Short-Term, Long-Term Solutions for Healdsburg Animal Care

With this week’s decision by the Board of Directors of the Healdsburg Animal Shelter to “cease its animal control and care operations before the end of June, 2013,” the first reaction was to blame the board. A number of comments to that effect appeared on the HAC Facebook page as well as with Patch’s own coverage, as if evidence of the second stage of grief, Anger.

What’s left in the wake of the Board’s announcement, aside from the blame and the shame, is one run-down, outdated and crowded animal shelter on Westside Rd, a brand new, spacious and uninhabitable structure across the street (built from Rodney and Charlotte Strong’s bequest of $2.4 million in 2009) – plus number of dogs, cats and bunnies who were looking for a home.

Were, not are: Since the announcement of the HAS closing just a few days ago, a dozen animals have been adopted at lower $25 adoption rates. Only a single dog remain and four cats remain to be placed; they may well end up at King’s Kastle in Windsor as soon as tomorrow.  

But the City of Healdsburg retains its commitment to animal services, and will be making both short-term and long-term plans to deal with the failure of the Healdsburg Animal Shelter. The City has long been contracting with HAS for animal care services, presently to the tune of $115,000 per year. The inability of HAS to fund-raise the difference between the city contract and its operating expenses is what caused its breakdown – “the Shelter's financial reserves are depleted owing to persistent operating losses,” as they put it.

There may be some reassurance in the fact that the city is not walking away from its commitment to animal care and services. “I realize there is a lot of speculation about HAS and recognize the importance of informing the community of our plans,” City Manager Marjie Pettus told Patch.

It seems the city and the HAS, along with representatives from the Sonoma County Animal Care and Control (ACC), have already been meeting to discuss transitioning animal care and control services.

“Through our department head and the county supervisors, especially Mike McGuire, we’ve certainly been aware that it was a possibility” that the HAS would shut down, said Peter Rumble, Director of Health Policy and Planning for the county Health Services Administrator, which includes the ACC.

“We have an existing contract with the City of Healdsburg to provide weekend or off-hour services,” continued Rumble. “Further conversations with City of Healdsburg would be necessary to work out more detailed plans.”

City Manager Pettus confirmed this, adding that this existing contract provided the basis for a short-term solution. “Staff has negotiated a contract amendment that will enable the County to provide all animal care/control services on a temporary basis. This contract is on the Council agenda for next Monday.”

Long-term, said Pettus, the next step is to issue a Request for Proposals. “We will solicit proposals from other public agencies, nonprofits and/or other organization to provide animal care/control services.

One such agency might be Green Dog Rescue Project, the animal care and rehabilitation non-profit founded by Colleen Combs of King’s Kastle. Combs was involved in the conflict between HAS and Douglas Keane, former executive chef at Cyrus, over the supposed pending euthanasia of the dog Cash. Keane took Cash to King’s Kastle, where he progressed to a healthier state; Cash now lives most of the time with Keane, and both were proudly walking together in last month’s FFA parade.

Last year, Combs challenged the City Council to take over HAS, when the shelter was in the throes of its reorganization following the departure of popular executive director Julie Seals. Her non-profit Green Dog formerly had Healdsburg Mayor Susan Jones on its board, though she has apparently timed out of her commitment and is no longer part of the organization.

“We’re really sad this is happening,” said Combs today in response to questions about the Healdsburg Animal Shelter. “It’s a big loss to the city to lose this facility.” Combs said the news about the shelter was still fresh, too soon for her to comment on any plans to assume the city’s long-term animal care needs.

Still, a handful of remaining animals currently at the Shelter are being transferred to Green Dog’s Windsor operation tomorrow, Combs told us. “We’re very pleased that we can help,” she said. “It’s always been about the animals.”

Another, perhaps more likely scenario, would be for the City to contract with Sonoma County for the animal care services – essentially expanding the support ACC currently provides on weekends and after-hours.

Following the announcement last week that ACC had forged an “adoption agreement” with the Sonoma Human Society, this solution seems more likely still. That agreement streamlines and re-enforces the adoption process between the two agencies, who between them take in over 8,000 animals each year.

According to the Healdsburg Animal Shelter website, they have been taking in 600-700 animals a year.

The agreement is designed to simplify the adoption process so healthy and treatable animals that can be rehabilitated will transfer from ACC to the Humane Society, to increase its chances of adoption to a suitable home.

But the ACC is currently without a head. Paired with the ACC/Humane Society news was the simultaneous announcement of the resignation of Amy Cooper, the Director of Sonoma County Animal Care and Control. Cooper had been dismissed from the position two years ago, but fought and succeeded in regaining her job.  She resigned effective June 7 to spend more time with her family in the Bay Area.

A “national recruitment” search to replace Cooper is underway, which is may be why it was Rumble who is handling calls about the ACC. When asked if Cooper’s departure might hamper the agency’s ability to take on added animal care services, Rumble demurred. “Not at all. Some of the accomplishments that Amy achieved through her time here have actually made it more possible that we can absorb the added responsibility. Her time here has been very beneficial.”

There will be another meeting this Friday afternoon with county officials, Pettus tells us, and it’s possible the first step toward a longer-term solution will be announced Monday. Meanwhile, the City continues to work on its RFP, and the measure for the County to temporarily assume bridge services for animal care in Healdsburg will be on the City Council agenda next Monday evening.

If previous City Council meetings that included the Healdsburg Animal Shelter on its agenda are any indication, there will be a lot of interest to this discussion at the June 17 meeting.