Animal Activists Rally, Commissioners Get Message

Manatee County Commissioners say it was all a big misunderstanding.

The Humane Society of Manatee County organized a rally Thursday outside the historic Manatee County Courthouse just before a county budget meeting across the street. About 300 protesters showed up, and around 200 of them packed the first-floor chambers of the administrative center for the meeting.

The activists were concerned that budget cuts of animal services would lead to further euthanization.

Commissioners Joe McClash and Donna Hayes had flagged the $1.5 animal services budget for a closer look and suggested changes to adoption policies.

During the meeting, commissioners removed the flag, saying there was not a proposal to reduce animal services funding. On the contrary, they said they were considering how they might expand animal service programs.

The removal of the flag means the commissioners will not discuss the issue during a future meeting since it was not a budget-reduction issue.

To which those in attendance — most of whom wore green — waved their hands in appreciation since clapping was not allowed.

Nevertheless, as live music from the nearby Get Down Downtown on Old Main Street drifted into the chambers, activists will made their opinions known.

The activists continued to call for a “no-kill” policy in the county, which took in more than 2,900 dogs last year, euthanizing 42 percent, and more than 2,500 cats, euthanizing 69 percent.

Many speakers told commissioners the gathering of activists shows how much animals matter to the community.

Bradenton resident Shiela Hat said she is a home health nurse and sees the difference an animal can make to someone who is ill. She said the sometimes three-times-a-day walks the recovering person makes with a dog helps them get well.

“They need their animals,” she said, “because they have no one else.”

Eloise Leive, an 11-year-old Bradenton resident, told a story of how her grandfather fell in love with her dog, which she took in from Animal Services.

Leive told commissioners her grandfather's final words, about that dog, were, “Woof-woof.”

Members of the audience again waved their hands, and McClash waved his as well.

McClash later said the county has taken strides toward improving animal services over the past decade, including the addition of pet shelters and dog parks.

“A mixed message got out,” McClash said. “It's a no-brainer that the less dogs we have to terminate saves money and is a good thing we have to do for the community.”

But McClash added he would like animal rights activists to present to the commissioners the steps it plans to take in order to make a no-kill policy reality.

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