Correction: An earlier version of this story and headline mistakenly said that commissioners adopted socially conscious sheltering principles as an alternative to Sumter County’s no-kill standard.
Revising Sumter County’s animal shelter policy, commissioners Tuesday night committed to continue the shelter’s open admissions and no-kill standards.
The action came after several speakers urged them to keep the no-kill policy during a public forum portion of the meeting. An alternative was to commit to socially conscious sheltering principles.
No-kill means that animals are euthanized only if they are sick, aggressive or at the owner’s request. Before the no-kill policy was adopted in December 2020, animals who could not be adopted sometimes were euthanized at the shelter to make room for other strays.
Before adopting no-kill, the county achieved a 90 percent live-release rate, which is the goal of no-kill shelters.
At a Jan. 25 meeting, commissioners rejected a $553,000 design contract to build a $4.2-million animal services and adoption center after several speakers criticized them for spending more on animals than ambulances.
Commissioners said they were concerned about overcrowding and animals housed at the shelter for up to a year because they could not be adopted.
At Tuesday’s meeting, a public forum speaker accused them of ignoring an evaluation by Best Friends Animal Society that offered a blueprint for improving shelter operations, reducing its population and preserving its no-kill status. The animal society is a national animal welfare organization that prepared the evaluation after a three-day visit to the shelter in December.
Praising the commitment of shelter staff, the evaluation found that some shelter practices are outdated and recommended ways to streamline operations through marketing, community engagement and greater use of foster and volunteer programs.
“I don’t know why (the evaluation) has been ignored,” said Eunice Mattear, adding that some shelter staff members have quit during the past few months.
Nancy Chretien said she was reprimanded last year for advertising two foster cats for adoption on Facebook.
“You need a PR (public relations) person to get these animals out on social media,” she said. “I think adoption’s better than euthanasia.”
Chretien said the shelter needs more volunteers, foster partners and a welcome center separated from its intake area.
Leader of a cat support group, Marlene Gerard said she would be reluctant to bring homeless animals to a shelter that doesn’t have a no-kill policy. Last year, she said she brought a basket full of homeless kittens to the shelter with confidence they could be adopted and not killed.
Claudia Labbe, who chairs the board of Your Humane Society SPCA of Sumter County, said the society is willing to assist the Sumter County shelter. The 40-year-old humane society operates its own no-kill shelter, sending about 500 animals to rescue organizations and 200 to adoption each year.
“It takes an entire community to be responsible pet owners,” she said.