City Takeover of Animal Services Moving Ahead

With a dozen volunteers ready to begin training, organizers believe enough people will be ready to handle animal control duties by Oct. 1 when New Port Richey severs ties with Pasco County’s animal control and takes responsibility.

Also, work is ready to start on the construction of kennels at the city police station to house dogs the volunteer animal control officers pick up, said Sharon McReynolds, volunteer program coordinator for what is being called the New Port Richey Animal Protection Unit. The idea is the brainchild of McReynolds and veterinarian Terry Spencer.

McReynolds has been at the forefront of an effort that started in 2011 to have New Port Richey with Pasco County to provide animal control services. The contract cost the city just under $60,000 in fiscal year 2011, according to the city.

Instead under the plan, the city will use about $57,000 it would have paid the county to fund the home-grown services. The second year should cost only about $30,000 McReynolds said.

“We won’t have to build kennels or other initial costs,” she said.

On Friday potential volunteers met to organize. There will be several more meetings before the duties change hands after September.

“All the people were enthusiastic. There are a lot of people with a variety of work they want to perform,” McReynolds said.

Some people are interested in acting as animal control officers and responding to calls along with a trained police officer. Those volunteers will start to train in St. Petersburg for the work.

Others want to take care of the animals after they’re brought in and those will be trained by the , McReynolds said.

The effort can get by with about 15 volunteers, but McReynolds hopes to have 20 to 25 on board before Oct. 1.

“If it keeps going the way it has been, we’ll be fine,” she said.

A meeting with Police Chief James Steffens in late June solidified the city’s support and backing, she said.

“The city has promised to move forward,” McReynolds said. “We definitely have got the support of the city.”

The two sides worked out a location for the kennels and work on construction should start in the next few weeks. Plans are for eight to 10 runs that, depending on size and temperament of the dogs, may handle up to 15 animals.

Two police officers will be trained to handle dog complaints and one will accompany a volunteer trained as an animal control officer to calls. The service will be available 24 hours a day.

“The officer will be there for any criminal aspect,” McReynolds said.

Initially the service will handle only dog complaints, although calls for cats may be added in the future.

The group also has veterinarians lined up to help with shots and treating the animals. The goal is to euthanize as few dogs as possible.

“Our idea is not to euthanize everything that comes in,” McReynolds said.

Organizers hope a local animal control team will respond faster than the county, especially on weekends when the county only responded to emergencies, McReynolds said.

Anyone interested in information about volunteering can call McReynolds at (727) 849-2277.

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