110 W. New York Ave., DeLand, FL
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BEACON PHOTO/JEN HORTON
Coming soon — The Second Chance Program will be in the DeLand Industrial Center, 1601 Old Daytona Street in DeLand, right next to Val U Vet.
By Jen Horton
posted Jul 16, 2009 - 3:02:44pm
The price Halifax Humane Society charges to take stray animals from DeLand has long been a burr in the city’s fur.
To combat the cost, the DeLand City Commission has established what it calls the Second Chance Program.
At their July 6 meeting, commissioners unanimously approved the program and a lease agreement with DeLand Industrial Center/Massarella Properties.
The Second Chance Program gives animal-control officers a place in DeLand to bring stray or abandoned animals. After three days, if no owners come forward to claim the pets, volunteer animal agencies will try to find them good homes.
It should save the city money, and make it easier for DeLand residents to find lost pets.
In the 2007-08 fiscal year, DeLand paid Halifax Humane Society, in Daytona Beach, $41,898 for stray animals taken there by the city’s animal-control officer. There were 68 dogs and 168 cats.
As of May 31, the city had already spent $24,029. As of June 30, the city’s animal-control officer had taken 78 dogs and 231 cats to the Daytona Beach shelter.
That doesn’t include animals DeLand residents dropped off at Halifax. The city is also charged for those, whether the animals really came from inside DeLand city limits, or the people dropping off the animals simply replied “DeLand” when asked where they were from, even though they officially live outside the city boundaries.
It costs the city $80 for each animal taken to the Halifax Humane Society. That includes baby animals. So a cat with a litter of kittens could cost the city hundreds of dollars. On top of that, the animal-control officers and the fuel for their vehicles cost money, too.
“We’ve been looking at a number of ways to save money,” City Manager Michael Pleus told commissioners.
The Second Chance Program may be able to do that. Massarella Properties will lease the city a building capable of sheltering six dogs and 25 cats. The usual rent is $1,000, but Massarella has agreed to let the city rent it for $500; the company will get a tax write-off for the remaining $500.
Volunteers will help renovate the building and staff it.
Annual operating costs for the facility are estimated at $8,500.
Pleus said the city hopes to reduce the number of animals taken to Halifax Humane Society by half.
After paying for the new shelter, the city would have a net savings of about $12,500 each year.
Under Second Chance, animal-control officers would pick up animals, and as long as there are no immediate health concerns, take the animals to the new shelter, where they can stay for three days.
During those three days, if the animals are lost pets, their owners can reclaim them. DeLand residents won’t have to drive to Daytona Beach and pay $80 to bust Fido out of doggy-jail.
Details are still being worked out; owners may be charged $15 per day to bail their pets out of the Second Chance shelter.
In cases where animals are surrendered, or abandoned, animal-rescue agencies will be contacted. The primary contact agency will be the Animal Rescue Konsortium (ARK), which will seek foster homes for the animals, and ultimately match rescued pets with new permanent homes.
The Second Chance shelter is at 1601 Old Daytona Street in DeLand, right next to Val U Vet. City officials hope the location will generate animal-lover traffic, possibly leading to more adoptions.
Maggi Hall, director of ARK, commended city commissioners for moving forward with the Second Chance Program.
While Hall has high hopes for the program’s success with dogs, she’s realistic about cats.
“It’s going to work with the dogs,” Hall said. “It’s simply not going to work with the cats. No one is going to adopt abandoned or free-roaming cats,” she added.
She advocates a trap-neuter-release, or TNR, program to reduce the free-roaming cat population.
City Commissioner Leigh Matusick expressed concern that residents might not know where to find animals they’ve lost.
“Most people know to call Halifax,” she said.
Police Chief Ed Overman assured commissioners the DeLand Police Department, currently in charge of picking up local animals, has already communicated with Halifax Humane Society about the new program.
There is a risk: If the animal groups cannot get animals adopted, the program will add to the cost the city pays.
Government watchdog and local attorney Tanner Andrews gave the city a rare thumbs-up for the proposed facility.
But not everyone was thrilled.
One woman in the audience at the City Commission meeting said a similar arrangement with the West Volusia Humane Society was better.
“The City of DeLand has been doing this service for well over two years with the Humane Society,” said Karen Clark, director of We Help Animals Inc. “My main concern is the exposure for the animals. The West Volusia Humane Society is open six days a week from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. People go there to look for animals. Everyone knows where the Humane Society is.”
We Help Animals Inc. is a nonprofit organization that helps low-income people get inoculations for their pets.
Gloria Thomas, executive director of the West Volusia Humane Society, said the DeLand Police Department had an area at the West Volusia Humane Society to hold animals, so they could make fewer trips to Halifax Humane Society.
And, Thomas said, if an unclaimed animal brought in by the officers was adoptable, the local Humane Society would keep it and put it up for adoption.
Thomas said she hopes the new program works, but she cautioned it will require the cooperation of all the DeLand area’s animal-advocacy groups.
“If they can do it, I think it’s good,” she said. “I hope it works out good for them.”
Reader Comments
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Hello……How many people have former feral cats in their homes? Let’s hear from you! I have a twelve year old part Siamese in my home that was once feral/free-roaming. He is the most loving cat I have ever owned! Then there is the orange tabby, Timmy, another former feral who gets cranky when he’s tired and wants to be loved and cuddled before he goes to sleep at night.
Last summer Bob socialized and placed at least 21 free-roaming/feral kittens all by himself. Jeannine and Steve placed numerous more kittens. All these kittens were wormed, given preliminary vaccinations and neutered before they were place in homes, without any assistance from ARK or anyone else. I know of several other rescuers that have successfully socialized and placed free-roaming/feral cats into good homes. These other rescuers like to keep, low key and under the radar; they don’t want to be known for fear of retribution. All these people and groups are very dedicated to helping the feral/free-roaming cats. These rescuers are out there day after day, every day, in good weather or really bad weather lovingly tending to the cats and kittens needs. To to all the caregivers, THANK YOU! If you can find room in your heart and home, please adopt a rescued cat, your lives will be enriched for your kindness. Let’s show Maggi Hall it will work for cats!!
Better to light a candle for one lost animal than to curse the darkness of man's indifference. Saving just one animal won't change the world but it surely will change the world for that one animal. Without us they have no voice. REMEMBER PLEASE, Deep inside the heart and soul of every stray, abused or abandoned animal is the ultimate desire to be loved!
another ? Volusia needs more animal control
and shelters that are NO KILL that have less
expensive overhead such a transporting them.
Surely there are plenty of starving abused
lost animals to go around. More localized
shelters could help owners recover their lost
pets-closer to their neighborhoods. People that have the urge to adopt won't have to
drive those extra miles. PLEASE PEOPLE stop
the immature competivesness and do what is
best for the Animals. It is very uplifting
for me to donate food, blankets, etc. to my
NEAREST shelter. ALL Shelters should cooperate and work together-PLEASE
Billie Jo (Proud new member of ARK)
This will be my only rebuttal to this nonsensical slander perpetrated by the Clark person. She has no idea how many cats ARK has adopted out. Cease if you cannot back up your silly accusations.
To Tanner I cannot figure out who he is saying makes false statements. Could not be he is talking about ARK because as an attorney he knows he has to document accusationsFact: City Fact: City manager Pleus asked ARK to make a presentation to the city and other invited guests to make suggestions regarding the overpopulation of abandoned pets. ARK did and suggested using the West Volusia Humane Society and other sites to establish a no kill for DeLand.
Fact: The humane society refused to cooperate.
Fact: End of story. I have more important thngs to do.
kc-) various [things]
Not really a problem. Ultimately, we taxpayers care more about getting the job done than who wants credit for it.
I'll bet I know who the ARK "someone" was.
We call her the "Mouth Of The South". LOL
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