Animal Care Service (ACS) manager John Keisler’s mission of making Long Beach the safest large city in the country for people and animals took a significant step toward actualization and accomplishment at Tuesday night’s Long Beach City Council meeting with a recommendation developed by 1st District Councilmember Lowenthal and her staff, and co-authored by Councilmembers Gary DeLong and Patrick O’Donnell.
“There is no single strategy that will alter this community-based problem of animal overpopulation,” Lowenthal stated in a memorandum to the rest of council. “However, doing the same thing and expecting different results is not a responsible policy. To drive down the number of animals impounded at the shelter each year, the City must work with residents to promote licensing, microchipping, vaccinations, and spay and neuter of animals… The expansion of spay and neuter services, cat licensing, mobile services and community engagement are the building blocks for achieving this vision.”
The recommendation, number 25 in the Departmental Communications section of the agenda, comprised four goals, which addressed decreasing the number of unwanted animals with active promotion of low-cost spay/neuter; reducing the number of impounded animals with a citywide licensing program that includes cats and other as yet unspecified animals; increasing the number of animals returned to their owners and reducing euthanasia of unclaimed animals through licensing and microchipping; and expanding education and volunteer training programs to support ACS’s goal and the city’s municipal code enforcement. Efforts will be particularly focused on areas of the city that have been difficult to manage.
“Your hard work and advice can be felt throughout, said Lowenthal, thanking Long Beach residents, particularly animal advocates, who had offered input. “This has been a long time coming.”
Lowenthal and her staff began the actual development of the recommendation in 2006 to support ACS’s mission. The recommendation, after review and development by the council and city entities—ACS in particular—during the 60-day period that follows, is expected to help reduce overpopulation through technology and community education.
Requiring a straying pet to be microchipped is an insurance policy to make sure that the pet is returned to his or her owner. Mandatory spay/neuter for cats over 4 months old is already in place in the municipal code (LBMC 6.16.085) and is key to reducing shelter overpopulation and abandoned and euthanized cats. Enforcement of the code and the new recommendations is what will help bring about the change, however, and there were some opinions about effectiveness of community outreach.
“It’ll be the same thing,” said one attendee. “The responsible people will get their cats licensed. The irresponsible ones will not.”
Keisler described ramped-up efforts by his staff in controlling breeding, including “stings” on Pennysaver and Craig’s List ads. Lowenthal, however, said that other cities have invested in community education and that results have been promising.
“Based on the lessons of other cities, compliance will be tied to our efforts to educate our residents about the benefits and protections afforded licensed cats,” she said in a separate interview. “I would ask the larger animal care community whether ‘enough’ residents are complying with dog licensing requirements currently, considering that as many as 50,000 dogs are estimated to be unlicensed in the city.”
Pet Assistance Foundation (PAF) president Wendy Aragon said that she supports a suggestion that the city considered: a spay/neuter mobile van. Aragon stated that there is one such organization in Los Angeles that may be willing to assist with community outreach. As it stands now, there are several nonprofit groups that offer spay/neuter assistance, including PAF, Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA), Actors and Others for Animals and Justin Rudd’s Community Action Team (CAT). Aragon said that low-cost clinics such as Golden State Humane Society are overwhelmed with surgical appointments. This may be a good indicator of the effectiveness of the low-cost carrot; nonetheless, the clinics have waiting lists of up to six weeks, and a mobile unit could reduce the stress on these facilities.
Cat licensing, Lowenthal said, was the issue that raised the most discussion and concern among residents as well as at least one councilmember. Vice Mayor Val Lerch stated his longstanding support of cat licensing. Councilmember O’Donnell, who has adopted several CSULB feral dropouts, qualified that he didn’t want cat licensing to be a “cat tax.”
“I want to make sure that it’s the right thing to do,” O’Donnell said. “I don’t want to discourage people from taking care of cats. But I do want to encourage people to get their cats fixed. Somewhere, there is a solution.”
Residents had expressed concern that cat owners don’t have the same responsibility requirements as do dog owners regarding licensing and roaming. Lowenthal has taken a number of complaints from non-cat-owning residents about the mess that cats leave on their property.
“Personally, I think that cat owners should be held to the same responsibility as dog owners,” Lowenthal said. “As policymakers, we are relying on our very capable Animal Care Services staff and animal rights community to provide recommendations that address the challenges presented by domesticated outdoor cats. No doubt, there needs to be some outreach performed with other cities where successful programs have been implemented.”
One out of six cats are redeemed or adopted from the shelter, and the rest are killed. The majority are ferals, but it remains that the majority of animals euthanized at ACS are unclaimed cats. In addition, whether you love or hate cats, the expense of this procedure is costing Long Beach taxpayers. Requiring residents to license and alter their cats are tools in reducing both cost and euthanasia rates.
Other concerns include how much a license would cost and whether the money would be earmarked for ACS, which animals besides cats would require licenses, and the position of ferals in the idea of ownership. Lowenthal told the Pet Post that license applications require that a cat have an actual owner and reside at a particular address; therefore, there should be no conflict with feral cat colonies.
Lowenthal also stated that the costs and enforcement will be discussed during the 60-day review, and Keisler added that ACS will work on projections for each of the programs that reflect costs and benefits in a reasonable manner.
“We need to take responsibility,” said community activist Diana Lejins. “It’s a small amount of money if you love your cats and dogs.”
With regard to “other” animals referred to in the cat-licensing program, Keisler told the Pet Post that it would definitely not be house aquariums—a desperate fear expressed openly by Vice Mayor Lerch, who has been unsuccessful in finding little spiked collars that fit betas—but quite possibly horses. He said that horses have been found wandering in open areas, and once encountered one who had been burned in a barn fire. There was no identification on this or any of the other horses; they generally show up at the shelter.
After discussion and comment, the recommendation passed unanimously, 9–0.
“You did a marvelous job addressing a problem so hideous and longstanding,” Aragon told the councilmembers. “It’s long overdue that we are dealing with it.”
Virtually Pets: Adoption opportunities
Bobbette’s name comes not from the group that sang “Mr.Lee” but from her cute little stub of a tail. She was tossed out into the streets and was rescued by a kind citizen who brought her to ACS. Adult cats aren’t generally as popular as kittens, so Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA) took her to Chewsy Dog, 4107 Viking Way, Long Beach, (562) 354-6040, where she’s on display in the fabulous pink condo. She’s been microchipped and spayed, and is current on all shots. Her adoption fee is $90. So endeth Bobbette’s short tale—heh heh. Come give her a long, happy life.
Pet Projects and Boxer Briefs – ACS offers advisory about flea-borne murine typhus
Murine typhus is a disease carried by fleas and displays such symptoms as high fevers, severe headaches, body aches and a rash. The disease is rarely fatal. Be sure to apply safe veterinarian-recommended flea treatments to your pets and take care in your own backyard. Public Health Officials will continue to monitor and test for evidence of the disease in areas of Long Beach. For complete information in addressing sources of the disease, click here.
Oct. 31, Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade
This year, Halloween actually falls on a Saturday! On Halloween Day, at 2:30 p.m., the ninth annual parade will start and finish at Livingston Park, 4900 E. Livingston Dr. at Park Ave. in Belmont Shore (be at the corner of Livingston Drive by 2:20 p.m., and don’t forget to bring your registration slip. The new six-block sidewalk parade route travels down the middle of Park Avenue from Livingston Drive to 2nd Street, heads east on the sidewalk along the north side of 2nd Street, hangs a right on the sidewalk along the south side of Livingston Drive in front of the park’s playground and empties back in to the park. The parade expects 600-plus dressed-up dogs and lasts about an hour. Bring your own folding chair or rent one on Park Avenue for just $5. All proceeds go to the Community Action Team (CAT). Kids in costume are invited to lead the parade and are eligible to win a prize! There will also be vendors and an adoption fair. Click here for details.
Nov. 17, We Love Long Beach: The Books Club reviews Water for Elephants
Sarah Gruen’s brilliant, shadowy novel of an old man’s memory of his life as a young adult as a traveling circus vet recounts a touching communication between the kindred souls of a human and an elephant. It also deals with dignity, love, treatment of the elderly and the inhumane treatment of both humans and animals in circuses. Click here for meeting details.
Ongoing—Pet Literacy at ACS
Pet Literacy is a City of Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) program at the P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village. The program promotes humane treatment, socialization of animals, creating a connection between animals and humans, and literacy through reading aloud to the animals. Wednesdays–Sundays, 2–3 p.m., 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach