For starters, the Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center is over 49 thousand square feet, is energy-efficient, has radiant floor heating in the canine areas, and HVAC systems which provide ten air changes per hour to prevent the spread of odors and disease. There are private animal holding and treatment areas, plus classroom, conference and office space. There's a walking trail and outdoor fenced exercise runs. Take a look.
I wanted to see the shelter in Montgomery County partly because Baltimore County is getting ready to build its own new 6 million dollar shelter facility. Clearly, 6 million is not 17, but it would seem that 6 million dollars could buy you a lot, as long as the county makes great effort to do it right.
One county official tells me the deadline for bids to build the new shelter is September 18th. The county hopes to break ground around Thanksgiving of this year with completion of the new shelter expected (weather permitting) around September of next year. The county expects to have more answers about the building's features within the next couple of weeks, and I'll keep you posted.
The current facility is old and needs replacing, so a new building is a great thing. But while the physical plant is important, what goes on inside the shelter is just as important as the walls that enclose it. As a result, the county needs to give great thought about shifting toward the kind of sheltering philosophy that guides the shelter in Montgomery County and a growing number of other animal shelters around the country.
That means things like extensive coordination with rescue groups, the creation of a vibrant foster program, ample use of volunteers, and the use of enrichment to reduce kennel stress.
Kennel stress is not some new age concept. Think about what solitary confinement can do to a human being. The SPCA of Texas website defines kennel stress as a similar kind of thing...a kind of insanity that results when animals are confined in cages for prolonged periods without ample human contact or opportunity to exercise, think, and rest.
Kennel stress manifests itself in all kinds of negative behaviors, sometimes even aggression. An animal's mental health can deteriorate so profoundly, the pet may no longer be suitable for adoption.
To combat kennel stress, animal experts recommend what's known as enrichment, things like social interaction with staff and volunteers, obedience training, opportunities to play outside and interactive toys where dogs must find ways to get to treats tucked inside of them.
To put it simply, as Baltimore County prepares to build an updated facility, it needs to embrace the kinds of programs that help animals mentally thrive as well as survive.
On another front, my visit to Montgomery County brought me face to face with an unexpected question; whether or not the best solution for Baltimore County's shelter is a public/private partnership (PPP). Under a PPP, a non-profit group (private) would form to run the shelter, receiving some funding from the county (public), then raising the rest of its operating revenue on its own.
This system works very well at many shelters like BARCS (the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter) and the
Washington, D.C. Humane Society. Both of these are similar to Baltimore County's facility in that they must accept all animals surrendered by citizens, as well as the strays picked up by animal control officers in their jurisdictions.
As it turns out, Montgomery County's shelter is not operated through a PPP. It's owned and operated by the
Montgomery County Police Department. And yet, the lack of a PPP doesn't prevent it from employing the kinds of programs that put animals' needs first.
So, while many have been calling for a PPP at the Baltimore County shelter (and I have been one of them), I'm no longer sure whether a PPP is necessary to create the kind of shelter we want.
When all is said and done, what matters is the philosophy set forward by those who run the place. If we have a shelter administration that really wants to create a modern-day operation, that may be enough. It's a question of the county's commitment to this goal.
How does Baltimore County begin to move in this direction? Perhaps what's warranted is a measure like the one adopted in Pasco County, FL. As I've written earlier, county commissioners there approved a plan in 2012 requiring their shelter to achieve a 90% live release rate. They set the standard, then left it up to those in charge of the shelter to achieve it.
Surprise! It's working. The Pasco County shelter's live release rate has jumped from 22% to 80%, with efforts continuing to reach the 90% target.
Because of recent calls for change, some Baltimore County Council members are considering legislation concerning our shelter. Perhaps new laws should include a mandate for a 90% live release rate.
For this to be ultimately successful, there would have to be a shift in mindset in the county…a dedication to adopting new ways of thinking, more transparency, and a real belief that every animal matters.
Those who are angry that this has not yet happened need to understand human nature. Even though county government is supposed to be answerable to residents, no one likes to be told how to do their job, especially by people complaining that everything is wrong and nothing is right. With time, I believe county officials will see the benefit in bringing the shelter in line with today's best practices.
If that happens…if our shelter implements programs to keep all animals mentally and physically healthy, expand its volunteer program, increase cooperation with rescues, become transparent, and greatly move the live release rate from its current 50% to 90%, I think most animal advocates won't care how they do it.
PPP or no PPP, 90% survival is surely good enough for me.
One of the typical problems with trying to reform a government-run facility is inheriting the current employees. Many private groups that have taken over a shelter either make a deal where they bring in all of their own employees (previous government employees are welcome to apply) OR they take over the former employees and end up replacing virtually ALL of them within 12-18 months because they do not 'buy in' to the new mission and the work and care required. Sad but true. Thought you would want to consider this, since MANY shelters have volunteers performing a higher standard of care and much more networking and advocating than the employees do.
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