Answer from shelter director Annette Jose
Hi Nicole,
I admire your advocacy and the amount of research you have done to better understand animal behavior. You make some very interesting points and I believe the future of animal welfare is to better understand the triggers of stress and how to better co-exist with domestic animals.
However, today our shelter is housing over 600 dogs. We manage their stress in a variety of ways but the most impactful way to help them is to find them a home. Miami-Dade Animal Services contacts rescues across the country on a regular basis in the hope of moving our most vulnerable pets out of the shelter environment. Sadly, the entire nation is experiencing the overpopulation crisis and all shelters and rescues are overwhelmed.
The individualized care you are recommending cannot be implemented until we gain control of the overpopulation. That is why there is a focus on Spay/Neuter services. Our goal is to make spay/neuter accessible and decrease the number of stray puppies. This will eventually decrease the number of pets in our shelters.
As a municipal shelter, we must follow the law for Dangerous Dogs and Aggressive dogs. We have a duty to public safety and we must ensure that adopters are safe when welcoming a shelter pet into their home.
There is so much work to be done in animal welfare and I hope you will stay engaged and help us move in the right direction.
Regards,
Annette Jose, Director
Miami-Dade County Animal Services
Pet Adoption and Protection Center
3599 NW 79th Avenue, Doral, Florida 33122
305-418-7127 Phone