Shelters are crowded. Abandoned and stray animals are a persistent nuisance. Pet owners seek help in keeping their pets safe and healthy. Social issues such as euthanasia, adoption, animal rescue and population control have become part of community discussion.
Tulare Voices at 210, the monthly forum sponsored by First Presbyterian Church, will examine animal service issues in September with its forum, “Animal Control: A Community Challenge” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday,
September 9, at 210 W. Center Ave.
This forum will provide updates on public and private animal services in our communities. A panel of representatives from local agencies and advocates will be on hand to provide information and answer questions.
They will include:
- Tulare County Animal Services
- Feral Cat Coalition
- Central Valley Rescue Railroad
- Valley Oak SPCA
- City of Visalia Animal Services
Handout material from these agencies will be provided regarding subjects such as:
- The role of animal service agencies
- Legality of trapping and releasing cats.
- Rules and costs regarding adoption for each agency.
- Cruelty rules – what animal control can and cannot do
- Law enforcement vs Code enforcement
It is hoped the discussion will clarify for the public the functions of animal services, the differences between agencies, and their limits.
Public interest has risen recently over broad issues such as how unwanted animals are treated, crowding at shelters, feral cat populations, the rising cost of surrenders, and spay/neuter programs.
Tulare County Animal Services made a report this summer to the Board of Supervisors and reported that its agency processed 6,500 animals a year in the most recent record year.
And that is just in the county. Cities have their own agencies.
The large public problem makes little difference to an individual frustrated by barking dogs in the middle of the night; or a property owner who wonders how to deal with a feral cat colony; or a person who must spay or neuter the stray animal they took in.
Questions that might interest them include:
- What are the hold periods for abandoned or surrendered animals?
- How do you go about surrendering an animal, and what are the costs?
- What is the role of code enforcement?
- Who do we call for feral cats?
- How does Tulare County’s animal population compare with the rest of the state’s?
- What are the fees for adoption of animals?
- In particular, what are the fees for spaying and neutering?
To participate in a discussion of questions and solutions, join the community conversation at Tulare County Voices at 210 on September 9.