Animal shelter still in flux County working through staffing issues

By AMY MAY

The Daily Inter Lake

Change takes time. In the case of local government, change can take a long time.

But after months of restructuring and reorganizing, some measure of change in the Flathead County Animal Control Department is finally visible.

The animal shelter has been in limbo since January, when the county commissioners decided not to renew long-time shelter Director Richard Stockdale's contract and did not hire another director.

Throughout the winter and spring, operations at the shelter were at times chaotic, with a number of employees quitting and no permanent director to call the shots. Commissioner Joe Brenneman acknowledged the staffing problems in a June 10 Inter Lake article, but maintained the shelter had never been "dangerously short of help."

The commissioners decided in June to split the department - putting jurisdiction of the shelter under the City-County Health Department and moving the four animal control wardens to the Sheriff's Department.

And now, two months later, some change can be seen.

For Myni Ferguson, a valleywide animal advocate and long-time shelter volunteer, the change can't come fast enough.

"It's taking time," she said. "And it's driving us all nuts."

City-County Health Director Joe Russell is the first to admit there are still problems with the shelter, but that improvements are being made.

As Ferguson fed and watered each of the dogs at the shelter on a recent afternoon, she muttered to herself about the need for a rolling cart to carry food and water - adding the item to her long mental list of things the shelter needs.

The shelter needs a lot of things.

But according to Ferguson, the biggest need is staffing.

"Right now, it's a case of too many animals and not enough staff," she said. "The county is very aware of the situation. It just takes time."

Known by many for her animal advocacy work, Ferguson said she often fields calls from members of the community concerned with the care of shelter animals.

"I can verify that there is no animal cruelty going on down there. The animals might not be as clean as they could be or have every nicety, but I would have the sheriff's department down there in a second if I heard anything like that," Ferguson said of rumors of animal neglect.

To those who call, Ferguson said she asks them to have a little patience.

WHILE THE changes are slow in coming, they are coming.

A few weeks ago the county hired Becky Reisinger as an animal keeper and last week two more new employees started.

The shelter's entire staff is made up of three brand-new employees.

Russell is currently in the process of hiring a shelter director. When that position is filled, there will be four employees onsite.

Reisinger, who has an extensive background in caring for animals, both domestic and wild, said the new staff wants to portray a new image, an image that welcomes the public.

"Help us help you," she said. "We want to be user-friendly."

Reisinger said from what she has seen in the past few weeks, the changes at the shelter have been positive and there are many more changes to come.

The creation of the Flathead County Animal Advisory Board will help advise Russell and the Health Board on issues concerning the shelter.

Ferguson serves on the committee along with four other animal advocates.

At the committee's first two meetings much of the discussion dealt with the recent outbreak of the parvovirus in the Flathead Valley.

Canine parvovirus is a highly infectious virus that generally affects a dog's intestines. With so many animals living in close quarters, a shelter can become a hotbed for infection.

Russell's solution - clean, clean, clean.

"My background is in environmental health," Russell said. "If there is one thing I know how to do, it's how to clean."

The shelter is in the process of switching to a new kennel disinfectant, which, according to Russell, is comparable to the cleaners used in meat-processing facilities.

Russell, who admits to using more than his fair share of bleach products to clean his own home, has spent several Saturdays at the shelter scrubbing down the kennels himself.

At Monday's Animal Advisory Committee meeting, Russell said the shelter would begin vaccinating dogs coming into the shelter for parvo with a combination vaccine as soon as the supplies arrive.

To combat the disease the shelter also is testing animals for parvo if they exhibit any symptoms such as lethargy or loose stools.

According to Russell, the shelter might even be testing the animals more than necessary.

"I'd rather be too aggressive with testing than not enough," he said. "It's paying off."

Russell said it has been two weeks since the last positive parvo test.

It is currently shelter policy to euthanize any animal that tests positive for parvo before it is spreads to other animals.

"By the time you can see a dog has parvo, there is very little that can be done for the dog," Russell said.

THE TRANSFER of the animal control officers to the sheriff's department has been a good transition, Animal Control Officer Jennifer Benware said.

The four officers are now under Sheriff Mike Meehan's watch. They not only spend their days picking up stray animals, but also responding to animals cruelty calls and serving civil papers. The animal control officers are still the only county employees authorized to euthanize the animals at the shelter.

Benware said the animal control officers get do lot more for the community since the restructuring.

Reflecting on the changes in the past year, Russell said he knows there is a long way to go. He has a long list of plans and ideas about the spaying and neutering, volunteer programs and fostering networks.

But Russell said his No. 1 goal for the animal shelter is to give it the same positive reputation as the health department.

"I think the Health Department has a pretty good reputation. I'd like the shelter to have the same image," he said. "It will be a good place if we can get good people in there."

Reporter Amy May may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at amay@dailyinterlake.com