is sprayed on all surfaces (including water buckets) and scrubbed with a scrub brush then rinsed with water and dried with a squeegee.  The bleach, in a separate canister, with the orange plastic piece in the inside tubing that ensures the proper dilution (1:32) is dispensed and sprayed on all surfaces.

 

At no time should the degreaser and the bleach be mixed or the bleach poured directly on material.  Doing that inactivates the degreaser and the bleach so they  must be used separately.

 

The respiratory (RED) section dogs should only be moved to the inside part of the runs when the quarantine section dogs (across from RED) are on the outside.  We don’t want to expose the dogs in that section to respiratory infections!

 

When a dog is removed from a run and leaving, the water bucket should be turned upside down as the universal sign that the kennel staff needs to clean and disinfect the run or cage.  This is very important to ensure that we are decreasing cross contamination as much as possible.

 

Enforcement Placing Dogs in west wing

Once the north and south east sections of the west wing are full (one dog per run), you may begin using the quarantine section as the 3 sections are currently serving the same purpose.

 

Lost and Found

When touring pet owners who have lost their pets, please begin at west wing #1.  The cage cards for the RED section are hanging on the gate so if the pet owner does not see their dog, there is no need for them to enter the RED section.  Proceed through the middle of the west wing and show them the other two sections on the north side of the west wing.  If you do have to enter the RED section, take only one family member and wear the booties provided.  Please do not allow people to touch the RED dogs to avoid cross contamination.  As always, when dogs are leaving the RED section, they should exit by the northwest corner to go to euthanasia or the gate by the Annex to leave for adoption or rescue.

 

Thank you for your attention to these important details that will help us keep our shelter pets healthy!

 

Dr. Sara Pizano, Director

Miami-Dade Animal Services Department

7401 NW 74 St.

Miami, FL 33166

Phone: (305) 805-5982

Fax: (305) 805-1619