Houston PetSet is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to ending the homelessness and suffering of companion animals and elevating their status in society. Houston PetSet works to achieve its mission by focusing its efforts in six key impact areas including spay & neuter, transport & rescue, community service & education, cruelty prevention, research, and advocacy. In addition, Houston PetSet provides annual grants to animal welfare-related organizations in the Greater Houston area. By providing critical funds and collaborating with strategic partners, Houston PetSet seeks to end the crisis of animal homelessness in our community.

On behalf of Houston PetSet, our partners, and those in the animal welfare community, we thank you in advance for taking the time to provide your responses to this questionnaire. It is important to note that Houston PetSet will NOT be endorsing any candidate in any municipal race and will be using this completed document as a resource for groups and individuals that are interested in learning more about your candidacy. Your responses will be posted to our website and will be accessible for all.

The current animal homelessness population presents a public health and public safety issue that affects the quality of life of many Houstonians. The Houston PetSet questionnaire includes questions covering general animal welfare, city services, and partnerships. We ask that you complete this questionnaire (by filling in your answers via Microsoft Word) and return it to marketing@houstonpetset.org no later than July 1st, 2019.

Sincerely,

Tena Lundquist Faust Tama Lundquist Co-President Co-President

Animal Welfare

1. To what extent have you been involved with any animal welfare issues, including rescue, spay & neuter, foster, transport programming, legislation, and anti-cruelty?

Answer: I have had several animals in my life that all share a very sentimental value to me. I was a foster mom at K-9 Animals for 6 months before I understood the dedication and the commitment to the rescue, spay & neuter, foster and legislation for our furry animals. As a result, I have since then adopted three dogs, Boss (Boston Terrier), Kong (Pit Bull, Stafford Shire), and Milam (Pit Bull Mixed). Kong’s owner was having trouble keeping him because of strict laws that prohibit animal owners from breeding pit bulls. Pit bulls also known as Stafford shires are known to be aggressive, but not my Kong. He is a big teddy bear and really great with children. All of my dogs have been micro chipped, spayed and neutered. I enjoyed being a foster mom and I would do again it.

2. Do you have a plan to address underserved areas that need low cost spay & neuter programming and other veterinary services?

Answer: My community, which is District D, would be considered an underserved area that needs low cost spay & neuter programming and other veterinary services. The City of Houston – BARC Animal Shelter & Adoptions hosted a free spay & neuter voucher sign up event that we insisted that the community participate in. I think that the disconnect in communication on the sign was trying to determine if the pet was owned. I think that most people would believe themselves to be a parent of a pet if they are simply taking care of the everyday needs of the pet whether their furry family member was a legally adopted pet or just a family member because they had a name and they belonged to the owner. My plan is to encourage and educate more citizens to use these resources and to make the companies offering these resources more accessible at social and

homeless animal hubs that affect the vision of our future in District D.

3. Do you have, or have you ever had in the past, a companion animal? If so, was it a rescue animal?

Answer: If having an animal, a companion animal by definition; then no, I have not had a companion animal. My animals are my companions. They are my babies and I love them. They are very much a part of our family.

Quality of Life/Public Safety/Public Health

4. What impact, and how will reducing the stray animal population improve the quality of life of all Houstonians, if any?

Answer: Pet homelessness to me is just as serious as human homelessness. Reducing the stray animal population would improve the quality of life of all Houstonians by ensuring responsible animal care and the publics dedication to rescuing homeless animals. There would be less dog attacks, less traffic accidents and the spreading of diseases. About 60,000 people die every year from rabies. I do understand with the city being in a high deficit that the pet homelessness maybe at the bottom of the priority list.

5. How do you plan to work with communities that have historically reported high rates of stray animals? Please describe below.

Yes_x__ No___

Responsible pet ownership has increased significantly in some areas of Houston. With that being said, the communities that have historically high rates of stray animals, I would like more animal shelters to be placed in those areas. If it were up to me, I would have an animal shelter in each district, especially in my low-income areas of District D. I also think that getting the community involved would be a gigantic step to restoration for our furry babies. I would more than likely do a survey to see how many homeowners would be willing to open their homes up to become a possible pet shelter. Until I can carry out this plan, I will continue to stay on the City of Houston about being more available when my seniors or children that walk to school in need of assistance because of stray animals causing problems in the neighborhoods. Dogs are territorial and they can be sometimes aggressive; at the end of the day the new lifestyle changes have an immediate affect on their behavior as well. Additional Comment:

6. How do you plan to address animal homelessness and the stray population citywide?

Answer: I plan to address animal homelessness and the stray population by finding more homes for them. In my previous statement I want to do a survey to see how many people would be interested in opening their homes to possibly have a shelter in their homes for stray and rescue animals and open this idea up citywide. I would love it if each civic club members would get with me to offer up possible solutions for what I am suggesting, so that we can collaboratively come up with ideas that would protect both the community and the animals. er:

City of Houston Services

7. Do you have a strategy to address overcrowding in the city animal shelter? If so, please describe below.

Yes__x_ No___ Foster care, adoption plans and microchips. I think that foster care options for fur babies is an awesome alternative for potential pet owners. When we look at this way; no one wants something that isn’t already wanted. So, if we can somehow create that need or desire, we can find the fur babies homes a lot sooner. Additional Comment:

8. Should BARC (City of Houston animal shelter) receive additional funding based on budget comparisons to national standards and peer cities? If so, how much and how would you increase the department’s overall budget?

Yes__x_ No___ Yes, we should receive additional funding based on budget comparisons to national standards and peer cities. We are the fourth largest city in the United States. The City of Houston takes in over 30,000 animals annually no matter the behavior or sickness. Without enough funding there is no way we can justify having a “No-Kill” label that activist have fought for years. Just two years ago City Council increased the budget to $2.6 million. I would like to double that amount amid the rumors of Texas cities recording some of the strongest population growth in the nation in a single year. Houston is still holding the title for fourth largest with just 2,325,502 million people per the census. We are due for a new fiscal census in 2020 and I know that these numbers will change and so will the quality of life for Houstonians. Additional Comment:

9. Will you commit to expanding intake hours for animal surrenders at the city shelter?

Yes___No_X__ No and I do not think that it is necessary for the hours to be extended if it is legally someone’s pet. Rehoming is necessary if circumstances have changed but ultimately it is in the best interest of the pet owner not the pet. The animal didn’t ask to be rehomed or to be in a situation where it needed to be surrendered. This is definitely a characteristic of accountability on the pet owner’s part and not the City of Houston. Additional Comment:

10.Will you commit to funding additional Animal Control Officers to respond to 311 and BARC calls?

Yes__x_ No___ Absolutely, yes! The City of Houston receives about 60,000 calls a year for Animal Control Officers to respond to 311 and BARC calls. This static lets me know that we need more officers with the appropriate training to provide the service that the City of Houston said that they could provide when (we all) thought it was a quality of life scenario for the citizens of Houston to be safe on the streets whether we were being protected from animals or humans. Additional Comment:

11.What is your plan to address animal abuse, including dog fighting (and cock fighting) in the City of Houston and how would you involve the community to assist in this effort?

Answer: My plan to address animal abuse, including dog fighting (and cock fighting) in the City of Houston would be to raise awareness about the amount of cases and to continue to have a unified effort to see a difference. At the end of 2018, Harris County received almost 3,000 reports of animal abuse. I would like to make strict mandatory minimums for animal abuse cases and make it a requirement to report suspicious behavior of pet owners with their pets. If you see something; say something – and make it a requirement for all signs of abuse including pets and humans.

12.There are a number of duplicative services (ex. animal control services, investigative/enforcement, wellness services, etc.) that are offered between the City and County. Do you believe in the existing model, based on geography OR would you explore other options? If you would explore other options, what specific options do you have in mind?

Yes_x__ No___

Additional Comment:

Partnerships

13.Would you support a partnership with local animal welfare organizations to address the growing issues relating to animal welfare? What specifically would you propose?

Yes_x__ No___

More funding per population growth. Additional Comment:

14.Are you familiar with the six key impact areas of Houston PetSet? How would your administration support Houston PetSet’s impact areas?

Yes_x__ No___ The six key impact areas of Houston PetSet are spay and neuter, transport and rescue, community service and education, cruelty prevention, research and advocacy. My administration would support Houston PetSet’s impact areas by making it a city ordinance that all pets are micro-chipped in cases of natural and domestic disaster, have more spay and neuter programs offered, advocacy and community education and involvement and requiring strict mandatory minimums for cruelty.

Additional Comment:

City of Houston Ordinance/Advocacy

15.Would you support a local ordinance that prohibits apartments or home owners’ associations from banning specific dog breeds?

Yes_x__ No___

Additional Comment:

16.Will you support the creation of a local ordinance that better defines and creates a higher standard of shelter for animals?

Yes__x_ No___

Additional Comment:

17.Will you support a local ordinance that bans the sale of dogs from breeders and puppy mills in retail locations within the City of Houston?

Yes__x_ No___ Absolutely, yes! While everyone is not aware how badly pets are treated while they are being sourced for sale from commercial breeders; there is no way you can check to see if you just bought a sick puppy, a puppy without appropriate shot record or how much time is spent with the pet before actually rehoming the pet with a good pet owner. Additional Comment:

18.Would you support mandatory microchipping for dogs and cats in the City of Houston?

Yes__x_ No___

Additional Comment:

In future, please contact Houston PetSet if you would like information or educational materials relating to the subjects above.

We ask that you complete this questionnaire (by filling in your answers via Microsoft Word) and return it to marketing@houstonpetset.org no later than July 1st, 2019.