The new Animal Welfare Committee met on July 19 at the Pet Adoption Center in the Albertson’s Shopping Center on Muirlands. A dozen people showed up, from all parts of the City, and their interests were broad, from dogs and cats to wildlife (see photos).
The purpose of the committee is to look at the provisions for animals and to report back to the Council within 3 months. Some of the areas suggested for exploration were –
DOG PARK(S)
How adequate is the current dog park? Are there any changes that should be made? What can we learn about the way this dog park is used to help us better design the new dog park scheduled to be built next year in Portola Hills? Do we need to have another dog park in the city or will the 2 parks be sufficient?
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CATS
What are we doing, if anything, about Trap-Neuter-Release, and should we do more? What are we doing, if anything, about Low Cost Neuter/Spay programs, and should we do more? How can we improve the adoption opportunities for cats and kittens? How can we prevent future hoarding cases?
SHELTER
Now that the new County shelter has been up and operating, how well are they doing? How many animals are going through the shelter and what are the costs? How much additional will the City have to pay as a result of the new fee increase? What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of staying with the County or partnering with neighboring cities or setting up our own shelter?
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EDUCATION/PREVENTION
What can we do to prevent animals from going to the Shelter? What City resources can be used? How can HOAs and businesses help?
COORDINATION
Is there a way to bring together all the nonprofits working in this area and create some synergies? Should we establish our own FB page?
These are a few of the ideas tossed around. The people will be considering these and other ideas and bring them back to the next meeting, August 23 at 6:30 pm, when they will organize into small groups and pursue these projects in greater detail.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest where he serves as Mayor. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook. His Twitter handle is @DrJimGardner. His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.
Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a town hall meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be Aug 16 at 7 pm at the Lake 1 Clubhouse (Ridge Route).
