Title
PetSmart Charities Pet Retention Grant Program
Action
Action:
Authorize the City Manager to accept a grant in the amount of $150,000 from PetSmart Charities Pet Retention Grant Program to assist owners at risk of surrendering their pets and to purchase an X-ray machine.
Body
Staff Resource(s):
Kerr Putney, Police
Karl Bannerman, Police
Joshua Fisher, Police
Explanation
§ PetSmart Charities will provide $15,000 to enable the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s (CMPD’s) Animal Care and Control Division (AC&C) to purchase supplies for pet owners, including dog houses, pet food, collars, leashes, and tethering materials.
§ PetSmart Charities will provide $75,000 for AC&C to purchase an X-ray machine.
§ The inability of some pet owners to pay the medical expenses associated with a treatable condition or to afford pet supplies often results in pet owners desiring to surrender their pet to the AC&C. The AC&C Safety Net Program exists to support these pet owners with basic expenses so that they may retain their pets in their homes.
§ PetSmart Charities will provide $60,000 to allow AC&C to offer a pet owner a medical voucher, valued up to $300, redeemable at a local veterinary clinic, to assist with the cost of medical expenses.
§ The in-house X-ray machine will provide AC&C the ability to make faster diagnoses and treatment decisions, allowing for efficient use of medical resources. Additionally, AC&C will save on the costs currently incurred to transport animals to outside facilities for testing.
§ The grant funds are to be used to help reduce the rate of euthanasia by saving an estimated 325 animals through the AC&C Safety Net Program. The presence of the X-ray machine would allow 780 animals per year to receive X-ray examinations.
§ The 12-month grant period is from November 1, 2018, through October 31, 2019.
Fiscal Note
Funding: Public Safety Grant Fund