As reported in the Washington Post, Montgomery County government is preparing to take control of its animal shelter from a longtime nonprofit operator. The county cited the need to improve practices and services as they move the shelter to a new facility. The Post describes,
The Montgomery County Humane Society (not affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States) runs the current shelter, now nearly 40 years old, under a $1.6 million annual contract with the county. It arranged 2,747 animal adoptions to new or foster homes, according to its 2012 annual report. Just over 1,000 pets were reunited with owners through a lost-and-found program, the report said. But the county has received complaints that adoption procedures can be overly time-consuming. Officials said that animal licensing has been lax, with only an estimated 7 percent of the county’s animal population licensed.
In many counties, county governments and non-profit entities share the work of animal sheltering, and have even developed joint plans to help shelter animals in times of emergency.
For more information, see the full story from the Post.
