April 17, 2008 - Guilford County Commissioners Meeting
My name is: Brenda M. Overman. Thank you for the opportunity to address this board.
I am the President of the SPCA of the Triad, Inc., and a member of the Animal Control Coalition Work Group.
We desperately need your help to awaken the general public and our policymakers to the alarming increase in irresponsible pet owners in Guilford County and the crisis situation we are now facing.
The Guilford County Animal Shelter is totally overwhelmed.
Guilford County Animal Control is totally overwhelmed.
In addition, all rescue groups are totally overwhelmed.
Did you know that North Carolina spent $33 million last year to pick up, shelter, kill and dispose of unwanted animals? (Public Records)
Did you know that Guilford County spent $2,400,000 last year to pick up, shelter, kill and dispose of unwanted animals? (Public Records)
Did you know that of the approximately 200,000 pets in Guilford County, only 30% have been vaccinated against rabies? (Animal Control estimates)
Did you know that intact males are responsible for 60-80% of the 334,000 visits to emergency rooms yearly due to dog-bite associated injuries, and for 80% of fatal dog bites. Almost half of the victims are children age 12 and under. (JAVMA - 2002)
Only about 20% of the animals in a community wind up at the shelter. (Best Friends-Utah).
We need to S/N 70% of the animals in a single breeding cycle to just stabilize population growth in our community (Best Friends-Utah).
We have a dedicated "army of compassion" here in Guilford County as evidenced by 33 rescue groups working together, taking in an average of 3,000 and 5,000 animals a year; at a cost of approximately $250 each. Most of this "army of compassion" is volunteers. There is never enough staff, never enough dollars to hire more staff, and always more needs than paid human resources can provide.(Stats from www.argnc.com - compiled 11/07).
Feral Cat Assistance Program spayed/neutered approximately 1,000 feral cats last year; the SPCA did approximately 300, at a cost of approximately $19 each.
Wildlife Care gives an invaluable service to our community in assisting with injured and orphaned wildlife.
The West Wendover Clinic, which operates a low cost spay/neuter clinic, located within the Humane Society of the Piedmont, offers an invaluable service to our community. Last year they S/N over 7,000 animals.
Working together with county services, rescue groups, are a lifeline for our community in seeking advice and assistance for the animals. The SPCA alone receives 100 to 125 calls per day; that is approximately 3,000 calls a month! Just imagine how many calls the other 32 rescue groups receive!
We must reach out to our community, making people more responsible in their homes and communities. Guilford County can change! We want and need your help in accomplishing this. We need desperately to address public safety and health issues; we need to talk about putting taxpayer dollars too better use; reducing the complaints to city/county offices, thus reducing the workload on staff. We desperately need a commitment from you to reject killing as the primary tool for irresponsible pet owners, breeders, and hunters. We need accountability, meaning clear definitions, a lifesaving plan, and charting our successes and failures.
This is only a snapshot of Guilford County on this one evening in April 2008, but we hope, a very powerful reminder of just how irresponsible our county has become with regard to health and safety issues facing each one of us.
Thank you for the opportunity to address this board.
Brenda M. Overman
On April 17, Brenda Overman, President of SPCA and Frankie Heath, SPCA Board Member and Program Director of A New Leash on Life worked with other local rescue groups, county animal services and representatives from the community to give the Guilford County Commissioners an update on the state of Animal Welfare in Guilford County.
Watch a re-broadcast of this meeting on Time Warner Channel 13:
7 pm Saturday, April 19 and
1 pm Sunday, April 20.
Please note that the animal welfare groups appeared before the Commissioners after the meeting had been in session for more than an hour.
Among the many animal groups with representatives at the meeting were: Animal Farm Foundation, Animal Rescue and Foster Program, Feral Cat Assistance Program, Guilford County Animal Shelter, Guilford County Animal Control, Piedmont Humane Society and SPCA of the Triad.
Brenda Overman's remarks are reprinted below. Ms. Overman is the SPCA President and founding member.
More news on the meeting, including Ms. Heath's remarks, will be posted here in coming days.
