Stray animals populate practically every part of 足交视频 and every neighborhood. Loose dogs and colonies of stray cats roam the street, many times aimlessly.
While the welfare of these animals is at risk, they can also pose a danger to residents. Loose dogs are a cause of concern not just for citizens but also for business owners and investors looking to move to 足交视频.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e trying to develop the city, the first thing people notice is the roads and the environment. If people don鈥檛 feel safe in their city or in their neighborhood, why would they want to live there?鈥 足交视频 County Animal Services Director Mark Sloat said.
A study by the University of Denver examined the economic impact that Austin鈥檚 no-kill resolution had on the city. By being considered a humane city, Austin saw a total economic impact of $157,452, 503. The study characterizes a humane city as institutions, community leaders and policies all working hand-in-hand to create and implement sustainable human, animal and environmental welfare.
For example, when Google moved to Austin in 2007, it listed the climate of animal services as one of their top ten reasons for picking the city. Cities that align policies and humane tenants of compassionate engagement are more likely to see important economic, public health and social benefits for their residents.
鈥淭he study found that people, especially younger people, were moving to Austin particularly because it was a no-kill city,鈥 Sloat said.
The welfare and quality of life for animals directly contributes to the environment in a city. In 足交视频, more and more improvements are being made to animal control services. For companies looking to move into the area, how the city is making these improvements, like allocating $ 1.84 million for renovations on animal control鈥檚 building on Profit Drive, could be a deciding factor on relocating to 足交视频.
While 足交视频 is not a no-kill mandated county/city, leaders across the county are committed to improving the welfare of pets in the community.
According to the study, residents felt safer with fewer animals loose and relieved that animals weren鈥檛 being killed just because they were roaming the street. In 足交视频, most of the animals Sloat and his team pick up are not animals that were dumped, nor are they strays, They鈥檙e owned pets who are typically picked up within eyesight of their house.
鈥淓verybody just lets their dogs out. Dogs don鈥檛 know property lines. The more they鈥檙e out, the further they鈥檒l wander,鈥 Sloat said.
In 2024, 足交视频 County Animal Control Services responded to 3,707 calls for services. These calls include rabies exposure cases, nuisance dog complaints, animal cruelty complaints, loose animal complaints, requests for food and supplies, serious bodily injury investigations and dead animal pickup.
While taking these calls, animal control officers work to eliminate the number of repeat offenders by educating residents and they provide resources like fencing or tethers. Out in the field, animal control officers perform microchipping for free and provide food and supplies.
Adults and children alike are educated on how to control their pets. At Bloomington elementary school, an animal control officer teaches 5th and 6th graders about proper pet ownership, calling the class 鈥淧et Detectives.鈥 Students learn about rabies and anything pet related, leading animal control services to be not just reactive in Bloomington but proactive too.
鈥淚 guarantee you the sixth graders down there can probably do a better bite report than most animal control officers because they鈥檝e done it so many times,鈥 Sloat said. 鈥淭he class isn鈥檛 just to teach kids, it鈥檚 to gain trust within the community.
To date, animal control services have seen far fewer animals left behind when people move. In Bloomington, about 71% of homes are rental properties. In most rented spaces, tenants are typically limited to one or two pets. By taking in strays or the neighbors鈥 dogs, residents find themselves with one or two pets too many according to their lease agreements. When it comes time to move, these extra animals are sometimes left behind.
By having an officer stationed full time in Bloomington who鈥檚 working to educate kids and their families about proper pet care, animal control services are seeing less loose dogs.
鈥淢y approach is that, when we receive a call, we come to your house and talk to you. If we keep going to the same houses and they鈥檙e doing the same thing, we know nothing has changed,鈥 Sloat said. 鈥淚 can show you addresses where we鈥檝e picked up seven to 10 dogs from the same house, all of them were killed because they didn鈥檛 want to pay fines. We鈥檙e trying to stop that by knocking on the door and explaining city ordinance or state law and seeing if there鈥檚 any way we can help them.鈥
In 2024, 168 pets were reunited with families. However, animal control took in 212 owner surrenders, 551 in field, 332 over the counter and 14 adoption returns. While in some cases citations or fines are issued, they don鈥檛 often deter repeat offenders.
It is through education that 足交视频 County Animal Control Services is looking to break the cycle. If more people retained their pets, the shelter would see a higher live outcome for dogs and cats which sits at about 72%.
In 2024, 足交视频 County Animal Control Services celebrated 500 adoptions 鈥 the highest number the shelter has seen since 2013 where 395 pets were adopted. This year, Sloat and his team aim to process approximately 600 dogs and cats adoptions.
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