A little insight may have been provided Tuesday as to why Amy Cooper was let go as director of Sonoma County Animal Care and Control.
In a story by the Press Democrat’s Derek Moore, Cooper apparently got into trouble for bringing in animals from outside of Sonoma County to be adopted.
(From the PD story: Neither Ag Commissioner Cathy Neville nor other county officials have publicly stated the reasons why the ag commissioner fired Cooper, citing personnel rules as barriers to that disclosure. But comments that Neville made during Tuesday’s meeting were interpreted by some animal care employees and managers as criticism of Cooper. Asked by a supervisor if she supports the county’s analysis of the animal care department, Neville answered by saying that “everybody needs to keep in mind” that the shelter is supposed to serve animals from within Sonoma County, and not those from outside the area. “I can’t stress that enough,” she said. Neville declined to say after the meeting whether her comments amounted to criticism of Cooper. “I’m not talking about Amy Cooper,” she said.)
Cooper was assigned the task of making sure more outreach was used to reduce the number of animals at the county shelter. What county officials may have failed to figure out was if Sonoma County is going to ask another shelter to take on animals, Sonoma County needs to be able to provide some payback.
Cooper was savvy enough to realize months ago that Chihuahuas are highly adoptable in some parts of California while large northern breeds like Huskies and Malamutes often have higher adoption rates in colder climates. Most in the sheltering community know that it’s simply good management to find a shelter where the chances of the dog getting adopted are higher than their own. That is also why many shelters use breed rescues.
I personally have been involved in several trips to Madera and Fresno counties where the pet overpopulation challenge is beyond description. The workers were thrilled another shelter could help them out. The animals most at risk were brought back to the Bay Area, evaluated, health checked and placed for adoption, if appropriate.
If Neville used animal transfers as a reason to fire Cooper, then it was the wrong decision. For anyone to say the transfers were part of some large grand conspiracy to “cook the books” on animals is insulting to those who work in the sheltering community.
Remember Rocky the Rottweiler mix dog who was tied to a fence in Santa Rosa and beaten? The person who allegedly beat the dog is facing felony animal cruelty charges. Cooper coordinated the medical care for the dog. With limited resources to work with him, he was transferred to Sonoma Humane where a dog trainer could work with him. Rocky will likely find a home. And Sonoma County will likely honor the commitment to that rescue at a later time. Because that’s what shelters and rescues do.
Animal sheltering isn’t just about Sonoma County. It’s a community, regional and sometimes a statewide effort.
It’s about saving lives. Period.
