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Humane Society announces two pet-owner grants, county microchip scanner rollout; shelter reports high live-release rates
Summary
A representative from the Berrien County Humane Society told commissioners the group secured two grants for county pet owners and that microchip scanners are being placed across the county; county reports show dog live-release at about 85% and cat live-release about 96%.
Miss Lydic, representing the Berrien County Humane Society, told the Board of Commissioners on Sept. 11 that the organization obtained two grants aimed at helping county pet owners pay for spay-and-neuter services and for preventatives such as heartworm and tick treatments. She said the spay-and-neuter grant is limited to Berrien County residents and is not intended for stray animals.
The humane society also is distributing microchip scanners to locations around the county so finders of lost pets can check animals without immediately bringing them to animal services or a veterinarian. Miss Lydic said scanners will be available at the humane society shelter, at the Niles Police Department and in New Buffalo, with another scheduled for the Auclair Library.
The county’s animal-control director, Ashley Herr, reported to the board that staffing is adequate and that volunteers are returning to the program. In committee remarks relayed to the board, Herr said the shelter’s dog live-release rate stood at about 85 percent and its cat live-release rate was about 96 percent. The report also included year-to-date intake and outcome figures: 814 dog intakes and about 670 cat intakes; 255 dogs adopted and 233 dogs returned to owners; about 97 cats adopted and 14 cats returned to owners (the transcript supplied those counts).
Miss Lydic outlined two upcoming public events the humane society is running: a “doggy hayride” on Oct. 4 at Stover Farms in Berrien Springs and a trunk-or-treat event at the shelter on Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The humane society representative also asked residents who locate lost animals to call the shelter for information about obtaining a scanner.
Why it matters: The grants and the microchip-scanner placements are intended to reduce shelter intakes, lower disease transmission (including heartworm and Lyme concerns cited by the humane society) and increase reunification of animals with owners. The shelter’s live-release metrics are commonly used as indicators of shelter performance and capacity.
"First off, I wanna thank anyone who had a part in helping us get our permits," Miss Lydic told the board. In committee remarks relaying Herr's remarks, the board was told, "Our dog live release rate is at 85 percent... cat live release was at 96 percent."
