{"id":83911,"date":"2026-10-08T22:42:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T02:42:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=83911"},"modified":"2026-10-08T23:14:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T03:14:03","slug":"letter-dear-polk-county-animal-control-florida-and-polk-county-sheriffs-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2026\/10\/08\/letter-dear-polk-county-animal-control-florida-and-polk-county-sheriffs-office\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter: Dear Polk County Animal Control -Florida and Polk County Sheriff&#8217;s Office"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By Coalition for Animal Rights and Education in Polk County, Florida<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"827857\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"510\" height=\"720\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 510px) 100vw, 510px\" src=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/833093875_122128252910850791_9053236291781099444_n.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-83913 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #827857; width:326px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/833093875_122128252910850791_9053236291781099444_n.webp 510w, https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/833093875_122128252910850791_9053236291781099444_n-213x300.webp 213w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Animals entering a shelter should not be put at risk of leaving sicker than when they arrived \u2014 or dying from a highly contagious disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What is being done about the \ud835\uddff\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddff\ud835\ude01\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddf1 \ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddee\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddf2\ud835\ude02\ud835\uddf8\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddee outbreak at Polk County Animal Control?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What protocols are in place for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" alt=\"\u25aa\ufe0f\" src=\"https:\/\/static.xx.fbcdn.net\/images\/emoji.php\/v9\/t4c\/1\/16\/25aa.png\"> Testing and identifying exposed cats<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" alt=\"\u25aa\ufe0f\" src=\"https:\/\/static.xx.fbcdn.net\/images\/emoji.php\/v9\/t4c\/1\/16\/25aa.png\"> Isolation and quarantine<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" alt=\"\u25aa\ufe0f\" src=\"https:\/\/static.xx.fbcdn.net\/images\/emoji.php\/v9\/t4c\/1\/16\/25aa.png\"> Cleaning and disinfection<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" alt=\"\u25aa\ufe0f\" src=\"https:\/\/static.xx.fbcdn.net\/images\/emoji.php\/v9\/t4c\/1\/16\/25aa.png\"> Updated vaccination protocols consistent with guidance from the University of Wisconsin and UC Davis<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" alt=\"\u25aa\ufe0f\" src=\"https:\/\/static.xx.fbcdn.net\/images\/emoji.php\/v9\/t4c\/1\/16\/25aa.png\"> Protecting new intakes<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\" alt=\"\u25aa\ufe0f\" src=\"https:\/\/static.xx.fbcdn.net\/images\/emoji.php\/v9\/t4c\/1\/16\/25aa.png\"> Adoptions, rescue transfers, and notification of possible exposure<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Public reports and concerns involving panleukopenia appear to go back approximately \ud835\udde1\ud835\udddc\ud835\udde1\ud835\uddd8 \ud835\udde0\ud835\udde2\ud835\udde1\ud835\udde7\ud835\udddb\ud835\udde6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So what is being done \ud835\uddff\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddf4\ud835\uddf5\ud835\ude01 \ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddfc\ud835\ude04 to stop further spread?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If that timeline is accurate, \ud835\uddf5\ud835\uddfc\ud835\ude04 \ud835\uddf5\ud835\uddee\ud835\ude00 \ud835\ude01\ud835\uddf5\ud835\uddf6\ud835\ude00 \ud835\uddef\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddfb \ud835\uddee\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddfc\ud835\ude04\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddf1 \ud835\ude01\ud835\uddfc \ud835\uddf0\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfb\ud835\ude01\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddfb\ud835\ude02\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\uddf3\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddff \ud835\ude00\ud835\uddfc \ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddf4?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Animal Control takes custody of an animal, that animal depends on the facility for its health and safety. With custody comes a responsibility to protect animals from preventable exposure to disease \u2014 not to return them to the community sick, exposed, or at risk of dying.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"b09e7a\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #b09e7a;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"940\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" src=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/825292926_122127241382850791_4804514572224438771_n.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-83925 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/825292926_122127241382850791_4804514572224438771_n.webp 960w, https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/825292926_122127241382850791_4804514572224438771_n-300x294.webp 300w, https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/825292926_122127241382850791_4804514572224438771_n-768x752.webp 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Coalition for Animal Rights and Education in Polk County, Florida Animals entering a shelter should not be put at risk of leaving sicker than when they arrived \u2014 or&hellip; 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