Council adopts budget that funds critical upgrades to animal shelters, but leaves possibility of closure

Budget urges dramatic improvements or discontinuance of shelter services

The 2008 King County Budget adopted today by the Metropolitan King County Council includes funding for the most critical upgrades to the county’s animal shelter facilities and improvements to the provision of medical care, nutrition and socialization, while it considers the business decision, based upon progress made by the Executive’s Animal Care and Control Section, of whether to discontinue the provision of animal sheltering services.

“We need drastic action in our shelters, not superficial improvements,” said Councilmember Julia Patterson. “The Council will aggressively press the Executive’s Animal Care and Control Section until the neglected animals in our shelters are treated as well as our own pets at home.”

“The Council budget funds emergency animal shelter upgrades, and mandates a swift investigation to determine whether the county can provide the quality of shelter services the residents of King County expect,” said Councilmember Dow Constantine. “We have an absolute obligation to the animals in our shelter to provide humane care, medical treatment, and the best chance to be adopted into a loving home. Nothing less is acceptable.”

The reforms in the Executive’s proposed budget, which Councilmembers felt were insufficient in improving the care of animals, included spending $113,000 to paint the Kent shelter exterior, increasing penalties for owners who are not licensing their pets, and contracting for park patrols and enforcement off-leash violations. The Council provided $130,000 in funding for Animal Care and Control improvements and will revisit the issue of potentially closing both shelters in April.

In May, the Council adopted comprehensive reforms for animal care and prevention of cruelty. The legislation, sponsored by Councilmember Patterson, paved the way for transformation of King County Animal Car and Control into a model animal services program, with low euthanasia rates, high live-release rates and safe, sanitary, healthy and humane conditions. The legislation also re-established the King County Animal Care and Control Citizens Advisory Committee, to provide recommendations on how to:

• Implement a no-kill policy;
  
• Create an animal bill of rights to set standards for medical attention, hygiene, evaluation, nutrition, socialization, exercise and appropriate facilities;
  
• Increase the marketing of adoptable animals and spay/neuter programs to the public using community partners and local media;
  
• Develop performance measures on standards of animal care, adoption, euthanasia rates, and the investigation of animal cruelty.

The Citizens Advisory Committee in September issued a report describing as “deplorable” conditions at the County’s animal shelters in Kent and the Bellevue/Crossroads area. The report prompted Councilmembers to call for immediate action to provide the most basic levels of humane care for the animals in the County’s custody.

“Recent revelations regarding County animal control are an indictment of the County’s inability to provide humane treatment for the animals under its care,” said Councilmember Bob Ferguson. “Dramatic changes to animal care in our shelters are long overdue.”

“We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the need to improve animal protections, and today we put our money where our mouth is by funding improvements to animal care and control,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips. “This is a great start toward more effective, humane treatment of abused and abandoned animals in King County.”

The Citizens Advisory Committee described “disturbing” concerns with disease control and the provision of sanitary shelter services, leading to high rates of disease, high levels of stress, and increased rates of euthanasia.

After Councilmembers proposed the idea of closing shelters, the Citizens Advisory Committee asked in a letter that the Council "provide only provisional funding to KCACC shelters, as well as some additional emergency funding specifically earmarked to immediately improve conditions for the animals now housed in these shelters, based on this committee’s previous recommendations. Before a permanent decision is made to continue to fund KCACC shelters, we ask the Council to either renew its request that the executive branch conduct a serious exploration of the possibility of discontinuing county sheltering services, or that the Council conduct such an exploration itself."