At the regular meeting on October 22, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) heard a presentation of the latest audit of Hernando County Animal Services (HCAS) and voted 4-1 to approve drafting a Memorandum of Understanding with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) to oversee the department. Commissioner Steve Champion was the opposing vote.
The audit was conducted by Maddie’s Million Pet Challenge (MMPC), a partnership between the University of Florida (UF) and the University of California (UC) – Davis, Team Shelter USA, and Open-Door Veterinary Collective.
Commissioners’ opinions were mixed on HCSO overseeing HCAS. Commissioners Jerry Campbell, Steve Champion, John Allocco and Brian Hawkins had the same question: why are the major elements of the proposal by HCSO not currently in place, since the two County agencies have the ability to communicate and share resources and information?
Chairwoman Beth Narverud recalled a quote she learned during her ownership of a Domino’s franchise, “Good enough never is.” Comparing HCAS leadership under Director James Terry and potentially under HCSO, she said, “Mr. Terry could be doing a lot of these things (presented by HCSO), but he’s doing what he can, and it’s good enough. But it never is. The Sheriff’s Office has greater resources. They have a bigger reach, they have better integration through our SROs (School Resource Officers) … they have more staffing, there’s more opportunity… people are going to support a program that works.”
During the approval of the agenda, Commissioner Champion made a motion to remove the two items pertaining to Animal Services from this agenda because the veterinarian who performed the audit, Dr. Cynthia Crawford, was not at the meeting. Champion also stated that the matter should be heard by the incoming board member, Ryan Amsler, who will replace Chairwoman Beth Narverud in November.
Narverud strongly opposed the motion on the basis that the audit and issues with HCAS have been delayed for an unacceptable amount of time.
The motion died for lack of a second, and the audit presentation went forward, followed by the presentation by HCSO. Local residents who spoke during the Citizens’ Comments segment largely approved of HCSO’s presentation and potential governance of HCSO since animals could benefit from the agency’s access to resources, such as employing Detention Center inmates at the shelter.
Deputy County Administrator Toni Brady gave an overview of the audit report, stating that two-thirds of the deficiencies reported pertained to record-keeping. The other major focus of the audit was the recommendation that the shelter stays within the maximum capacity to meet standards of care. The shelter has a capacity for 58 dogs and 20 cats.
Other recommendations include upgrading the cat housing to 8 square feet per cat, new structures in the housing area, staffing improvements and addressing maintenance and repair issues of the building and kennels.
Brady presented a list of initiatives currently underway at HCAS, including new management software, the onboarding of an Enrichment / Outreach Coordinator and the revision of shelter hours to encourage more potential adopters. The new hours are 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday.
Other initiatives that Brady reported are the integration of shelter software with the County website, increased employment of volunteers and inmate trustees, enrichment enhancements, updated protocols recommended by MMPC, an Adopt-a-Kennel program and updating the lobby layout.
Among these challenges, HCAS has not had a full-time veterinarian since November 2023. The department has an agreement with a part-time veterinarian, and PetLuv has committed to prioritize feral cat surgeries. Recruitment of a full-time veterinarian will continue.
Narverud commented that she recognized many of the listed items were noted in a 2021 audit and are being addressed in 2024. “Why did it take so long for any of this stuff to happen?” She went on to say that during a recent visit to the shelter, she was not greeted by staff or volunteers and was not offered assistance until she initiated contact.
Animal Services Director James Terry answered and gave reasons for several of the problems mentioned in the audit, most notably overcrowding and records management.
Terry said HCAS considers pathways to avoid euthanasia when possible but described the process as “fluid and flexible.” He said that HCAS is reluctant to euthanize, which may have contributed to overcrowding. “Ultimately, it came back (in the audit results) that we were fighting really, really hard to avoid euthanasia.”
The state average of animals euthanized in shelters is 17 percent. HCAS ended 2023 at 8 percent. HCAS also has a higher percentage of animals returned to owners (RTO) than the national average.
Terry also cited several problems with the software HCAS has been using, which has contributed to record problems. In late 2023, a County security specialist began tackling the problems with the software. This ended in early April when the County government experienced a widespread network outage due to a ransomware attack. “The network crash may as well have been a hand grenade thrown into our building,” Terry said. “It was absolutely disabling to every single thing that we did.”
Terry added that the new Enrichment Coordinator, who was hired in February, had difficulty obtaining computer credentials until just recently.
Commissioner Hawkins questioned Terry on one finding in the audit, where animals were housed in a garage with no air conditioning. “It was deemed inhumane. Can you explain?”
Terry explained that just before the audit took place, 30 dogs and more than 30 rabbits were taken in, and the decision to house them in the garage was more acceptable than euthanasia. The report states, “Discontinue housing dogs (or any species) in the garage. The existing single-sided holding runs in the garage are not an appropriate size and the space is not climate-controlled, leading to inhumane conditions that, at the time of the consult, exceeded 95 degrees with little airflow. During consult visit [sic], staff moved animals out of the garage and has discontinued using this space for housing animals.”
All of the issues documented in the audit report are currently in remediation.
Public Information Officer Denise Moloney presented to the BOCC a business plan developed by HCSO for their future responsibility of HCAS. The plan includes cost savings and revenue generation, improvements, programs and initiatives, budget, community partnerships, public education and community resources.
HCSO’s goals are to build a strong and sustainable team of employees and volunteers dedicated to the care of the shelter pets, reduce the number of animals in the shelter and increase live outcomes, including reuniting lost pets with their owners.
Moloney reported that HCSO is dedicated to “utilizing every resource to prevent healthy and adoptable animals from euthanasia – including the euthanasia of animals for ‘space’.”
In addition to the focus on sheltered animals, HCSO’s vision includes resources for pet owners in need, such as spay/neuter programs, community safety net programs, low-cost / no-cost vaccinations and medications, and subsidized private veterinary services. The goal of providing these services is to decrease the surrendering of animals due to an owner’s hardship and, consequently, freeing shelter space for animals with no options.
To reduce costs while providing adequate staff, HCSO proposes employing inmates at the Detention Center for kennel and shelter maintenance, training and dog grooming. Inmates will be trained by certified professionals, receiving their own certification after successful completion.
HCSO plans to generate revenue by offering retail merchandise at lower costs, such as heartworm and flea prevention medications, adoption supplies and pet food. Purchasing pet food directly from a manufacturer will save the department 56 to 74 percent of retail pricing. HCAS is currently spending $43,000 annually on pet food. HCSO’s proposal is expected to reduce that expense to $8,000 or less.
A number of programs are planned for canines and felines, including socialization programs for dogs and a “Wait Til 8” program for very young kittens. Finders of young kittens or nursing moms will be asked to foster the cats until the kittens reach 8 weeks of age. All necessary supplies will be provided to the foster family.
One notable program is the Cool Drool Splash Pool – a bone-shaped swimming pool for the pups. This program is to be funded entirely by public donations and is not part of the county’s budget. Kitties who prefer the great outdoors to lazing about the house will enjoy the Freelance Feline Barn Cat program – an adoption option for fiercely independent cats that still depend on humans for their basic needs and mice in the barn for their entertainment.
