VIDEO: BCSO Animal Services Signs Partnership With Target Zero, Works To Save More Animals

By  //  November 12, 2015

ABOVE VIDEO: Sheriff Wayne Ivey, along with Cameron Moore, a representative from Target Zero, sign the partnership agreement between BCSO Animal Services and Target Zero. 

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Last year, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office was asked by the County Commission to take over Animal Services for Brevard County on October 1, 2014. Although we still have a number of goals to reach and a lot to learn, our animal services team, our volunteers and rescue partners have done an amazing job during the past 13 months.

When we first took over, we made a commitment; to make Brevard County a more humane community, to raise the standard of care in our Care Centers and to save as many animals as possible through adoptions, fosters and the development of relationships with rescue partners.

Without question, we knew the challenges we faced and clearly understand the difficult task that laid ahead of us. Even with that, we set some lofty goals for our team to include working toward “No Kill Status.”

Accomplishments

To list a few of the BCSO accomplishments over the past 13 months:

  • Created the Pet Posse
  • Began using inmate labor to clean both shelters
  • Developed new positions within existing budget
  • Extended hours of Shelter/operation to 7 days a week
  • Created a Call Center in the Viera office to free up shelter staff using existing personnel in the Viera office
  • Makeover of the South Shelter with the help of Habitat for Humanity and the Pet Posse
  • Created community cat rooms
  • Created outside runs for the dogs
  • Built Fisher and Mollies Place and the Rainbow Bridge
  • New paint and landscaping
  • Mini makeover of the North Shelter
  • Re purposed two vehicles for mobile adoption partnering with Community Champions and Jacks Wrecker Service
  • Increased adoption events throughout the community
  • Partnered with Supermodel Kate Upton and the Washington National to roll out the mobile adoption program
  • Recruited and hired a proven leader in shelter medicine, Dr. Sarah Boyd
  • Addressed a back log of over 500 spay/neuter surgeries, bring surgeries up to date
  • Developed community partnerships with AJ Hiers, AMI Kids, the Canine Commandos, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Brevard ASAP and Space Coast Daily, to name a few.
  • Lowered adoption fees
  • Offering no cost adoptions to veterans
  • Offering no cost adoptions to seniors over 60 for senior animals
  • Created Paws and Stripes College through partnership with Eastern Florida State College and the Brevard County Jail
  • Created relationships with out of state rescue groups and shelters to save hundreds of animals using volunteers and financing through Pet Posse
  • Created a growing volunteer program
  • Windows placed in the doors of the cat rooms by Brevard ASAP

Prior to the Sheriff’s Office taking over Animal Services, Brevard County averaged a 55% Live Release Rate for the previous 5-year period. I am extremely proud to announce that our team has exceeded that number and ended our first 13 months with a Live Release Rate of 81.5%. Even more exciting and impressive for our team, volunteers and partners is that in 6 of those 13 months, we achieved 90% or above Live Release Rate.

Target-Zero Institute is a national non-profit organization that mentors proven best practice strategies to leaders to fellow cities with the goal of achieving and sustaining a 90% save rate of all shelter dogs and cats.

With an “Angel” investor financing their mission, their strategies that have been proven to be successful across the country in cities like Waco, Texas, Huntsville, Alabama, and Indianapolis, Indiana to name a few.

Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Animal Services Unit Celebrates First Year In ServiceRelated Story:
Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Animal Services Unit Celebrates First Year In Service

By joining forces with the Target-Zero team, BCSO Animal Services becomes even stronger, and even more committed to achieving our goals and saving more animals.

Target-Zero will be able to provide us with consulting services and give us the ability to initiate impactful programming, they will provide us with assistance to request ordinance revisions necessary to work towards a more humane community, expert staff training, links to potential grant funding.

As the Sheriff of Brevard County, I am pleased to announce that Brevard County is Target Zero’s newest partner and we encourage our community to be part of this productive and lifesaving partnership.