WEST PALM BEACH— Many municipal animal shelters limit intakes to dogs and cats. But at Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control in West Palm Beach, Florida, the open door admission policy extends to other animals, even livestock. “I was notified yesterday to be prepared for a very large neglect case coming in with horses,” said executive director Dianne Sauve, who has served in her current role since 2002.

Founded in 1969, Animal Care and Control expanded five years later, becoming part of wealthy Palm Beach County’s Department of Public Safety.  Today, the 14-acre facility, whose roster of adopters includes billionaire heiress and equestrian Georgina Bloomberg,  serves almost 40 different municipalities.

There are about 110 full-time employees, including four veterinarians [there is an opening for a fifth veterinarian, but a shortage of veterinarians affecting shelters throughout South Florida has made efforts to fill the position challenging]   and one certified trainer, all of whom are employed by Palm Beach County. In addition, the shelter, whose population of dogs at capacity totals about 350, has about 100 active and regular volunteers.

Faster, Easier Adoptions

Sauve says her top priority at the shelter’s helm has been to adopt out as many animals as possible:

“We do our best not to put up barriers for adoption,” she said. “You fill out an application, we screen you through our extensive DNA [“Do Not Adopt”] list and if the dog has been examined, vaccinated, microchipped and spayed/neutered, you are good to go. We find that the tighter we hold onto animals, the fewer go out the door.”

The shelter’s adoption policies are more user-friendly than most. For example, while many shelters will not “hold” a dog overnight, PBCACC will do so for several days, provided the adopter pays the adoption fee. And, the shelter is able to arrange a “meet and greet” with a family’s other pets, although, unlike many shelters, it does not require such a meeting. Finally, if an animal is adopted and circumstances change for either the adopter or the dog, the animal may be returned to the shelter at any time.

Transparency, But Only Each Month

Palm Beach County ACC publishes on its website a single monthly report of detailed outcome data, including adoptions, returns to owners, deaths and euthanasia’s. However, it does not publish data over time, extending beyond the current month. In other words, the shelter does not publish historical data and, thus, the data provided on the website is not sufficient to spot trends or compare outcomes over time with those of other shelters. For example, the website of the New York City Animal Care Center publishes both monthly and annual outcome data logs extending back to 2014, inviting the public to see both historical and real-time data.

Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control provided The Canine Review with five years of outcome data and Sauve says such data is available to anyone who asks for it. Asked why the data is not published on the shelter’s website, and how the shelter reconciles its statement about “transparency” with a single month of data being made available, Sauve, the director, told The Canine Review the five year reports are independently produced by the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League from data provided by Palm Beach County ACC.  Sauve says that there are plans to publish more data to the Palm Beach County ACC website within the next year.

Beating the Heat

When The Canine Review visited in mid-July, the ambient temperature at noon was 91 degrees. Sauve noted that soaring summer temperatures in the unairconditioned kennels have been a major struggle for the South Florida shelter.

Although Sauve has been able to remedy the situation partially with a portable air conditioning system that pumps cold air directly into the kennels through large tubes in windows, the system does not circulate air adequately. The result has been a tripling in the number of dogs suffering from respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and influenza.

Behavior and Enrichment

Dogs with behavioral challenges receive special attention from the shelter’s certified trainer and behaviorist Stephanie Moore. Moore, who has worked at the shelter in her current role since June, 2019, keeps detailed logs of her behavioral observations during daily play groups of all dogs at the shelter. Moore makes these logs available to shelter staff as well as to potential adopters.

Moore has 20 years of animal welfare experience, most recently as the assistant director of Louisville Metro Animal Services in Kentucky. She  insists that PBCACC is one of the best she’s seen.

“The size of our dog kennels are [sic] amazing, as our animals don’t have to worry about eliminating near their food or where they sleep,” said Moore. “Our play yards are the best I’ve come across so far. They are a wonderful enrichment tool for the dogs and really help them adjust to their time in a shelter. They can run and play and be dogs.”

Shelter Services

The shelter does not offer a formal wellness clinic for the general public although it does offer low-cost spay/neutering services by appointment.

Rabies vaccinations and microchipping services are available to the public seven days per week with no appointment necessary, although there is usually a wait.

Shelter Dollars

As a government agency, the shelter has an annual budget approved by a seven-member Board of County Commissioners.  According to FY2018-19 data supplied to The Canine Review by Palm Beach County’s Public Safety Department, the ACC’s total revenue was $3,094,480 with expenses of $11,274,818, the primary expense being staff salaries and benefits. This means that county residents paid $8,180,338 in property taxes to support the shelter. The complete budget document can be viewed here, on page 247 but the shelter’s own website does not provide a breakdown for each division within any single department.