Winnebago County Animal Services Field and Shelter Activities 2017 4th Quarter Report
FIELD SERVICES Animal Services provided 24-hour animal control service to all areas of Winnebago County for the fourth quarter of 2017. In addition to the 520 square miles of Winnebago County, with its 3 cities and 8 villages, officers also have the responsibility of enforcing local animal ordinances in the Loves Park area of Boone County. Officer Activity For the fourth quarter of 2017, animal control officers handled 2,300 calls. Almost half of the calls (45%) were for a stray domestic animal, usually a dog running loose. Investigations for welfare, a bite or barking made up for 32% of calls. Wild animal and dead animal calls were another 19% of the calls. Other calls included other investigations (e.g. rabies vaccination/registration, animal fighting) and assisting other agencies (e.g. police, fire departments) or animal owners. Type of Call 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Stray Domestic Animal 993 1,419 1,477 1,027 Welfare Investigation 217 390 463 335 Bite Investigation 291 415 395 280 Wild Animal 200 506 487 146 Carcass Disposal 305 453 517 289 Barking Dog 116 210 225 114 Other 92 119 142 109 Total 2,214 3,512 3,706 2,300
Field Service Outcomes Officers responded to 2,300 calls for the fourth quarter in 2017 resulting in 4,108 recorded outcomes (does not include citations, which are described in the following section). Multiple outcomes may sometimes be recorded for a call when an officer is required to impound a stray animal and leave a written warning for the owner. There were 39 animals, mainly dogs returned to their owner in the field. The most common outcomes are listed below. Warnings include both verbal and written. Other outcomes not specifically listed included: animal returned to owner, no service needed, unable to catch animal, owner or complainant not home, wild animal relocated, trap set/checked/picked up, and full compliance. Field Outcome 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Report Written 792 1,151 1,154 856 Animal Impounded 648 1,095 984 638 Animal Gone on Arrival 578 884 1,003 573 Warning Given 376 655 667 456 Doorcard Left 122 239 234 154 Carcass Removed 286 434 451 249 Other Disposition 742 1,279 1,431 894 Returned to Owner 46 86 47 39 Total 3,585 5,823 5,971 3,859
Citations Issued Officers issued 302 citations in the fourth quarter of 2017, both in the field and at the shelter. Of those, 183 were for rabies vaccination/registration or Code Hearing Unit Notice of Animal Violation. The other 119 were Notice to Appear citations. The majority of those citations were for a dog running at large (46) and animal welfare (59). Animal Welfare includes Owner s Duties, Cruelty, Aggravated Cruelty and Confinement in Motor Vehicle. Violation 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Rabies Vaccination/Registration 182* 277* 263* 183 Running at Large (dog) 31 95 70 46 Barking 2 3 2 3 Animal Welfare 22 24 29 59 Other 11 24 22 11 Total 248 423 386 302 *There was an error with reporting the Rabies Vaccination/Registration violations for the 1 st thru 3 rd Quarters.
ANIMAL BITES AND RABIES TESTING Animal Bites In the fourth quarter of 2017, there were 139 animal bites reported to Animal Services. The majority (78%) of the bites were from dogs, with 19% reported from cats. There were five other bites involving small mammals. Biting Animal 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Dog 94 140 146 108 Cat 29 21 36 26 Other 3 3 4 5 Total 126 164 186 139
Animal Rabies Testing There were 13 animals sent to an Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) lab and the University of Illinois for rabies testing. The animals tested were dogs (2), bats (4), cats (3) and (4) other small mammals. Reasons for testing includes a human bitten by an animal, a domestic animal exposure to a wild animal, or a human possibly exposed to a wild animal (primarily bats in homes). Animal Tested For Rabies 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Dog 6 6 7 2 Bat 4 6 24 4 Cat 7 1 10 3 Skunk 0 0 1 0 Other 2 0 4 4 Total 19 13 46 13 Of the animals tested at the labs for the fourth quarter of 2017, none tested positive for rabies. The most recent rabies-positive cat and dog in the state of Illinois were in 2016 and 1994, respectively.
SHELTER AND ADOPTION SERVICES Kennel Visitors Sign-in records show over 3,000 people visited the shelter kennel area in the fourth quarter of 2017. Most of the visitors indicated they were looking for a pet to adopt or trying to find their missing pet. Animal Impounded In the fourth quarter of 2017, 1,391 animals were impounded, 83% live animals and 17% dead animals. Of the 1,153 live animals impounded, 52% were cats, 41% dogs, and 6% were wildlife. Other impounds (1%) were other smaller pets. Dead animals impounded totaled 238, 60% wildlife and 40% domestic animals. Live Animal Impounded 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Dog 428 494 564 472 Cat 399 665 897 601 Wildlife 156 419 192 64 Other 19 42 62 15 Total 1,002 1,620 1,715 1,152
Dogs There were 472 live dogs impounded during the fourth quarter of 2017: 61% were strays, 25% were owner releases, 11% were confiscated (e.g. for bite quarantine, neglect) or taken into protective care (e.g. owner in hospital, fire at home), and 3% were impounded for ownerrequested euthanasia. Dog Impound Reason 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Stray 254 309 354 289 Owner Release 107 103 135 116 Confiscate/Protective Care 58 74 68 53 Euthanasia Request 9 8 7 14 Total 428 494 564 472
Dog Outcomes Outcomes for dogs impounded at the shelter were primarily adoption (30%), return to owner (31%), and euthanasia (29%). Another 9% of the dogs were sent to licensed rescues or other shelters for adoption. Dog Outcome 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Adoption 135 144 159 133 Return to Owner 149 199 191 138 Euthanasia 84 113 120 129 Rescue 30 36 47 41 Total 398 492 517 441
Dog Euthanasia Of the 129 dogs euthanized, 71% were for behavior or temperament problems. Those problems were identified from owner reports, staff experience with the dog, and shelter temperament testing. Other dogs were euthanized for medical issues (18%) and for owner requested euthanasia (12%). Dog Euthanasia Reason 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Behavior/Temperament 50 67 82 91 Medical 22 39 31 23 Euthanasia Request 12 7 7 15 Total 84 113 120 129
Cats There were 601 live cats impounded during the fourth quarter of 2017: 80% were strays, 16% were owner releases and 2% were confiscated (e.g. for bite quarantine, neglect), taken into protective custody (e.g. owner in hospital, fire at home). 1% were impounded for owner requested euthanasia. Cat Impound Reason 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Stray 322 570 784 482 Owner Release 61 74 93 97 Confiscate/Protective Care 10 13 11 13 Euthanasia Request 6 8 9 9 Total 399 665 897 601
Cat Outcomes Outcomes for cats impounded at the shelter were primarily adoption (26%) and euthanasia (64%). Only 31 of impounded cats were reclaimed by or returned to an owner. There were 33 cats sent to licensed rescue or other animal shelter for adoption. Cat Outcome 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Adoption 172 122 175 164 Return to Owner 14 22 18 31 Euthanasia 187 322 620 411 Rescue 79 41 76 33 Total 452 510 889 639
Cat Euthanasia Of the 411 cats that were euthanized in the fourth quarter of 2017, wild (feral) cats made up 27% of cats euthanized. Another 51% of the cats were euthanized for medical reasons, primarily infectious diseases and 20% were euthanized for behavior or temperament problems. Cat Euthanasia Reason 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Behavior/Temperament 37 81 120 82 Medical 55 144 325 211 Euthanasia Request 6 7 6 9 Feral 89 90 165 109 Space 0 0 4 0 Total 187 322 620 411
Wildlife In the fourth quarter of 2017, wildlife accounted for 6% of all impounded live animals. In May, Animal Services stopped providing services for wildlife removal, unless the animal was sick or injured or within the living areas of a residence. Wild Animal 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Raccoon 41 88 13 7 Opossum 71 98 22 20 Bat 5 7 16 3 Squirrel 2 27 28 3 Skunk 19 18 7 3 Other 18 181 106 28 Total 156 419 192 65
Dead Animals In the fourth quarter of 2017, there were 238 dead animals handled: 60% were wild animals, 25% were cats and 15% were dogs. There was one other deceased domestic animal handled. Dead Animal 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Cat 66 76 91 60 Wild 178 270 291 142 Dog 33 28 43 35 Other 0 1 1 1 Total 277 375 426 238
Spay/Neuter Surgeries In the fourth quarter of 2017, 304 animals were spayed or neutered in the Shelter s Surgical Suite. Of the total spay/neuter surgeries, 123 were dogs and 181 were cats. There were two other surgeries performed in the suite. There were 9 other minor surgeries completed in the suite. In February 2012, Animal Services joined with PAWS Humane Society and began a spay or neuter program of their dogs or cats waiting for adoption. Animal Services was able to provide spay or neuter services for 2 dogs. Dog Surgery 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Neuter 76 69 71 63 Spay 69 58 72 60 Total 145 127 143 123 Cat Surgery 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Neuter 80 83 110 116 Spay 99 64 92 65 Total 179 147 202 181
Pet Registrations As of October 1, 2017, there were 52,876 pets registered in Winnebago County. 24% of the registrations were for cats and 76% were for dogs. Registrations were done at the shelter or area veterinary clinics.