Winnebago County Animal Services Field and Shelter Activities 2017 3 rd Quarter Report
FIELD SERVICES Animal Services provided 24-hour animal control service to all areas of Winnebago County for the third 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 third quarter of 2017, animal control officers handled over 3,700 calls. Almost half of the calls (40%) were for a stray domestic animal, usually a dog running loose. Investigations for welfare, a bite or barking made up for 29% of calls. Wild animal and dead animal calls were another 27% 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 Stray Domestic Animal 993 1,419 1,477 Welfare Investigation 217 390 463 Bite Investigation 291 415 395 Wild Animal 200 506 487 Carcass Disposal 305 453 517 Barking Dog 116 210 225 Other 92 119 142 Total 2,214 3,512 3,706
Field Service Outcomes Officers responded to 3,706 calls for the third quarter in 2017 resulting in 5,971 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 47 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 Report Written 792 1,151 1,154 Animal Impounded 648 1,095 984 Animal Gone on Arrival 578 884 1,003 Warning Given 376 655 667 Doorcard Left 122 239 234 Carcass Removed 286 434 451 Other Disposition 742 1,279 1,431 Returned to Owner 46 86 47 Total 3,585 5,823 5,971
Citations Issued Officers issued 305 citations in the third quarter of 2017, both in the field and at the shelter. Of those, 182 were for rabies vaccination/registration or Code Hearing Unit Notice of Animal Violation. The other 123 were Notice to Appear citations. The majority of those citations were for a dog running at large (70) and animal welfare (29). Animal Welfare includes Owner s Duties, Cruelty, Aggravated Cruelty and Confinement in Motor Vehicle. Violation 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter Rabies Vaccination/Registration 128 188 182 Running at Large (dog) 31 95 70 Barking 2 3 2 Animal Welfare 22 24 29 Other 11 24 22 Total 194 334 305
ANIMAL BITES AND RABIES TESTING Animal Bites In the third quarter of 2017, there were 186 animal bites reported to Animal Services. The majority (77%) of the bites were from dogs, with 19% reported from cats. There were seven other bites involving small mammals. Biting Animal 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter Dog 94 140 146 Cat 29 21 36 Other 3 3 4 Total 126 164 186
Animal Rabies Testing There were 46 animals sent to an Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) lab and the University of Illinois for rabies testing. The animals tested were dogs (7), bats (24), cats (10) and (5) 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 Dog 6 6 7 Bat 4 6 24 Cat 7 1 10 Skunk 0 0 1 Other 2 0 4 Total 19 13 46 Of the animals tested at the labs for the third quarter of 2017, one (a bat) 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 3,500 people visited the shelter kennel area in the third 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 third quarter of 2017, 2,141 animals were impounded, 80% live animals and 20% dead animals. Of the 1,715 live animals impounded, 52% were cats, 33% dogs, and 11% were wildlife. Other impounds (4%) were other smaller pets. Dead animals impounded totaled 426, 68% wildlife and 32% domestic animals. Live Animal Impounded 1 st Quarter 2 nd Quarter 3 rd Quarter Dog 428 494 564 Cat 399 665 897 Wildlife 156 419 192 Other 19 42 62 Total 1,002 1,620 1,715
Dogs There were 564 live dogs impounded during the third quarter of 2017: 63% were strays, 24% were owner releases, 12% were confiscated (e.g. for bite quarantine, neglect) or taken into protective care (e.g. owner in hospital, fire at home), and 1% were impounded for ownerrequested euthanasia. Dog Impound Reason 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter Stray 254 309 354 Owner Release 107 103 135 Confiscate/Protective Care 58 74 68 Euthanasia Request 9 8 7 Total 428 494 564
Dog Outcomes Outcomes for dogs impounded at the shelter were primarily adoption (31%), return to owner (37%), and euthanasia (23%). Another 9% of the dogs were sent to licensed rescues or other shelters for adoption. Dog Outcome 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter Adoption 135 144 159 Return to Owner 149 199 191 Euthanasia 84 113 120 Rescue 30 36 47 Total 398 492 517
Dog Euthanasia Of the 120 dogs euthanized, 68% 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 (26%) and for owner requested euthanasia. Dog Euthanasia Reason 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter Behavior/Temperament 50 67 82 Medical 22 39 31 Euthanasia Request 12 7 7 Total 84 113 120
Cats There were 897 live cats impounded during the third quarter of 2017: 87% were strays, 10% were owner releases and 1% 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 Stray 322 570 784 Owner Release 61 74 93 Confiscate/Protective Care 10 13 11 Euthanasia Request 6 8 9 Total 399 665 897
Cat Outcomes Outcomes for cats impounded at the shelter were primarily adoption (20%) and euthanasia (70%). Only 25 of impounded cats were reclaimed by or returned to an owner. There were 76 cats sent to licensed rescue or other animal shelter for adoption. Cat Outcome 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter Adoption 172 122 175 Return to Owner 14 22 18 Euthanasia 187 322 620 Rescue 79 41 76 Total 452 510 889
Cat Euthanasia Of the 620 cats that were euthanized in the third quarter of 2017, wild (feral) cats made up 27% of cats euthanized. Another 52% of the cats were euthanized for medical reasons, primarily infectious diseases and 19% were euthanized for behavior or temperament problems. Cat Euthanasia Reason 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter Behavior/Temperament 37 81 120 Medical 55 144 325 Euthanasia Request 6 7 6 Feral 89 90 165 Space 0 0 4 Total 187 322 620
Wildlife In the third quarter of 2017, wildlife accounted for 11% 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 Raccoon 41 88 13 Opossum 71 98 22 Bat 5 7 16 Squirrel 2 27 28 Skunk 19 18 7 Other 18 181 106 Total 156 419 192
Dead Animals In the third quarter of 2017, there were 426 dead animals handled: 68% were wild animals, 21% were cats and 10% were dogs. There was one deceased (other) domestic animal handled. Dead Animal 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter Cat 66 76 91 Wild 178 270 291 Dog 33 28 43 Other 0 1 1 Total 277 375 426
Spay/Neuter Surgeries In the third quarter of 2017, 345 animals were spayed or neutered in the Shelter s Surgical Suite. Of the total spay/neuter surgeries, 143 were dogs and 202 were cats. There were two other surgeries performed 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 and 1 cat. Dog Surgery 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter Neuter 76 69 71 Spay 69 58 72 Total 145 127 143 Cat Surgery 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter Neuter 80 83 110 Spay 99 64 92 Total 179 147 202
Pet Registrations As of July 1, 2017, there were 54,223 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.