
What's Going on with the Animal Shelter?
Currently, the animal shelter is run by Jackson County with the help of many volunteers. The main volunteer organization at the shelter is called Friends of the Animals (FOTAS). FOTAS has been contributing countless volunteer hours and large financial donations to the shelter for over three decades.
Over the past couple of years, Jackson County began alienating FOTAS and creating a tense and hostile relationship with volunteers. Volunteers were disallowed from caring for or walking dogs on Mondays, they lost privileges to transport animals and provide medical services, and were told to vacate their office space. They were informed that the shelter would no longer accommodate cats. A petition signed by 1,600 people was delivered to the commissioners. Volunteers packed the board meeting room, pleading with the county commissioners to allow volunteers to resume services they had provided for over thirty years, and to continue caring for cats. Their emotional pleas were met with indifference. The county administrator told the crowd that the county is mandated to provide dog control services only and county has no obligation to keep dogs for more than a few days before euthanizing them. Cats are out. The public health implications of that decision are a topic for another day.
Since the commissioners were unmoved and unresponsive, animal advocates arranged a public town hall meeting in Medford to discuss the state of the animal shelter. Over 120 attendees, representing at least sixteen different animal-centered organizations, took part in the discussion.
Participants at this initial town hall made clear that the community wants a new, bigger, better shelter, meeting the following criteria:
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A no-kill, open admission animal shelter for dogs, cats, and possibly other animals
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A central accessible location with a facility designed according to shelter best practices
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Capacity to accommodate future growth of our county
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Indoor/outdoor dog runs with play yards
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Adequate and pleasant shaded outdoor space for dog play groups and walking dogs
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A warm, welcoming atmosphere for volunteers
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Friendly collaboration with other animal welfare organizations
From that meeting, volunteers stepped up to start visiting animal shelters in other Oregon counties and doing research about how shelters are structured, built, and funded. They traveled to Klamath County Animal Shelter in Klamath Falls, Saving Grace in Roseburg, and Greenhill Humane Society in Eugene. They have been in phone contact with shelters in other states, including Reno, Nevada, and Fairfax County Animal Shelter in Virginia.
One theme that emerged in some Oregon shelters was that several counties provide dog control services only, but work in collaboration with the overarching animal shelters, which are run by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In these scenarios, the county has a physical space within the shelter facility for dog control and contracts with the NGO for care of the dogs they pick up. Across the country, some animal shelters are run by NGOs and others are county-run. There are countless numbers of nonprofit organizations involved in running animal shelters, especially when offering expanded services.
At the Board of Commissioners meeting on November 28th, the county administrator unveiled a proposal to address the dog control mandate. The three commissioners rubber stamped his plan, although there has not yet been an opportunity for public input, and other alternatives have not yet been presented or considered.
It is promising that there is movement on the part of the county to respond to their mandate. But, to be clear, the county administrator’s initial proposal is not to build a true animal shelter, but rather to focus on a dog control facility, with limited sheltering of dogs only. The good news is that it was confirmed at the meeting that there is money to build and operate such a facility.
So, we have one proposal on the table that is better than the overcrowded facility we currently have, but still fails to meet our community’s basic needs even before it is built. I struggle to name any county that excludes cats from its shelter. Failing to provide services for the cat population is irresponsible and results in untold thousands of unhoused cats and a very real possibility of a public health crisis. Public health is in the purview of the county and, it goes to follow, cats should be, too.
We desperately need a new shelter, but since we have one bite at the apple, let’s not squander this opportunity. We need to think bigger as we consider how to address more of the challenges we face and how to make the biggest impact on our community. Instead of simply trying to meet the basic needs of the mandate, let’s think about how a well-planned animal shelter (not a dog pound) could serve many needs throughout the county.
Let’s begin by envisioning a well-designed, clean, low-stress facility in a nice rural setting with trees and trails, pleasing to staff, volunteers, and animals alike. A shelter that would accept and care for, not only dogs, but cats, birds, rabbits, and other animals, as necessary. A shelter that would benefit from the loving care of hundreds of volunteers and would collaborate openly and effectively with other related organizations.
But let’s take it a step further. Our community animal shelter could make a bigger impact, not only on animals, but also the people who love them, by removing a major barrier to accessing care and services – being unable or unwilling to leave a beloved pet(s) in order to seek help or access care and services.
Domestic violence. In Oregon, 40% of women and 36% of men experience domestic violence, and more than half of all women in the state experience sexual assault, according to the Washington County Family Justice Center. Those numbers exceed the national average.1 Pets are not immune to domestic violence. Victims often fail to leave violent relationships out of concern for the safety of their pets. Our shelter could include a Pet Haven program that would provide a safe place for pets of victims trying to escape abusive situations to receive care.​
Addiction Treatment. Many addicts are understandably unwilling to leave their pets in order to go into residential treatment programs. Our shelter could provide a safe place for the pets of addicts who enter treatment to get help for their addictions.
Community Outreach Programs
Disabled Population. In 2016, Marin Humane in Novato, California, launched Compassion Corner, an hour-long, twice-monthly opportunity for people with physical and developmental disabilities to interact with animals in a safe and controlled setting. The shelter typically has three animal-assisted therapy teams visit with attendees. One staff member might bring in a couple of guinea pigs or rabbits, or a super mellow dog, cat or kittens for people to enjoy. This can help bring love and joy to disabled people who deserve to feel the unconditional love of an animal.
Seniors and Veterans. Many people are unable to own pets due to the cost of ownership, restrictions in their housing situations, or a host of other reasons. In 2023, a national poll found that 37% of older US adults (aged 50-80 years) experienced loneliness, and 34% reported feeling socially isolated which can have serious health consequences. Our shelter could offer opportunities for older adults and veterans, including those living in care homes, to come and interact with calm, socialized shelter animals to help treat social isolation and loneliness.
Children. In 2023, 15.5% of the children of Jackson County were living in poverty. Poverty can be a major barrier to pet ownership. Our shelter could offer programs for unhoused or other children living in poverty without pets to come and experience the emotional bonding and unconditional healing love of animals. Some shelters also offer children’s summer camps in community resource rooms.
We have an opportunity to do so much more than simply providing a bare minimum dog pound for our large and growing county. Including cats and other animals in need, providing temporary emergency animal shelter services for people and animals in need, and offering programs for special groups, to improve quality of life of Jackson County residents, could be an invaluable resource to many. Too many people are struggling and facing barriers to receiving help and improving their situations. Loving a pet shouldn’t be an insurmountable barrier.
We need a community-driven process that allows for public input in order to come up with the most effective way to use of our tax dollars to best meet the needs of our animals and our growing populationpopulation. A little creative thinking and a lot of collaboration between shareholders, Jackson County, and other animal organizations will be keycan get us a true animal shelter that serves as an innovative and invaluable whole community resource center, while conveniently helping to address several currently unmet needs in our community.
A win for animals. A win for people. A win for Jackson County. A win for all of us.
Please contact denisekrause4jc@gmail.com if you would like to get involved or stay informed.
This group became organized as Community Animal Rescue and Education (CARE). CARE members have been working on ideas for a true animal shelter for months and have been sharing their findings with the public.