Veterinarians Band Together To Improve Animal Services

SEBRING - Getting six veterinarians, representing each of the six small-animal veterinary practices in Highlands County, together in one room for a meeting doesn't sound like a big deal.

That is, until you hear Dr. Mark Griffin, of Lake Forest Veterinary Clinic in Avon Park, explain that he had never heard of such a meeting ever being held in Highlands County.

"This is a monumental day," Griffin said shortly after 11 a.m. Wednesday, as he and five other veterinarians wrapped up a two-hour meeting at the Highlands County Government Center.

Highlands County Animal Control Director Darryl Scott chaired the meeting, which dealt with issues including:

* Revamping the county's spay-neuter program, which is suspended now because it wasn't working well;

* Prosecuting animal cruelty, abuse and neglect cases, at all levels, from civil county-ordinance enforcement to misdemeanors and felony crimes;

* Increasing dog and cat adoptions;

* Making emergency veterinary service more available on weekends; and

* The housing and medical care of animals held at Animal Control, and plans to improve facilities there.

Also participating in the meeting were the county's top two executives, Administrator Carl Cool and Assistant Administrator Ricky Helms, and two of the leaders of the Humane Society of Highlands County, Marvine McPhee and Barbara Shrewsbury.

"I think it was a huge first step," said Dr. John Young, of Highlands Animal Hospital in Sebring. "It's the first time that all the small-animal vets met with Animal Control, and that's unique.

"The four groups (veterinarians, Animal Control, county administrators and the humane society) came together to discuss animal (welfare and service) issues," he said. "What was nice is that there was a consensus on what the issues are."

No solutions to problems were decided upon, Young said, "but we're in agreement that we're all going to work together to find the solutions. Everybody's interested in the same things, we just have different perspectives."

For years, the county commissioners have allocated funds - $15,000 per year in the past two years - for the spay-neuter of dogs and cats owned by low-income county residents. Discount vouchers, which covered part of the actual cost, were distributed starting Dec. 1. Every year, all of the vouchers were given out by late December or mid January.

Scott has suspended the spay-neuter voucher program indefinitely because, he said, "it was floundering, it was kind of like 'out there' in the middle of nowhere."

At the Wednesday meeting, he said, "we all agreed it needs to be changed, that it wasn't working the way it was set up." Many of the spay-neuter vouchers given out to income-eligible county residents were never used, he said.

"I brought forth some problems I felt needed to be addressed (about the spay-neuter program), the veterinarians brought forth the problems they felt needed to be addressed, and we all greed to have another meeting on this, and we're also going to meet several times a year."

Scott said he was surprised when, on Wednesday afternoon, just a few hours after the morning's meeting, several veterinarians called him with ideas on spay-neuter and other animal issues.

"I had proposed some questions to them," Scott explained. "And I said I don't need an answer now, just take this information home, chew on it a little while, and call me back when you can." He expected his first calls back from the veterinarians in a few weeks, not in a few hours.

Young said major changes may be needed in the county spay-neuter program.

"It may look very different, completely different, from the current voucher program," he said.

Scott is a former Highlands County sheriff's deputy and a former state Fish & Game warden. He has made a number of changes since becoming county animal control director in February and is planning more changes.

Wednesday's meeting was called, Scott said, primarily because: "The veterinarians have years of experience, they have tons of knowledge, they've all run businesses here in this county and they're all successful. So they're like the MENSA, they are like the 'brain trust' for me to turn to on animal issues."

Consensus was reached on one point, Scott said.

"We agreed that Animal Control is heading in the right direction, and we all agreed it has a long way to go, to be where it needs to be."

Griffin said he is optimistic that a better way to run the county's spay-neuter program will be found, as well as ways of improving other animal issues, too

"That's my hope, that with everybody pulling together we'll get a better program that we all agree on," he said.

Griffin said the problem of dog and cat over-population will never be eliminated, but it can be reduced. He also said it's not possible to find adoptive homes for every homeless dog and cat, but adoptions can be increased.

He called a good spay-neuter program "the lynch pin" of effective programs dealing with both issues.

"We can't adopt out pets that aren't spayed or neutered," Griffin said. "That would defeat the whole purpose."

McPhee, the executive director of the humane society, said the non-profit organization hopes to increase spay-neuter for the dogs and cats which it adopts out in 2008.

"The interest and concern expressed by all participants was so encouraging," she said about Wednesday's meeting.

"In the discussions - ranging from animal abuse, spay and neuter, prosecutions of crimes against animals, the needs of our community, and protection of animals in Highlands County - the enthusiasm was contagious," McPhee said after the meeting. "The conversation was stimulating, and I am sure our animals will benefit from today's meeting and future meetings."