Polk County Animal Control plays a critical role in our community, finding homes for adoptable animals and helping families reunite with their missing pets. However, statistics show that Animal Control reform is needed to improve the outcomes for Polk County Pets.

The Polk County shelter has the highest euthanasia rate in the state of Florida, according to the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The shelter’s rate of euthanasia, animals dying in its care and animals marked as missing — a combination UF calls the “non-live” rate — is also higher than other shelters across the state.

Please sign this petition to show your support for the following 5-point plan for change:

1. Allow cell phones inside the animal control facility.  Current policy requires visitors to lock up cell phones prior to entering the shelter, reducing visibility of available animals, limiting governmental transparency, and creating a less hospitable adoption environment.
2. Remove the shelter escort policy. Potential adopters must wait for a shelter escort to accompany them throughout the shelter, reducing taxpayer access, hindering the efficiency of operations, and creating a less hospitable adoption environment.   
3. Create a lost and found pet board.  To increase potential for owners to reunite with their lost animals, the shelter should provide a designated area to post flyers for pets that have been lost or found by members of the community that is visible to all staff and visitors.
4. Permit community volunteer programs. Community volunteer programs can help support shelter operations at no expense to taxpayers. Volunteers are no longer able to assist as Polk County Animal Control Volunteer programs have been discontinued by the County, and volunteers offers of assistance are being turned away.
5. Establish an Animal Control Advisory Board.  Neighboring counties have an Animal Control Advisory Board comprised of volunteers (community members, veterinarians, and attorneys) which meet regularly with the County Board of Commissioners to discuss Animal Control efforts in the county.  This would create a regular, dedicated time for discussion of Animal Control policies and outcomes between the Polk County Board of Commissioners and an Animal Control Advisory Board to provide ongoing support and communication.

Your signature is crucial in advocating for these free, and necessary changes. Please sign this petition to show your support of the recommended 5-step plan.

Want to show your support directly to local decision makers? 

Email the Polk County Sheriff and Polk County Board of Commissioners:

GJudd@polksheriff.org, BeckyTroutman@polk-county.net, RickWilson@polk-county.net, BillBraswell@polk-county.net, MarthaSantiago@polk-county.net, MichaelScott@polk-county.net