Meeting Time: December 07, 2023 at 9:00am PST
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Agenda Item

1.-E. ID 23-1775 RESOLUTION - to Decrease the Animal Intake at the City of Fresno Animal Center

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    Maria Bessem 11 months ago

    This has failed in other California geographies. Dumped and abandoned animals will increase, as will illness. Please instead, partner with rescues, allow them more partnership as stakeholders. Ban breeding to stem the flow. Use funding for mobile neuter/spay vehicles. Many better ideas that limiting intake. Thank you

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    Shaina S 11 months ago

    We have seen at other shelters how this does not work. We have seen so many animals turned away that needed help because of this. More animals dumped as well.

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    Kat M 11 months ago

    C4C is inhumane and does not support the reality that we feeders, fosters, caretakers, and trappers are experiencing. Turning away animals with the excuse of not having capacity is criminal. Shelters need to take in all stray animals, leaving them on the streets for the community to care for is NOT the answer. Expand the shelter if needed, but take responsibility!

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    Irene Capps 11 months ago

    Under no circumstances should these strays be abandon. Focus on ways to help, not just give up.

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    Irina Dyatlovskaya 11 months ago

    It is policy damaging to the community. It lacks empathy and humanity. Instead shall be more community outreach and implementing foster programs and public education programs.

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    Gloria M 11 months ago

    If the shelter begins to stop taking in strays, or pets turned over..how with the owners find their pets?
    It's A disservice to humanity to stop acting with our hearts, but instead our minds and budgets .These animals are significant and should not be distegarded.

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    Elyse Mize 11 months ago

    Capacity for care is a horrible stance to take. Turning away strays violates Hayden's law and is a huge detriment to the community. It is a dereliction of duty of the municipality to do this not to mention it is illegal. Take a look at the communities of Bakersfield and El Paso Texas to see the worst of the worst of what this stance does to communities. It is dangerous and inhumane.
    I'm a co-founder of Fix Front Street in Sacramento, as well as non-profit Fix Our Shelters. We are fighting against this very thing in our locality and across our state. You don't have the infrastructure in place to do this, you are actually making the problem worse. The animals will continue breeding at a higher rate on the streets.

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    Tim Hulse 11 months ago

    This is a horrible stance to stop taking stray into the shelter. The city needs to help us educate and team up with rescue organizations to help get strays into a shelter where they can be adopted out. Please don’t bury your heads in the sand over this issue!

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    Brina Carr 11 months ago

    I oppose this proposal as it is very short sighted. With more animals roaming the streets we’ll see an increase in the population of strays/ unwanted animals, increase of injured animals (and humans) and allow for the spread of disease. What are the cities long term goals to do something about this issue? We can not adopt, euthanize or ignore (closing shelter doors) our way out of the situation this city is in. Start addressing the cause of the issue (breeding & lack of spay/ neuter options) for a long term and sustainable plan! The people and animals of Fresno deserve better than this!

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    Jane Ali 11 months ago

    We should do everything we can to help the animals in our community. Unlike humans they can not help themselves. We should have more free programs for spay and neuter, so there are no excuses for the over population issues we are seeing now.

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    Gwen Stephney 11 months ago

    This is not the answer. Increasing spay and neuter programs available to the public is much more likely to limit the number of animals. There are wait times of months and only a limited number of programs. If the City can bring in a program to take over or assist with the shelter, then we can certainly fund more programs to get ahead of the population. It’s not that adoptions are decreasing. It is that the population is increasing. Please do not move forward with this resolution, as it will not help the problem.

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    Bonnie Kelley 11 months ago

    Fresno is already failing it's canine and feline population. Limiting or closing access to the shelter is not the answer. I don't know what the answer is, but Fresno has to figure out a way to do better for our furry companions/residents. Don't take a step backwards please.

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    Kathy OKeefe 11 months ago

    I have rescued and fostered too many dogs and cats due to owners irresponsibility. Nonprofit organizations trying to have more cats and dogs spayed and nentered are under stress just trying to keep up with this issue. Fresno City and County need more funds and resources, not what is being proposed now. Allocate more funds and commitment.

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    Andrea Schulz 11 months ago

    Please increase the budget for the shelter and increase the budget for free spay/neuter/vaccinate. Please apply for state, federal and private foundation funds for a SNIP bus. Please increase funding for HALO Cafe and HOPE Clinic. Leaving strays on the street increases danger to the public.

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    Jesus MontanoRamirez 11 months ago

    Decrease? It should be increase we have a big issue with overpopulation of cats and dogs in the city of Fresno! Spay/Neutered programs are needed.

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    Jocelyn Contreras 11 months ago

    I’d rather pay tax money to help animals than everything else that isn’t needed. I 100% oppose to this idea.

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    Sarah Hueck 11 months ago

    I oppose decreasing intake of animals into the City’s animal shelter - this is exactly the opposite of what needs to happen in order to help Fresno’s many animals in need. Instead, I encourage the City to adopt different strategies, such as providing funding to local animal rescues which are securing sterilization and veterinary care for these animals. Turning away sick, injured, and orphaned neonatal animals is inhumane, and I have been disappointed to see this occur. I moved from the Bay Area to Fresno in 2019 and was shocked to encounter so many stray cats and dogs roaming throughout the city. I would encourage those overseeing the Animal Center to increase outreach in order to fill veterinarian positions (such as, creating a partnership with UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine) and offer competitive pay and school debt relief to incentivize moving to Fresno. Thank you for your consideration.

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    Susan Leon 11 months ago

    Fresno has a huge issue with roaming pets and to decrease the intake of pets is unfathomable. What do you suggest we do with them? Do you have other suggestions? What is your rationale for this proposal?

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    Karen Frazer 11 months ago

    Mayor Dyer said it on a news cast. We need to spay and neuter our pets. And yet we have a clinic where that could happen sit empty. We can't turn away animals that are unaltered.

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    A A 11 months ago

    Definitely oppose decreasing the number of intakes at the shelter. You need to increase your budget for shelters and find funding to fix the problem of overpopulation of dogs/cats. Reducing the intakes WILL NOT stop the reproduction and dumping of animals. You are trying to put a bandaid on something that is way deeper. Look at all the hard work groups like FRESNO TNR have done to help fix the problem. They provide AFFORDABLE prices to fix cats. They give Fresno county and other residents the much needed resources to fix and release cats. Why can’t you work with organizations like them to do the same for other dogs/cats? If they are doing it why not follow the example and provide the man power? If you work with animal activists and others in the community I’m 100% there can be a solution that will eliminate the root of the problem. We can’t close the door on the existing strays and surrenders we currently have. I understand they are at capacity but this will continue to be a problem and later on worse if we don’t provide affordable spay/neuter and enforce owners to spay/neuter existing pets to control the over population.