b'realitysoundbites.A Lifesaving Game ChangerIn December, 2021, after Manatee County officials formally Animal Services.accepted the donation of the Bishop Animal Shelter/SPCA All of our surgeries will take place there, as well as digi-Of Manatee County shelter, animal advocate Sue Kolze sent talX-rays,whichareahugebonusforus,"Brownsaid.an email to the County Commissioners with the subject line: That\'s a literal lifesaver for us because we have so many trau-MCAS Takes Over Bishop Shelter.macasesfromthefield.WellbeabletoI feel really great this morning. We can address those issues right away.be really proud of ourselves, she wrote. Bill Brown described the Bishop donation as(Hutchison), remember back to 2011 when a agame-changerforherdepartment.group of us traveled to Houston to listen to ManateesanimalshelterinPalmettohasNathan Winograds presentation on No Kill. been overcrowded for several years. The facil-Ed (Hunzeker), you backed us all the way ity, first built in 1988, doesnt have enoughand started pushing for Manatee County to spacetomeettheneedsofthecountysadopt No Kill. Carol (Whitmore) was a great growing animal population.champion in fighting for it. If the county fails to meet that save rateThe Mary E. Parker Foundation donat- in the future, the donation agreement givesed14.5acresoflandwhichincludesthe the Parker Foundation the ability to take thenewly constructed 24,000-square-foot shel- shelter back.ter and the former shelter, originally built in Well work hard to make sure that doesnt1958. The contract stipulates that the coun- Sarah Brown with JoeBob. happen, Whitmore added.ty must maintain a 90 percent save rate. In Photograph by Anne Yarbrough. TheshelterhaspartneredwiththeBest2017,ManateeCountybecameoneofthefirstFlorida Friends Animal Society, a nationwide organization that con-counties to achieve a 90 percent save rate.* nectsshelterswithoneanothertoencourageadoption.Wed be foolish not to accept an $18 million gift for a Brown added, Well rely on Best Friends as a partner tostate-of-the-art facility, said Commissioner Whitmore. The transfer animals. Were going to branch out and work evenwhole reason they called us is because weve done so well over harder.Attheendoftheday,itsacommunityeffort.the years. We dont want to lose this amazing asset. UThe new facility includes the latest surgery equipment, Manatee County Animal Serviceskennels with improved drainage, and play areas for the ani- Palmetto Shelter: 305 25th St. W.mals. Those features are in stark comparison to the countys Bradenton Shelter: 5718 21st Ave. W.Palmettoshelter,wheresurgeriestakeplaceinacramped If you are a current Rescue Partner, or would like to become one,room that used to be a closet. please contact haili.brooks@mymanatee.orgWorking out of the Bishop facility will save time, money*An animal shelters save rate is based on the number of animals that come into theand lives, said Sarah Brown, the county\'s division chief of shelter compared to the number of animals that a shelter euthanizes.16THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com'