Corky and Fly Break into the County Animal Shelter ( Article 3 of 5)

Corky and Fly Break into the County Animal Shelter ( Article 3 of 5)

To read the 1st 2 articles, see May 17 blog and June  30th  blog

Of course it was Fly who came up with the idea to break into Pinellas County Animal Services for a resort-like vacation. Why is he so smart? It must be the breed. I know there are other breeds that must be smarter than Australian Shepherds, but I don’t want to tell HIM that.  His ego is big enough already........

At Pinellas County Animal Services, one of our most critical missions is to reunite lost pets with their owners and to adopt as many lovable pets to new owners as possible.  To help this process, we have enacted a policy that has proven successful when uniting pets with their owners:

·         We place all pets that come to our facility in a holding period before being put up for adoption.  This allows owners the time to come and retrieve their lost pets.

·         We scan all pets for microchips several times throughout their stay at Animal Services. If we find any information that the animal has a possible owner, we do our best to reunite the pet with their family. We both call and send letters to the last known address to inform the owners we found their pet.

·         Any pet that shows any indication that there is a possible owner is given a seven- day holding period.

·         Strays with no indication of ownership are given a four-day holding period.

·         At the end of the holding period, our veterinary staff examines the pet for health and temperament.  Providing the pet is healthy and friendly enough we place them up for adoption. If they fail the examination requirements, we utilize rescues to help those who have a behavioral or health issue that can be cured or managed.  If the animal is a danger or is suffering it is humanely euthanized.

·         We do not have a “set holding time” once an animal makes its way into our adoption areas.

·         If we are not successful in adopting the pet, we will transfer the pet to another pet adoption agency for adoption. We also will offer a discount to encourage an adoption. Animal Services is proud of its adoption success rate. Because of the success rate, our facility is seldom full. We do have a lot of cages and kennels.

Pinellas County Animal Services has worked under a partnership “Pinellas Animal Partners” for approximately 20 years with the Pinellas County Veterinary Medical Association, Pinellas Animal Foundation, the SPCA, Humane Society, Pet Pal Animal Shelter and the Friends of Strays.

Pinellas County Animal Services currently has the highest rates for pets returned to their owners, licensing and adoptions in the state of Florida.  We continuously strive to educate the general public regarding public health and safety, and responsible pet ownership.  We also work with 50 animal rescue groups, local pet stores, and other organizations and transfer pets that we have not been able to adopt in order to give them an extra chance at getting a new home...so far, we have had 100 percent success rate with this program, and we are adopting more pets than ever before.

Fly was really smart. How he knew all this I will never know. Since both of us had microchips we would be at the shelter 7 days. A week at the best shelter ever!

There was no way that our owners were going to turn us in so we had to become strays. This was all Fly’s idea but if it was successful I would take all the credit (and take back my favorite ball).

"Ok Corky, this is what we are going to do," said Fly…..

"Next Saturday our owners are going on a week vacation and leaving us with a friend. On Sunday we will meet at the corner of Wilson Street and Tennis Ave and act like we are strays. We need to look like we have been outside for a while so don’t allow any bathing or grooming.  Should be easy for you because you smell like a muddy English Bulldog anyway.  Then we will hang out on the corner. DO NOT bring any tennis balls as I don’t want it to roll into the street" advised Fly.

"Why don't we sneak out on Thursday?" I asked Fly.

"Don't be silly," he replied, "That's the 4th of July and while I am not scared of fireworks, I use fireworks as an excuse to get out and go visit the other dogs from the dog park.  Besides, on the 4th of July, a lot of animals get loose and end up at the shelter.  If we go on the weekend, we can command more staff to pamper us."

I met Fly around 10 am on Sunday and we waited for someone to call the County Shelter and send an animal control officer.  Sure enough a nice man in a truck pulled up and we jumped into his truck. WE DID IT….We are going straight to Pinellas County Animal Services!!

For more information, visit Pinellas County Animal Services’ web page at www.pinellascounty.org/animalservices/volunteer.htm  or call (727) 582-2600.

Pinellas County Animal Services is located at 12450 Ulmerton Road in Largo. Normal hours of operation are Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the adoption center closing at 5:30 p.m. Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and services include adoptions. Rabies vaccinations are administered on Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m. The facility is closed on all Pinellas County holidays.

For information on how to adopt, donate or volunteer, join Pinellas County Animal Services on Facebook. To learn more about the shelter, visit www.pinellascounty.org/animalservices, or call (727) 582-2600. The lost or found pets hotline is (727) 582-2604.

For more information about Pinellas County services and programs, visit www.pinellascounty.org, now with LiveChat, or create a shortcut to www.pinellascounty.org/mobile on any smartphone. Pinellas County government is on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Pinellas County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act.