2023-08-02 ANIMAL SHELTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES CITY OF PEARLAND, TEXAS
ANIMAL SHELTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
AUGUST 2, 2023
The Animal Shelter Advisory Committee convened in a meeting on Wednesday, August 2, 2023,
at the Shari D. Coleman Pearland Animal Shelter and Adoption Center Training Room, 8311
Freedom Drive, Pearland Texas. The following represents the actions taken by Animal Shelter
Advisory Committee in the order they occurred during the meeting.
I. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 5:46 p.m.
II. ROLL CALL AND CERTIFICATION OF QUORUM:
Present—Chairperson DVM Catherine Cupples—Position 1, Patrick Savage— Position 2,
and Amy Stroud — Position 4—Quorum met with 3 of 5 members
Not Present—Vice Chairperson Mary Hickling — Position 5 and John Fischer— Position 3
III. CITIZEN COMMENTS:
There were no citizen comments.
IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. Discussion and possible action regarding minutes from the April 5, 2023 Meeting.
Motion to accept by Member Stroud, Seconded by Member Savage. Unanimous vote
to approve.
V. DISCUSSION ITEMS
1. Shelter Operational Update from Police Support Bureau Asst. Chief
Savage:
a. Staffing — Hiring process underway for ACO Supervisor and 5
ACOs; in various stages of the process. Have selected an
internal candidate, Kassandra Gutierrez, for the position of
Program Coordinator.
b. Supplemental staffing — Due to the shortage of personnel and
full capacity of animals, temporary custodial staff were added
from the existing vendor. Temporary employees from an
agency were obtained to assist with custodial duties and
administrative lobby duties. Assistance has also been provided
by existing COP staff through overtime.
c. Shelter Operations — Changes to daily operations were
implemented due to the volume of intake and levels of animal
Animal Shelter Advisory Committee—August 2, 2023
occupancy. The changes include: limiting intake to Pearland
residents and closing non-emergent intake if it would require
euthanasia for space. Intake during exigencies such as bite
cases, injured animals, and aggressive animals could result in
euthanasia for space. Loose dog calls would be handled as
they have been, but could also result in euthanasia for space.
d. The staffing and operational measures taken will allow existing
ACO staff to address any delayed calls and to more promptly
answer incoming calls for service.
2. Staff Report from Animal Services Manager.
Presented by Animal Services Supervisor Lauren Anderson
" Statics for 4/2/23— 7/31/23
In the period this report covers, 4 months, we saw a 41.96% decrease in dog intakes and a
19.26% increase in cats intakes in comparison to the same time frame last year. Dog adoptions
are up 17.57% and cat adoptions are down 18.8%.
Cats Dogs Total
I ntake 374 228 602
Adoptions 95 87 182
Transfer to Rescue 145 30 175
Return to Owner 18 98 116
Euthanasia 27* 23** 50
Live Release Rate 92.1% 93.9% 92.9%
*5 cats were owner requested euthanasia
** 9 dogs were owner requested euthanasia
RTO rates for dogs are down 44.94% and RTO rates for cats are up 80% in comparison to the
same time frame last year.
Rescue transfers for dogs are down 63% and up 79% for cats in comparison to the same time
frame last year.
Volunteer Program: Volunteer hours for the period have not been calculated at the time of this
report.
Rabies Update: 1 confirmed positive for rabies in the City for the period.
Staffing Update: We have 5 open Animal Control Officer positions with 6 people currently in
background. We have 1 person in background for the open Animal Services Supervisor
position. Our Programs Coordinator position has been filled.
Animal Shelter Advisory Committee—August 2, 2023
Training: All staff members have completed their Basic ACO and Certified Euthanasia
Technician courses.
Social Media: We have increased our social media following to 16,026 and have also started an
Instagram account. We are currently working with communications to learn how to use Canva to
help better our social media presence.
Foster: We currently have 13 cats in foster and 4 dogs.
Capacity: Our inventory for the same time last year was 43 dogs and 59 cats. This year we have
73 dogs and 102 cats which is a 71.57% increase in comparison to last year. "
VI. ADJOURNMENT
Motion by Savage, Seconded by Stroud
The meeting was adjourned at 6:36 p.m.
Minutes approved as submitted and/or corrected this 2nd day of August 2023.
Patrick Savage, Assistant Police Chief/Board Liaison
Animal Shelter Advisory Committee—August 2, 2023