Fresno plans big changes to animal control as the SPCA exits. Here’s what to expect
Along with the opening of a new animal shelter this summer, the city of Fresno also is pursuing a new model for animal control services.
For years, the Central California SPCA has provided animal control services for the city of Fresno. But, Fresno city officials have long complained the price of the contract is too expensive for the quality of the services. The shift in services signals the first time in decades that the city has directly provided animal control services rather than contracting out those services.
In the next few weeks, the Fresno City Council is scheduled to vote on a new contract with Fresno Humane Animal Services, which will help the city’s new staff, provide education and training, and oversight for the new facility and employees. The city and Fresno Humane also will partner with UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program to learn best practices, shelter optimization, and operational support. The UC Davis program also is providing the city with grant funding.
The city’s main responsibilities in its new animal control and shelter role are rabies control and impounding loose dogs.
City officials said they expect the new services to be up and running by the end of June.
The Central California SPCA’s relationship with the city of Fresno has been tumultuous for a decade.
In 2011 and 2012, animal advocates criticized the agency for its high euthanasia rates. Since then, the CCSPCA reduced the number of animals euthanized, but the number of reported dog bites doubled.
City leaders remained unhappy with the organization’s services, especially since each year it sought more and more money. One city official called it the “worst contract the city has, hands down.”
The city spends about $6.3 million annually on animal control and shelter services. The hope is the new shelter will reduce that price tag a bit.
Lost and stray animals in Fresno
Once the city takes over, the approach to animal control will change. Under the new model, residents will see the biggest changes in how the city treats lost or stray animals.
“We are completely turning the model upside down,” City Manager Georgeanne White said.
Rather than taking a loose animal straight to the shelter, an animal control officer first will collaborate with residents in the area to try and reunite a lost pet with its owner. The animal control officer also will work with pet owners to identify behavioral problems in their animals or places in their yard where animals can escape.
Typically, about 80% of lost pets are found in their own neighborhood, Deputy City Manager Alma Torres told the Fresno City Council last week during a workshop on the new animal center.
“The goal is to reduce the amount of intake that the shelter receives so that we can maximize the ability to place these animals where they belong,” Torres said.
Cindy Karsten, UC Davis’ outreach veterinarian, told the City Council that removing animals from their neighborhood and putting them in a shelter actually creates more barriers for the animal to get home. Most lost animals are found within 100 yards of their homes, she said.
Community engagement
The new approach will require the city’s new animal control officers and city contractors to do robust community engagement and education.
Councilmember Miguel Arias said he has high expectations for how the city engages with residents, particularly those who don’t speak English.
“What I’m going to be looking for is us not to take the normal approaches to public education awareness. I don’t want to see simply a billboard in Spanish or in Punjabi announcing the ‘One Fresno’ animal shelter,” he said. “I want to see…the department going to community events that we have in neighborhoods. We do a lot of events in the parks, having staff that can be there, educating the public directly, providing them the correct information.
“I’d like to see a significant, on-the-ground outreach effort beyond simply social media outreach, and Twitter, tweets, and TikTok videos,” Arias said.
He also said he hopes the staff will be multilingual.
“You don’t want to have a 3-year-old in central Fresno having to translate for the parents about the future of their family member,” he said. “So whatever we have to do in the hiring process, these are going to be front-line workers, and we need them to be able to communicate with our community versus you coming back a year from now and saying we need translators.”
White said a big part of the new model will be reframing the community’s perspective on animal control.
“The community has traditionally not seen itself as a partner,” White said. “I think part of our communication is going to have to be, ‘Hey, this is a community issue. We all need to be looking out for each other.’”
White said with Fresno Humane and UC Davis, the city is working with the “best of the best.” She also acknowledged this is a new service area for the city, and mistakes will be made. But, city officials hope the new system will allow for changes and improvements to be made when needed.
Reducing the need for euthanasia at Fresno shelters
The historical approach to animal control, which included impounding dogs in a shelter, resulted in overcrowded shelters and high euthanasia rates, White said.
Karsten said the term “no-kill” is compelling language, but, at times, euthanasia is the appropriate outcome, whether for an animal’s sake or community safety. At the new Fresno center, euthanasia will not be used to maintain space in the shelter, she said.
“The decision to euthanize an animal is one that all of us carry with great respect,” she said. “Our top goal as a program, as a state, as a partner, is to keep animals and people together. …All measures will be taken to evaluate each animal individually and find the appropriate outcome.
Councilmember Luis Chavez said he’d like to see a low-cost spay and neuter service run out of the new animal center, in part because it would help reduce the need for euthanasia.
White said she liked that idea as well, but putting it into practice hinges on the availability of veterinarian services, which are in high demand.
This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 11:50 AM.
CORRECTION: The headline has been corrected. The SPCA did not bid on the city’s new animal control services contract.