Greater Brandon Animal Shelter Noted in Article on 'No-Kill' Advocacy

The Hillsbrough County Animal Services shelter in Greater Brandon, at 440 North Falkenburg Road, was mentioned in, Can Hillsborough County Save 90% of Animals at the Shelter? written by Alessandra da Pra, guest editor of South Tampa-New Hyde Park Patch. Below is a shortened version of that article.
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A group called Save90 has formed recently in Hillsborough County with the goal of finding homes for 90 percent of the animals that end up at the county’s shelter.

The local project will gain exposure Feb. 4, when Nathan Winograd will make an appearance in South Tampa.

Winograd, who is the founder of the No Kill Advocacy Center and the inspiration for the local Save90 organization, will discuss his alternatives to animal euthanasia and the steps needed to become a no-kill community during an almost sold-out workshop at the Westshore Marriott.

Hillsborough County commissioner Ken Hagan said that community involvement is a key factor for the implementation of a no-kill policy in the county.

“We’ve made improvements, but we still have a long way to go,” said Hagan. “We need to do everything we can to eliminate euthanasia whenever possible and look for alternatives.”

According to the District 5 commissioner, Hillsborough County Animal Services, on Falkenburg Road in Greater Brandon, is already following many of the no-kill principles and it is heading toward the right direction.

Dennis McCullough, operation director at Hillsborough County Animal Services, said that Save90 has never approached the shelter.

“Every day, we do everything we can do to save as many animals as we can,” said McCullough. “But we can’t go out and put a gun to people’s heads and force them to adopt them.”

According to McCullough, the shelter has reduced euthanasia by 52 percent since 2007, and it implements various rescue strategies — from a pit bull rehabilitation program to a transition family program. But there are only 50 transitional families volunteering at the shelter and it is not enough.

“This is a marathon, not a sprint,” he said, adding that resources are insufficient. “I would love to see more volunteers here, I would love to see more donations here, I would love to have more transitional families.”

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For more, read the full article at South Tampa-New Hyde Park Patch.
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Save90 meets at 6.30 p.m. every first Tuesday of the month at at the Tampa Tribune building, 202 South Parker St. For more information, visit save90.org.

If you would like to make a donation or volunteer with Hillsborough County Animal Services, call 813-744-5660 or visit hillsboroughcounty.org/animalservices.

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