The State Board of Animal Health recommended animal shelters cease adoptions and intakes during the Governor's shut-down order. State Veterinarian Dr. Jim Watson stated in an April 4 memo:
Under Executive Order by the Governor, veterinary clinics are considered as providing essential services, but shelters (not associated with government entities), humane organizations, animal transports, and zoos are not. Please know that being designated as providing a non-essential service at this time does not mean that your work is not important. In the midst of this particular pandemic event, the services rendered by the shelters, humane organizations, and zoos do not directly relate to preservation of human life or safety. It also means that the risk to your personal health in doing these services is greater than the need for the services to be rendered at this time...
Below is some information specific to types of shelters and guidelines on operation under the current Executive Orders:
1. Animal Shelters, unless operated by a city or county government, are not considered essential services and should be closed to the public during the Executive Order.
a. Adoptions should cease until the Executive Order is over. The purpose of the order is to keep people at home!
b. Animals inside the shelter should be cared for, employees have the right to travel to those facilities to care for the animals. While caring for the animals, employees should follow the CDC recommendations for preventing spread of Covid-19.
c. A process should be considered for the possibility that animals may be dropped off at the shelter, and those animals should be cared for. Routine intake should cease, and only be considered if an emergency i.e. a person gets sick and can't care for their animal etc.
d. Transport is not an essential activity and like adoptions is not covered under the Executive Order. Veterinarians will be instructed that Health Certificates for transport are not covered under essential functions.
2. A shelter operated by a government entity is exempt by the Executive Order...
Kingfish note: JJ must respectfully disagree with the State Veterinarian. Animal shelters serve a public health and sanitation function. Animal control is an afterthought for most cities and counties in Mississippi. Quite a few rely on the animal shelters to perform that function as well.
8 comments:
Should people decide they don't have the income to continue to feed their pet, then heeding this advice would result in people turning their pets loose as strays to fend for themselves. The shelters (MARL, CARA, etc) could instead take them in, but instead the streets could be filled with unwanted pets for the local law enforcement and others to "deal with".
I understand why he draws his conclusion, but not the logic in stopping adoptions, etc. If we can go to the grocery store, surely we can go to a shelter and adopt a pet.
This is just silly. Were the guy any good he would be doing real vet work.
The shelters have applications already approved. They should be allowed to deliver the adoptees to their new homes. Everyone is home, which gives the dog or cat extra time to bond with the new family and it helps the shelters reduce their costs since fund-raising is probably almost non existent right now.
If they can't adopt or raise money, where does the Board think the money to operate the shelter will come from?
Stop adopting so the kill shelters can triple the gas-kills? Have I got that right?
In a state known for bad decisions by governmental leaders, that one will be in the top 10.
I agree with Kingfish. This is stupid, cruel and counterproductive.
And it's going to get worse with the news that a tiger has the infection. People are going to be dumping their poor innocent pets. This is an uninformed and ignorant decision!
I call BS on "government" shelters being exempt. What a load of animal dung.
Post a Comment