GOVERNMENT Montgomery, Harris counties take steps to improve animal shelters
BY CASSANDRA JENKINS & EMILY LINCKE
in April with more than 140 animals seized in cruelty cases, shelter Director Aaron Johnson said. It remained overcapacity as of press time. According to the latest records for March, the live release rate, or the percentage of animals that received positive outcomes by the shelter, was 93.5%. This is down slightly from 96.2% in August, the month prior to Keough taking over. “We have seen very positive results in the things already accomplished,” Keough said. “The team is in place, and although there is still much work to do, the positivity and engagement of the employees and staff is unprecedented. This translates into better service to the community.” Harris County In Harris County, the possibility of making Harris County’s Veterinary Public Health division a stand- alone department was discussed by commissioners April 4 after members of the public alleged that animals are suffering in the county’s shelter. “Almost every animal that leaves the shelter does so in a worse condition than when they arrived,” said Alexx DeCrosta, a former Harris County Pets Resource Center veterinarian. Currently, the county’s veterinary department is a branch of the Harris County Public Health depart- ment. HCPH Executive Director Barbie Robinson said her department has been working to improve operations at Harris County Pets, the shelter. In December, the shelter’s population surpassed capacity. April data from Harris County Pets shows the population remained over capacity. The depart- ment’s live release rate was 96.1% in March. “Animals are not being abused. ... We’ve made a lot of efforts to improve,” Robinson said. Commissioners unanimously voted April 4 to direct the Office of the County Administration to request a presentation on whether the county’s veterinary department should be separated. On April 25, commissioners approved Precinct 3 designating a liaison between the veterinary department and nonprofits to improve outcomes.
SHELTER IMPROVEMENTS Montgomery County commissioners and County Judge Mark Keough have been working since September to make improvements to the Montgomery County Animal Shelter, including:
Officials in Harris and Montgomery counties are taking a closer look at animal services to improve outcomes and upgrade facilities as county animal shelters have exceeded capacity. Montgomery County The Montgomery County Commissioners Court unanimously approved $65,000 to survey facility needs for the Montgomery County Animal Shelter at an April 25 meeting. County Judge Mark Keough said the survey will provide commissioners with a dollar figure to move forward with funding options for a new or renovated facility. “I think we all know [the current building] is a dilapidated, useless facility for an animal shelter,” Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said during the meeting. “I think we can all agree to that and stipulate that we need a new shelter at some point in the future.” International design company PGAL previously completed a building condition assessment. According to Keough, the assessment indicated a need for updating natural lighting, a new exhaust system, sound deadening, an updated clinic, new kennels and finding an adequate work area. PGAL representative Paul Bonnette said the needs assessment will look at what’s needed moving forward, which could include plans for a new shelter. County commissioners turned shelter operations over to Keough in early September. Since then, Keough said he has made several improvements to the existing facility, including hiring a live release manager, a foster coordinator, a volunteer coordi- nator and an additional veterinarian. “We have good people in place, and from what I have observed, it would be a challenge to find better,” he said in an interview. “They just needed the support from the decision-making body of the county government to ensure that they have what is needed to do what we have hired them to do.” However, the aging shelter exceeded its capacity
Hiring 3 new positions + 1 new veterinarian
$20,000 spent on building analysis $65,000 approved in April for needs assessment
Fixing 16 HVAC systems
Replacing 2 animal control vehicles and adding 2 new transport vehicles
AT A GLANCE: LIVE RELEASE RATE The live release rate is the percentage of animals that received positive outcomes by the shelter.
In March, the Montgomery County Animal Shelter had a
In March, Harris County Pets had a
93.5% live release rate
96.1% live release rate
SOURCES: MARK KEOUGH, MONTGOMERY COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT, HARRIS COUNTY PETS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Montgomery County Animal Shelter 8535 Hwy. 242, Conroe www.mcaspets.org
Harris County Pets 612 Canino Road, Houston www.countypets.com
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TOMBALL - MAGNOLIA EDITION • JUNE 2023
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