Pound's kill rate drops but panel wants upgrades

Workers replace the grass in the dog runs outside the dog warden's South Erie Street facility with gravel. The new gravel areas allow for easier cleanup. The Lucas County Dog Warden Advisory Committee met Thursday to discuss recent improvements at the facility. THE BLADE/LISA DUTTON Enlarge | Photo Reprints

The Lucas County Dog Warden Advisory Committee, while expressing many positive sentiments Thursday over progress made at the pound in response to its recommendations, lamented that the "live release" rate had increased by only 3 percent in 2011 from the previous year.

According to the Lucas County Dog Warden's Web site, the live release rate for 2011 was 54.63 percent.

Committee chairman Steve Serchuk, who Thursday led the first meeting of the committee since it presented 15 changes it wanted to see the pound make a year ago, said while he's encouraged by many changes at the pound, there is still a ways to go.

"Everyone here wants to see less euthanasia," Mr. Serchuk told the group.

Toledo Area Humane Society Director John Dinon, who faces similar life-or-death decisions at the Maumee shelter, spoke in the pound's defense.

"I really think the euthanasia rate on their part is not for lack of trying," he said.

The live release rates for 2011 were calculated by taking the percentage of dogs that leave the pound alive through adoption, transfers, and other methods, divided by the total number of dogs taken in.

County Dog Warden Julie Lyle said the pound took in more dogs in 2011 compared to 2010, including a much higher percentage of "pit bull" breeds. About 44 percent of the dogs coming through the doors to the pound are "pit bulls" versus 30 percent in previous years.

Because of the state's inclusion of the "pit bull" in its definition of vicious dogs, the pound has not put "pit bull" breeds up for adoption, instead transferring some to the humane society, but killing the majority of them.

The humane society took nearly 100 "pit bulls" from the dog warden in 2011 as part of the transfer agreement between the two groups in which the humane society takes surplus adoptable dogs.

One possibility for potentially reducing euthanasia rates that the committee discussed was a set-up where all adoptable dogs would be transferred to the humane society after the three-day statutory hold period, leaving the dog warden's office to deal strictly with the law enforcement aspect of its duties.

Committee member Jean Keating, the founder of the Coalition for Ohio Dog Advocates, strongly objected to this suggestion, stating that she preferred the accountability and transparency that the pound is forced to have as a government entity. She feared the desires of the public would be overlooked should all adoptable dogs go to the humane society, which is a nonprofit organization run by a board of directors.

Ms. Keating also said that if adoptions were taken away from the pound, it would be simply a "house of death" and would undo positive strides that the pound has made over the past year to improve its image.

Angela Holt-Parks, a committee member who has volunteered at the pound since the volunteer program began, said taking away adoptions would be very demoralizing.

"There would be no reason for a volunteer program" which was one of the committee's 15 change recommendations presented a year ago, she said.

Contact Tanya Irwin at: tirwin@theblade.com or 419-724-6066.