There has recently been an uproar on the Cat rescue pages regarding the horrific conditions at Polk County Animal Control concerning no air conditioning in these hot temperatures and the cats had no water and were panting and clearly in distress.
We have been trying to expose the abuse at our County shelter for over 2 years.
We hope the people who have recently seen the appalling conditions have more success than we have had with the powers that be and the media. We applaud them and will join in whatever way we can. It is time the Sheriff relinquishes Animal Control to people in animal welfare positions and the Commissioners use some tax money to revamp the conditions at the current facility, which are more than rudimentary and cruel.
Here are the stats for the first 6 months of 2024.
197 animals died in their care
2,627 dogs and cats were killed, 795 dogs and 1832 cats
Of the 4,114 cats who entered the system, only 169 were returned to their owners
Of the 2,902 dogs who entered the system, only 580 were returned to their owners
288 cats and 4 dogs escaped the facility
The average live release rate (how many animals leave the building alive) is 68% of dogs and 52% of cats.
Of particular note, 2,121 dogs and 3,608 cats are listed as “Stray”. We know for a fact that Animal Control is picking up eartipped, fixed cats from the public.
Please contact the Polk County Commissioners and let them know this is not humane. This is not the way to run a shelter. This is not acceptable. Change needs to happen yesterday.