{"id":53107,"date":"2025-01-03T21:25:17","date_gmt":"2025-01-04T02:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=53107"},"modified":"2025-01-03T21:33:44","modified_gmt":"2025-01-04T02:33:44","slug":"letter-to-the-editor-we-are-writing-to-address-your-article-titled-animal-advocates-aim-for-polk-county-to-be-a-no-kill-county-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2025\/01\/03\/letter-to-the-editor-we-are-writing-to-address-your-article-titled-animal-advocates-aim-for-polk-county-to-be-a-no-kill-county-in-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter to the Editor – We are writing to address your article titled “Animal advocates aim for Polk County to be a no-kill county in 2025”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Vicky Quintanilla<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are writing to address your article titled “Animal advocates aim for Polk County to be a no-kill county in 2025”, published on 01\/02\/2025.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Your article is misleading as it fails to mention that Polk County has three shelters: the Humane Society of Polk County, SPCA Florida, and Polk County Animal Control, managed by Sheriff Grady Judd. https:\/\/bestfriends.org\/no-kill-2025\/animal-shelter-statistics\/florida?:linktarget=_self&:embed=yes<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, Polk County Animal Control leads Florida\u2019s sheriff-managed shelters in euthanasia rates, ranking as the #1 kill shelter in the state. https:\/\/www.abcactionnews.com\/…\/polk-county-continues…<\/a> The article doesn\u2019t highlight the critical fact that Polk County Animal Control killed 61% of cats in 2023 and 52% of dogs in 2024, continuing a pattern of high euthanasia rates. https:\/\/sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu\/…\/shelter-level…\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, the Humane Society and SPCA have euthanasia rates of just 1-2%. To reach an average live release rate of 90% across the three shelters, Polk County Animal Control would still be killing 30% of the animals making it through those doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, Sheriff Judd rejected two offers for help: one from Best Friends Animal Society and another from the Jacksonville Humane Society, which offered $20 million to build a new, better-equipped facility. These offers were turned down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/drive.google.com\/…\/1wJpDj49Ly3KoMaaVYOuDr2uaSfU…<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To everyone in our community, it is unclear how Polk County Animal Control receives a budget of $5.5 million yet does not allocate this funding in the same way as most other no-kill shelters. How is this money being spent? This would make an excellent topic for your journalistic investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We urge you to provide a more thorough analysis and include these important facts in your coverage. As a journalist, you have the opportunity to inform and encourage change for the thousands of animals at risk in Polk County Animal Control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you for your attention to this matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kill, Kill, Kill over 400 Animals dead in December – Animal advocates aim for Polk County Animal Control to be a no-kill county in 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>