Miami Dade Animal Services may see more lives saved if a plan set into motion this week comes to pass. The County Commission took the first big step by expressing its willingness to work toward a low or no kill goal, and is considering several ways to approach that goal as it waits for the Mayor’s office to weigh in on the plan’s affordability.
Despite continual appeals to the public to spay and to adopt, along with constant death row networking by rescuers and advocates, MDAS has a high kill rate, especially for cats.
On Tuesday, the county’s Public Safety and Healthcare Administration Committee unanimously approved a resolution sponsored by Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz that may lead MDAS to becoming a no or low-kill shelter.
Mayor Carlos Giminez’ administration is to study the proposal and report back in six months to say whether it is financially feasible.
Several components of a plan have been outlined already, including comprehensive adoption programs, free-roaming cat trap/neuter/return programs, high-volume, affordable spay/neuter services, large-scale volunteer foster care programs, rescue group transfers, proactive pet retention programs, proactive pet redemptions, medical and behavioral programs, public relations/community involvement, and volunteer programs.
The plan also would allow people with large plots of land in residential areas to operate temporary shelters to handle overflow problems at the MDAS shelter.
Commissioners have studied the Austin, TX model while researching their proposals.
The photograph used here shows a cat currently posted at Urgent Cats of Miami‘s Facebook rescue networking page.
