Montcalm Shelter in Michigan - R&R Contract Needs to End NOW!

This is an update to previous posts on the animal shelter in Montcalm County, Michigan:

Action Alert - Montcalm Shelter in Michigan - R&R Contract Needs to End NOW!
We Need ACTION!

The Blue Ribbon Committee recommended that the Montcalm County Animal Shelter Contract with R&R be ended on April 30th. The board of commissioners will consider the recommendation at their meeting on April 27th.

Thanks to Committee members Steve Crouse, Dr. Carpenter, Fran Schuleit, and Rhonda Waldorf, who put the rhetoric aside, took a hard look at the facts, did the research and came up with the UNDISPUTABLE reasons to END IT NOW!

We are in need of your POLITE letters and faxes to the commissioners before their meeting on April 27th to vote on the contract (contact info below). Remember to thank the committee for all their hard work and emphasis on to the commissioners that the committee recommendation was on an analysis of the facts and hard research - not just a knee jerk reaction - and that this was the very reason to appoint the committee - to evaluate the situation and come up with a recommendation that had the best interests of the county and its citizens in mind.

Some points to mention in your letters and faxes:

Animal shelter recommendations

Recommendations for the Montcalm County Animal Shelter that the County Board of Commissioners will consider on April 27:

Citizens advisory board

• The board would help with fundraising, goal planning, updating the policy and procedure manual, establish a responsible pet ownership education program, work with rescue groups and community leaders, assist with adoption protocols and advertising animals up for adoption. Initial members would be Animal Control Director Patty Lentz, Fran Schuleit of Greenville, Dr. Randy Carpenter of Greenville, Rhonda Waldorf of Sheridan, District 1 County Commissioner Ron Blanding, a member of the veterinary advisory board and a county resident at large.

Veterinary advisory board

• Local veterinarians would consult with shelter staff on health and safety issues for animals and pet sterilization. Initial members would be three veterinarians from the county, a citizens advisory board member and Lentz.

Action plan for policies and procedures

• Implement a new software program already purchased to track animals in the shelter by April 30.
• Begin using a new microchip scanner that was donated.
• Get new signs.
• Purchase a secured safe to hold euthanization drugs.
• Provide more office space.
• Build kennel partitions.
• Install eye wash stations.
• Provide a new medical room to be set up by the veterinary advisory board.
• Complete staff training on officer safety, animal bites, cleaning, adoptions procedure, transportation, when to involve police, emergencies, dog fighting, when to involve the DNR, use of restraints, temperament testing and nutrition.
• Allow the citizens advisory board to review the county's recently amended animal control ordinance again.
• Install water bowls in each kennel and do away with the existing spigot system.
• Follow up to make sure people who adopt a pet get it spayed or neutered.
• Improve community outreach by working on education materials, launching a Web site and educating the community about pet ownership.
• Encourage philanthropy by launching endowment through a local community foundation.
  

Disposal of animals

• Have animal carcasses cremated at Sleepy Hollow Pet Cemetery in Byron Center or in a crematorium that can be donated instead of giving them to R&R Research to sell.

Disposition of animals

• Work better with other animal shelters and rescue groups to ensure more animals are adopted. People could take their animals back from the shelter and bring them to a research institution if they choose.

We need letters mailed or faxed to the Commissioners (an e-mail is too easy to delete). PLEASE write, fax or call today. PLEASE KEEP IT PROFESSIONAL!!! Fax # for the commissioners - 989-831-7375!

District 1- Ron Blanding
403 W High Street
Greenville, MI 48838
(616) 225-7972

District 2- Tom Lindeman
8060 S. Backus Road
Greenville, MI 48838
(616) 754-4918
tblindeman [at] sbcglobal.net

District 3- Ron Retzloff
786 S. Senator Rd.
Crystal, MI 48818
(989) 235-6827
comish [at] casair.net

District 4- John Johansen
3503 S. Monroe Rd.
Greenville, MI 48838
(616) 754-5375
johm [at] pathwaynet.com

District 5- Carl Paepke
18419 Stanton Rd. NW
Pierson, MI 49339
(616) 636-5692

District 6- Ron Baker
PO Box 91
Howard City, MI 49329
(231) 937-5465
rbaker68amx [at] hotmail.com

District 7- Pat Carr
10397 Almy Rd.
Lakeview, MI 48850
(989) 352-8129

District 8- Roger Caris
8984 E. Deaner Rd.
Vestaburg, MI 48891
(989) 268-5875
rbaker68amx [at] hotmail.com

District 9-Steven Crouse
8701 Session Rd
Carson City, MI 48811
(989) 235-4696
rbaker68amx [at] hotmail.com