Animal-shelter live-release rates stay high; bat tests positive for rabies in August

Rutherford County animal-shelter staff reported 409 intakes for August and a year-to-date live-release rate above 91% during the Public Safety Committee meeting. The shelter reported an 88% live-release rate for dogs and 95.2% for cats in August; including wildlife and other animals the overall monthly live-release rate was 91.5%. Shelter staff told commissioners they completed 1,258 officer calls for the month and traveled more than 7,600 miles. The shelter's rabies- and bite-exposure calendar-year report showed 50 bites and 15 other exposures in August; four exposures were sent for rabies testing and one bat sample from the Walter Hills zone returned a positive rabies result on Aug. 25. The shelter said two cats had contact with that bat and the bat tested positive. Shelter leadership said some tests return "unsatisfactory" when samples lack sufficient brain material (for example degraded skunk specimens), and those results are treated the same as positive tests for public-health purposes. The committee approved the monthly shelter report by voice vote.