b'We have to wonder whether the other 30 percent, who owner-surrenders,butmorefromanimalsconfiscatedare so against a new shelter, have ever visited Citrus County during cruelty investigations, which appears to be on the rise.Animal Services? Do they even know what staff does to keep In a recent instance, the shelter took in 51 dogs just fromtheir community safe? And, are they aware of how encum- one case.beredstaffare,doingtheirjobsinanoutdatedfacility? After animals are confiscated as part of a cruelty case,Perhaps they dont know that a municipal shelters first prior- they are often held at the shelter as evidence throughout theityistoprotectthepublic.Maybetheydontrealizethe investigation. This puts an additional burden on an alreadybreadth of services the shelter is providing for the health, overcrowdedshelter.Inanothercase,lastyear,officerssafety and well-being of the community.confiscated 43 dogs, three chickens and one pigall in oneCitrus County Animal Services, the only open-admis- investigation. The result was makeshift kennels and sheltersion shelter serving Citrus County, takes in approximately animals living in the conference and break rooms. Climate-5,000animalsayear,regardlessofcapacityorreasonfor controlledstorageunitswereaddedoutsidetohousethesurrender. In spite of the limited space and resources,the overflow of animals. In the last 12 months alone, more thanshelter does not euthanize for space. 200 animals have come through the shelter as a result ofSince2019,theshelterstaffandvolunteershave cruelty cases.increasedlifesavingmeasuresto The public may not realize anotherachieve a live release rate of more than servicetheshelterprovides.Full90%forcatsanddogs.TheyhaveforensicexamsareconductedbyUntil we level the playing fielddeveloped good working relationships between our municipal shelters and shelter staff as part of ongoing crueltywitharearescuegroupsandother the public, we will continue to see a investigationstohelpinbuildingshelters as well as their local animal rise in unenforceable cruelty cases cases for successful outcomes.advocacygroupstomakesurethe such as unattended chained dogs While the expense to build a shel-adoptabledogsandcatsreceivethe and dogs living in boxes outdoors. ter without a veterinary medical suitepublic exposure they need to increase We cannot expect the public to may decrease the initial budget, it isadoptions. provide better than the minimum importanttolookatthelongtermCitrusCountyFoundationfor care when it comes to space, shelter, savings when those services remain in-AnimalProtection(CCFAP) isa food, and water for their pets when house.Outsourcingveterinarymed-501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that icalneedshasbecomeacostlypartnerswiththesheltertohelp that minimum is all our municipal endeavor, and those costs continue toincreaseadoptionsandensurethe shelters have to legally provide the rise.Nottomentionthelevelofwell-beingofthesheltersanimals. animals under their care. care an on-site veterinary clinic wouldThey have raised funds to help cover The New Barker provide. certainmedicalcareforshelterani- This staff is doing amazing workmals,includinglowcostspay/neuterproceduresand even with the lack of resources. Oftentimes, the place looksmicrochip programs, and purchase medical equipment. like a M.A.S.H. unit on the frontlines of a war zone. WhenShelter staff members are encouraged to take additional a dog was brought to the shelter with three inches of bonesteps to help reunite a stray dog with their humans. This has exposed on her leg, staff did skin grafts and anything else thatbeen a godsend in an area that has a large older population, was needed to make sure her leg was saved.many of whom may not have access to computers and the Last year, veterinary students from Puerto Rico visitedinternet to report and/or look for their lost pets. the shelter through a Maddies Fund program. The visitingAdditionally,theshelterwillholdontoapetwhose students were able to experience how an outdated shelterownermaybetemporarilyincapacitated.Thosewhoare with limited resources is able to function. Think about that.hospitalized,workingthroughmentalchallengesand/or According to the Sato Project, there are an estimatedincarcerated can receive some assistance with their pets care. 500,000straydogsroamingPuertoRicosstreetsandThe mindset is to keep families together. beaches with no access to food, fresh water or veterinary care.The shelter also manages eight pet food pantries around Thedrastically-strainedmunicipalsheltersystem,whichthe county as part of the Community Food Bank of Citrus includes five shelters across all 78 of the islands municipali-County for pet parents struggling to feed their pets. ties,hasacombinedeuthanasiarateofmorethan94%.General capacity for our shelter is about 68 dogs and ThoseveterinarystudentsfromPuertoRicoweresenttoroughly 30 cats, said Colleen Yarbrough, Director of Citrus Citrus County Animal Services because of its poor conditionCounty Animal Services. The shelter consistently sees num- inordertobebetterpreparedtoworkwithintheirownbers way beyond capacity. Overcrowding is not as a resultof limited environs.36 THE NEW BARKER'