Winnebago County Animal Services

Field and Shelter Activities

2017 Annual Report

Winnebago County Animal Services 2017 Field and Shelter Activities Report

Table of Contents

Introduction Field Services………………………………………………………………………………………….1

Officer Activity………………………………………………………………………………...1

Field Service Outcomes………………………………………………………………………..2

Citations Issued………………………………………………………………………………...3

Animal Bites and Rabies Testing…………………………………………………………………….4

Animal Bites…………………………………………………………………………………....4

Rabies Testing………………………………………………………………………………….5

Shelter and Adoption Services………………………………………………………………………...6

Kennel Visitors………………………………………………………………………………....6

Animals Impounded…………………………………………………………………………....6

Dogs…………………………………………………………………………………………....7

Cats…………………………………………………………………………………………….10

Wildlife………………………………………………………………………………………....13

Dead Animals…………………………………………………………………………………..14

Spay/Neuter Surgeries………………………………………………………………………….15

Pet Registrations………………………………………………………………………………..16

INTRODUCTION Winnebago County Animal Services (WCAS) continues to be a respected community leader and credible resource for the care and protection of animals and people Winnebago County. How do we get there? Our mission is to professionally and compassionately provide our community with humane shelter care, rabies control, enforcement of animal laws, adoption services, and the promotion of responsible pet ownership. Adoption WCAS adopted 1,289 total animals in 2017. We promote our adoptable animals through 3 TV networks (WREX, WIFR and WQRF) as well as radio station Q98.5. You will see our Happy Tails Alerts and adoption stories frequently on our Facebook page. Several adoption events, reducing the cost of adoptions sponsored by our Auxiliary, were held throughout the year to save more lives. In August, WCAS participated in Clear the Shelters, which involved the adoption of 50 animals. In addition to these promotions, the Auxiliary also sponsors two permanent promotions- Lonely Hearts Club, for those dogs and cats at the shelter for an extended period of time and Golden Whiskers Club, for those dogs and cats 6 years and older. WCAS partnered with 1) Vietnam Veterans of America, the sponsor of Companion Pets for Vets. Veterans who adopted from animal services have their adoption fee reimbursed by the Vietnam Veterans of America 2) PetSmart as an off-site adoption center for cats and adoption events throughout the year 3) Blain’s Farm and Fleet, promoting adoptable dogs and cats on a monthly basis. This was in addition to 36 off site events, shelter tours, school and organizational presentations promoting adoptions, pet owner responsibility and all services provided by WCAS. Rescue and Foster WCAS worked with 54(out of a list of over 260) local and regional area licensed rescues to place 381 animals. We not only transfer adoptable animals, but those animals needing extra medical attention and behavioral modification. Animals available for rescue are promoted through our WCAS Rescue Transfer Page and rescues are also contacted by phone and/or email by shelter staff. WCAS sent 236 animals to foster homes last year. Most of the fostered animals were nursing moms with kittens too small for adoption. Other fostered animals included heartworm positive, injury or some other medical related reason. Education WCAS ran several educational campaigns throughout the year promoting responsible pet ownership, adoptable animals, lost/found animals and general animal information. Staff also attended several neighborhood watch groups to not only educate but to discuss animal related enforcement issues within the community. WCAS, along with our volunteers, hosted shelter tours for Girl Scout troops throughout the year. Troops were able to tour the shelter, gain more information about animal services and included discussions on responsible pet ownership. WCAS taught humane education at Nashold, King and McIntosh Elementary schools and participated in the Swedish American Safety Fair, Rockford Police Safety Camps and National Night Out. WCAS also presented to a Kiwanis Organization. WCAS Auxiliary WCAS Auxiliary are volunteers within the community and are a vital component to our mission. Volunteers provide socialization and enrichment to the animals within our care and waiting for that forever home, foster homes for animals until they are ready for adoption, education and awareness, and staffing at off site events. For fiscal year 2017, the Auxiliary’s fund-raising efforts paid for more than $40,000 in medical care and adoption sponsorship for

our animals, up from $31,000 in 2016. Our volunteers also maintain the Off-site Adoption Center at PetSmart located in Machesney Park. Care for Pets C.A.R.E. for P.E.T.S. is a nonprofit organization who’s mission is to provide community outreach and education services that improve the health, safety and retention of pets in Winnebago County, ultimately decreasing the number of those entering into and housed at Animal Services. This is accomplished through various initiatives such as microchipping, spay/neuter efforts, reclamation assistance, diversion and community Pet Health Fairs. On September 9th, WCAS and CFP held their Pet Health Fair. 69 pets were served with vaccines, microchipping, vet exam, rabies licensing, ID tags and food. Guests were also provided vouchers for spay/neuter assistance. Nearly 90% of attendees of unaltered pets followed through on the procedure after the event. Three more Pet Health Fairs are planned for 2018. Spay/Neuter WCAS provides spay/neuter vouchers for low income Winnebago County residents who qualify under WIC guidelines. The voucher cost is $20 and includes a microchip to be implanted at time of surgery. There were 471 vouchers sold in 2017. Surgeries were performed at accepting area Veterinary Clinics. Pet Identification In May of 2016, WCAS began Project Homeward Bound in an effort to help dogs and cats return home. Every Friday from 2-4pm, owners can bring their dog(s) or cat(s) to Animal Services and their pet is implanted with a microchip for $5. For 2017, 127 pets have been implanted with a microchip through this initiative.

FIELD SERVICES Animal Services provided 24-hour animal control service to all areas of Winnebago County for 2017. In addition to the 520 square miles of Winnebago County, with its 3 cities and 8 villages, officers are also given the responsibility of enforcing animal ordinances in the Loves Park areas of Boone County. Officer Activity In 2017, Animal Services officers handled almost 12,000 calls. 42% of the calls were for a stray domestic animal, usually a dog running loose. Investigations for welfare, a bite or barking made up 30% of calls. Wild animal and dead animal calls were another 24% of the calls. “Other” calls included other investigations (e.g. rabies vaccination/registration, animal fighting) and assisting other agencies (e.g. police, fire departments) or animal owners. Statistics for 2014-2017 are shown below. There was a decrease in the number of calls responded to by Animal Services officers. The number of calls for a stray animal continues to decrease, though most of the decrease can be attributed to discontinuing the service of responding to nuisance wildlife calls.

Type of Call 2014 2015 2016 2017

Stray Domestic Animal 6,074 44% 5,533 43% 5,218 41% 4,916 42% Welfare Investigation 1,664 12% 1,406 11% 1,464 11% 1,405 12% Bite Investigation 1,546 11% 1,599 12% 1,879 15% 1,381 12% Wild Animal 1,829 14% 1,859 14% 1,833 14% 1,339 11%

Carcass Removal 1,212 9% 1,394 11% 1,292 10% 1,564 13% Barking Dog 863 6% 727 6% 642 5% 665 6% Other 548 4% 466 4% 538 4% 462 4% Total 13,736 12,984 12,866 11,732

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Field Service Outcomes Officers responded to 11,732 calls in 2017. There are more outcomes (20,597) than calls because more than one outcome was recorded for some calls. For example, if an officer impounded a stray dog and left a written warning for the owner, both outcomes (animal impounded and written warning) were recorded.

The most common outcomes are listed below (except citations, which are described in the following section). Warnings include both verbal and written. Other outcomes not specifically listed included: animal returned to owner, no service needed, unable to catch animal, owner or complainant not home, wild animal relocated, trap set/checked/picked up, and full compliance.

Field Service Outcome 2014 2015 2016 2017 Report Written 6,428 26% 5,339 24% 5,670 25% 3,953 21% Animal Impounded 5,142 20% 4,302 20% 4,241 19% 3,365 17% Animal Gone on Arrival 3,335 13% 3,283 15% 3,336 15% 3,038 16% Warning Given 2,142 9% 1,918 9% 2,347 10% 2,154 11% Door card Left 894 4% 754 3% 759 3% 749 4% Carcass Removed 1,304 5% 1,346 6% 1,266 6% 1,420 7% Returned to Owner* 241 1% 218 1% Other Disposition 5,770 23% 4,980 23% 4,545 20% 4,346 23% Total 25,015 21,922 22,405 19,243

*Reported in previous years under Other Disposition

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Citations Issued Officers issued 1,359 citations in 2017, both in the field and at the shelter. Of those, 681 were for rabies vaccination/registration or Code Hearing Unit “Notice of Animal Violation”. The other 454 were “Notice to Appear” citations. The majority of those citations were for a dog running at large (242). Animal Welfare includes Owner’s Duties, Animal Cruelty, Aggravated Animal Cruelty and Confinement to Motor Vehicle.

Statistics for 2014-2017 are shown below. The most significant change was an increase in the number of citations issued for Rabies Vaccination/Registration.

Violation 2014 2015 2016 2017 Rabies Vaccination/ Registration 1,286 70% 1,026 68% 1,074 69% 905 67% Running at Large (dog) 309 17% 304 20% 218 14% 242 18% Barking 22 1% 23 1% 8 1% 10 <1% Animal Welfare 138 8% 102 7% 155 10% 134 10% Other 71 4% 57 4% 95 6% 68 5% Total 1,826 1,512 1,550 1,359

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ANIMAL BITES AND RABIES TESTING Animal Bites In 2017, there were 615 animal bites reported to Animal Services. The majority (79%) of the bites were from dogs, with 18% reported from cats. Bites were also reported for 15 other small mammals (2% of bites).

Animal Bites 2014 2015 2016 2017

Dog 617 80% 500 76% 471 78% 488 79% Cat 137 18% 147 22% 127 21% 112 18% Other 17 2% 13 2% 7 1% 15 2% Total 771 660 605 615

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Animal Rabies Testing

There were 91 animals sent to an Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) lab and the University of Illinois

for rabies testing. The animals tested were dogs (21), bats (38), cats (21) and (11) other small mammals.

Reasons for testing includes a human bitten by an animal, a domestic animal exposure to a wild animal, or a

human possibly exposed to a wild animal (primarily bats in homes).

Animal Tested for Rabies 2014 2015 2016 2017

Dog 32 24% 20 27% 15 21% 21 23% Bat 58 43% 22 30% 27 37% 38 42% Cat 30 22% 19 26% 23 32% 21 23% Other 15 11% 13 18% 7 10% 11 11% Total 135 74 72 91

Of the animals tested at the Illinois Department of Public Health lab for 2017, one bat tested positive for rabies. The most recent rabies-positive cat and dog were in 2016 and 1994, respectively.

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SHELTER AND ADOPTION SERVICES

Kennel Visitors Sign-in records show over 13,500 people visited the shelter kennel areas in 2017, a slight decrease from 2016. Most of the visitors indicated they were looking for a pet to adopt or trying to find their missing pet. Animals Impounded During 2017, 6,805 animals were impounded, 81% live animals and 19% dead animals. Of the 5,489 live animals impounded, 36% were dogs, 47% cats, and 15% were wildlife. Other impounds (2%) were other pets, primarily domestic rabbits and birds. Dead animals impounded totaled 1,316, 67% wildlife and 33% domestic animals.

There was a significant decrease in the number of animals impounded from 2016, primarily with wildlife and cats. In May 2017, Animal Services stopped providing services to remove nuisance wildlife from live traps.

Animal Impounded 2014 2015 2016 2017

Dog 2,667 36% 2,211 34% 1,939 30% 1,958 36% Cat 3,274 44% 2,913 44% 2,890 44% 2,562 47% Wildlife 1,332 18% 1,376 21% 1,588 25% 831 15% Other 151 2% 79 1% 90 1% 138 2% Total 7,424 6,579 6,507 5,489

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Dogs There were 1,958 live dogs impounded during 2017: 62% were strays, 24% were owner releases, 13% were confiscated (e.g. for bite quarantine, neglect) or taken into protective care (e.g. owner in hospital, fire at home), and 2% were impounded for owner-requested euthanasia.

Dog Impound Reason 2014 2015 2016 2017

Stray 1,742 65% 1,371 62% 1,240 64% 1,206 62% Owner Release 575 22% 536 24% 428 22% 461 24% Confiscate/Protective Care 300 11% 274 13% 243 13% 253 13% Euthanasia Request 50 2% 30 1% 28 1% 38 2% Total 2,667 2,211 1,939 1,958

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Dog Outcomes Outcomes for dogs impounded at the shelter in 2017 were primarily adoption (31%), return to owner (37%) and euthanasia (24%). Another 8% of the dogs were sent to licensed rescues or other shelters for adoption.

Statistics for outcomes of dogs for 2014-2017 are shown below. The percentage of dogs euthanized continues to decrease on a yearly basis, down 14% from 2014. Throughout the year, several adoption promotions were held that involved decreased adoption costs to the public. There are two adoption promotions that are held throughout the year, Golden Whiskers and Lonely Hearts, featuring dogs 5 years and older and dogs that have been at the shelter an extended period of time.

Dog Outcome 2014 2015 2016 2017

Adoption 537 21% 522 25% 585 31% 571 31% Return to Owner 942 37% 793 38% 679 36% 677 37% Euthanasia 953 38% 686 33% 465 25% 446 24% Rescue 108 4% 91 4% 147 8% 160 8% Total 2,540 2,092 1,876 1,854

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Dog Euthanasia Of the 446 dogs euthanized, 65% were for behavior or temperament problems. Those problems were identified from owner reports, staff experience with the dog, and shelter temperament testing. Other dogs were euthanized for medical issues (26%) and for owner requested euthanasia (9%).

Dog Euthanasia Reason 2014 2015 2016 2017

Behavior/Temperament 582 61% 424 62% 300 65% 290 65% Medical 320 34% 229 33% 123 26% 115 26% Euthanasia Request 51 5% 33 5% 40 9% 41 9% Other 0 0% 0 0% 2 <1% 0 0% Total 953 686 465 446

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Cats There were 2,562 live cats impounded in 2017: 84% were strays, 13% were owner releases and 2% were confiscated (e.g. for bite quarantine, neglect), taken into protective custody (e.g. owner in hospital, fire at home). Another 1% was impounded for owner requested euthanasia.

Cat Impound Reason 2014 2015 2016 2017

Stray 2,670 82% 2,307 79% 2,367 82% 2,158 84% Owner Release 472 14% 489 17% 437 15% 325 13% Confiscate/Protective Care 106 3% 100 3% 71 2% 47 2% Euthanasia Request 26 1% 17 1% 15 1% 32 1% Total 3,274 2,913 2,890 2,562

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Cat Outcomes Outcomes for cats impounded at the shelter were primarily adoption (25%), and euthanasia (62%). Only 3% of impounded cats were reclaimed by or returned to an owner. For the year, 229 (9%) cats were sent to a licensed rescue or other animal shelter for adoption.

Throughout the year, several adoption promotions were held that involved decreased adoption costs to the public. There are two adoption promotions that are held throughout the year, Golden Whiskers and Lonely Hearts, featuring cats 5 years and older and cats that have been at the shelter an extended period of time. Lonely Hearts is sponsored by the WCAS Auxiliary.

Cat Outcome 2014 2015 2016 2017

Adoption 629 20% 769 28% 734 27% 633 26% Return to Owner 142 4% 86 3% 91 3% 85 3% Euthanasia 2,301 72% 1,781 64% 1,706 62% 1,540 62% Rescue 118 4% 137 5% 228 8% 211 9% Total 3,190 2,773 2,759 2,469

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Cat Euthanasia There were 1,540 cats that were euthanized in 2017. Wild (feral) cats made up 29% of cats euthanized. Another 48% of the cats were euthanized for medical reasons, primarily infectious diseases, and 21% were euthanized for behavior or temperament problems.

Cat Euthanasia Reason 2014 2015 2016 2017

Behavior/Temperament 369 16% 401 23% 390 23% 320 21% Medical 986 43% 843 47% 740 43% 735 48% Euthanasia Request 27 1% 15 1% 14 1% 28 2% Feral 721 31% 502 28% 492 29% 453 29% Other 198 9% 20 1% 70 4% 4 1% Total 2,301 1,781 1,706 1,540

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Wildlife In 2017, there were 831 wild animals impounded by Animal Services, making up 15% of all live animals impounded. Of the 831 wild animals, 5 animal types made up 60% of impounds: raccoon, opossum, bat, skunk and squirrel. In May 2017, Animal Services eliminated nuisance wildlife services and continues to respond to sick or injured wild animals or within the dwelling.

Wild Animal 2014 2015 2016 2017

Raccoon 510 38% 528 38% 438 28% 149 18% Opossum 149 11% 136 10% 380 24% 211 25% Bat 91 7% 35 3% 39 2% 31 4% Squirrel 102 8% 118 9% 113 7% 60 7% Skunk 180 13% 184 13% 200 13% 47 6% Other 300 23% 375 27% 418 26% 333 40% Total 1,332 1,376 1,588 831

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Dead Animals In 2017, there were 1,316 dead animals handled: 67% were wild animals, 22% were cats, 11% were dogs and less than 1% were other domestic animals.

Dead Animal 2014 2015 2016 2017 Cat 322 25% 334 26% 327 26% 293 22% Wild 743 58% 804 62% 775 61% 881 67% Dog 144 11% 139 11% 149 12% 139 11% Other 70 6% 20 1% 10 1% 3 <1% Total 1,279 1,297 1,261 1,316

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Spay/Neuter Surgeries There were 1,247 animals spayed or neutered in the Shelter’s Surgical Suite. Of the total spay/neuter surgeries, 538 were dogs and 709 were cats. Any dog or cat that is adopted or sent to a licensed rescue is spayed or neutered prior to leaving Animal Services. There were 13 other surgeries performed in the suite. Beginning February 2012, Animal Services joined with PAWS Humane Society and began a spay or neuter program of their dogs or cats waiting for adoption. Animal Services was able to provide spay or neuter service for 5 dogs and 2 cats throughout the year.

Dog Surgery 2014 2015 2016 2017

Neuter 315 52% 284 55% 300 54% 279 52% Spay 296 48% 237 45% 258 46% 259 48% Total 611 521 558 538

Cat Surgery 2014 2015 2016 2017

Neuter 380 54% 405 50% 405 53% 389 55% Spay 330 46% 409 50% 356 47% 320 45% Total 710 814 761 709

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Pet Registrations As of October 1, 2017 there were 54,683 pets within Winnebago County with current registration. 24% of the registrations were for cats and 76% were for dogs. Registrations were done at the shelter or area veterinary clinics.

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