East Valley Animal Shelter Town Hall Meeting

Town Hall Meeting Thursday August 9th, 6-7:30 PM East Valley Shelter 14409 Vanowen Street, Van Nuys, CA This is our quarterly Town Hall Meeting. I hope you have it on your calendar and plan to attend. You may have heard the good news for the first 6 months of 2012: 1. Fewer Animals Die 2,035 fewer animals of all kinds were put to death and 1,402 fewer dogs and cats were put to death 2. More Happy Endings 479 more dogs and cats had happy outcomes through adoption, being reunited with their family or going to a private rescues or shelters, 3. Fewer Enter Shelters 641 fewer dogs and cats entered our shelters. 4. More Licenses Sold 1,522 more dog and horse licenses were sold to generate critical funding for additional spay/neuter (dog licenses). I'd like to hear from you about what you think is working, what you think we can improve and any new ideas you have. We'll follow up on adjustments to the changes in the New Hope Program. I am hearing from some rescuers that the service they are getting is greatly improved and others are still having challenges. Since our level of staffing continues to be reduced and we have workload challenges, let's find creative ways together to make this work best for our important New Hope Partners. There have been growing concerns expressed by community members about a few New Hope Partners who may be lending their "pull privileges" to people outside of their groups. Some of the concerns seem to be linked to animals being transferred out of the area. I'd like to get your general impressions, hear any concerns and get your suggestions. This will be a high level conversation that will not name names. We have recently introduced the Red List, Blue List and Yellow List for our New Hope Partners. The dogs, cats and bunnies may be available for rescue (Yellow), at risk of being euthanized within 48 hours if the shelter fills up and there are no other options (Red), or they may need medical care (Blue). Although this is very new, I'd still like to get some initial feedback. I'm pleased to say that some people have already let me know that the Red List has created a life saving sense of urgency for some lucky dogs who were saved. That was the intent. I'll give you an update on the opening of the New South LA Shelter, expansion to the LAAS Foster Volunteer Program, tell you about an innovative training/volunteer program starting at South LA and try to answer any questions you may have. Thanks for All you are doing for the animals! Brenda