Amador County – Amador County Supervisors discussed and made no change to Animal Control adoption policies Tuesday.
Supervisor Louis Boitano dissented in the 4-1 vote, saying he supported an auction for the sales, primarily due to the value of herding dogs, as people would be willing to pay more for good work dogs.
General Services Director Jon Hopkins said the practice of a random draw to determine animal adoptions has been in place for several years, and is the fairest way to avoid allegations of bias or favoritism when more than one person wants an animal. It became an issue recently when a person offered to make a $1,000 donation in an effort to get a pet.
The donation was made, but none of the other people showed up to go through the random drawing, and the donor got the dog. Hopkins said they “do not take bids for animals, period.”
Supervisor Richard Forster said “just because one person has a few bucks more than the next guy doesn’t make him a better owner.” He supported a first-come, first-served basis.
They also discussed taking names to hold the animal. Supervisor Chairman John Plasse said the first person is not always the best either, nor would a random draw always determine the best owner.
Animal Control Officer John Vail said a website has been set up with a camera to show pets before they are actually available for adoption. Behavioral screening of each animal must be done for several days to determine if the animal is suitable for adoption, but people are told the time and date of availability.
Vail said: “My preference is to leave it the way it is,” and have the least impact on staff, reduced by 20 percent through loss and furloughs. He said people can come from some distance when a pet becomes available. One litter of polka-dot poodles included six puppies, and eight families came to the adoption hour. He said two families didn’t get a poodle.
Vail said: “I hate to see a grown man cry because he didn’t get a puppy, but I have seen it.” He said they have been using a random draw for adoption decisions since 2005, and do not have a non-refundable deposit, as suggested during discussion.
Supervisor Brian Oneto asked if first preference could be given to Amador County residents, in adoption questions. Deputy County Counsel Greg Gillott said that would be a violation of the Constitution.
Susan Manning, a pet merchant and principal of APAL, said she studied the issue but “I can’t see why taking bids for an animal companion is OK.”
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
