Southwest Florida animal shelter criticized for euthanasia rates

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FORT MYERS, Florida. Some local animal lovers say Lee County Domestic Animal Services is killing too many animals unnecessarily.

Melanie Agnello has placed nearly 5,000 cats and dogs in her 30 years rescuing animals. With his Cape Coral rescue, Helping Paws 22, Agnello says it is difficult to work with LCDAS, which ends up removing many high-risk dogs from Miami-Dade. She says, “To me, that’s rescue. It’s not about flipping puppies. It’s about saving something that needs to be taken care of.”

Others, like Victoria Frazier, stand up for him. Frazier, who founded Love is Fur Ever 13 years ago, said, “Compared to all the other shelters we work with, Lee County is hands down the best.”

Agnello says, “I just don’t think the dogs don’t have a fair chance in Lee County, and their reports on the results and the number of euthanasia prove it.”

In 2018, Lee County euthanized 31% of cat intakes and 18% of dog intakes. In 2021, until the end of May, the euthanasia rate for cats fell to 29% and that of dogs to 13%. Some agencies consider a euthanasia rate of less than 10% to be a “no-kill” refuge.

Lee County Deputy Director Marc Mora oversees the LCDAS. He says live streaming data from the county is their focus. He says, “Live release data looks at how many animals you take and how many you let leave your agency. So they’re going to house partners. They’re going to adoptions. We’re about 88%, so if you look across the state it’s a bit above average.

Agnello says, “I don’t know what their live release meeting is, but their number of adoptions is nowhere near comparable to other shelters. And their death rate is higher.”

Frazier says, “The only reason Lee County will euthanize the dog is because it’s bad for everyone. His behavior is so bad that someone could be hurt. It’s not a responsibility that Lee County should even get involved. And the other is that they can’t be helped medically. Yes, we take care of some serious cases, but not all of them can be helped. So instead of to see them suffer from everything they suffer, humanely euthanize.

In a 2015 LCDAS newsletter, he discusses the “no kill puzzle”. At the time, her average annual consumption was around 5,000 cats and 5,000 dogs. The newsletter points out that in addition to serving as an adoption agency, it also serves as an animal control agency. Mora says, “In Lee County, we have an ordinance that governs how we operate, and it depends on two things. To ensure the well-being of animals but also to ensure public safety. good. I cannot speak for the other counties. “

Miami-Dade County, where the two rescues in this story came from, recorded a euthanasia rate of 8% for cats and 3% for dogs for 2020.

In the same pandemic year, Lee County had 26% cats and 18% dogs.

Pinellas County is closer to Lee County in terms of population. In 2020, their animal services recorded a euthanasia rate of 21% for cats and 13% for dogs.

Mora says the county’s numbers are improving, thanks to partnerships that grow each year. He adds, “There have been ads on the backs of the Lee Tran vehicles and the Lee buses. We have a very strong social media presence. And I mean special events too.”

If you’re interested in pet adoption or placement, visit Lee County Domestic Animal Services, Love is Fur Ever, or Helping Paws 22.

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