The past 10 days, Sonoma Pets published an extensive round table discussion with some of the newest members of the animal sheltering community in Sonoma County.
For those who have been around for a few years, the sheltering of animals and animal control has been a dicey proposition at times and operated in a good ole’ boys atmosphere. The humane treatment of animals was part of the job, but practiced almost as a side mission.
There was the highly critical Sonoma County Grand Jury report which detailed out some rather unfortunate incidents by the then managers of Sonoma County Animal Care and Control. Mostly, there was a lack of leadership. There is a new director of Animal Care and Control who is committed to right the wrongs of the past. Amy Cooper saying, “This is not your father’s shelter.”
Then there was the article in the Press Democrat about the Sonoma Humane Society’s training methods. There is a new executive director committed to positive training and the people hired to conduct classes for the public all use positive methods. Kiska Icard comes from San Francisco, which has led the country in its aim for a “no kill” mentality in operating animal shelters.
The directors and managers are talking and sharing resources and ideas. There is an environment of cooperation that never existed in such an extended form before.
A lot of work needs to be done though.
Sonoma County perhaps still has too many shelters and competing interests. Healdsburg’s new shelter plans have raised eyebrows by those aware of the paucity of resources for the caring of homeless animals.
But most of the work is on us, the public. We still consider pets disposable parts of the household. We still fail to spay/neuter and train our companion animals.
It’s getting better, but as Jeff Charter, the Petaluma Animal Services chief says the mere fact animal shelters are needed, means there is still work to be done.
