The Mendocino Coast Humane Society is expanding its operations to the building next door, which was formerly used by the coastal branch of the county-run animal shelter. The county facility on Summers Lane closed last summer, leading Humane Society Executive Director Judy Martin to pledge her ongoing commitment to animals on the coast. The city of Fort Bragg and county entered an agreement in 1975 allowing the county to build the animal control facility on city-owned property. Last week, the city council voted unanimously to expand the humane society’s lease to include the building formerly occupied by the county facility.
The humane society and the city signed a lease in 2010, the first time the county closed its animal control operation in the neighborhood. The animal shelter re-opened in 2019, much to the relief of coastal animal lovers like Carol Lillis, president of S.O.S. Networking for Mendocino Coast Companion Animals. At the ribbon cutting in February five years ago, she said all the animal welfare groups in the community had to pull together to fill the gap left by the county. “We were crawling under houses to pull cats out that owners threatened to shoot unless they were removed,” she recalled. “We picked up animals on the road, got people to foster them…We did everything we could to take care of the animals that were out there.” The organization also takes seniors to veterinary appointments, helps get animals spayed and neutered, and pitches in for life-saving surgeries. She commended the coastal supervisors for reminding the county that “We desperately needed help on the coast.”
Last week, Martin, head of the Mendocino Coast Humane Society, appeared before the Fort Bragg City Council during the discussion about allowing the humane society to occupy the now-empty county building. The 2010 lease stipulates one dollar a year rent, plus responsibility for all development costs, taxes and assessments, utilities and services, and insurance.
“This will enhance our existing services that we already provide for the coast,” Martin told the Council. She plans to use the additional space for isolation and quarantine for animals that are sick or brought in by the police department. Currently, animals that are unavailable for adoption are on view with the ones that are, which she said is “definitely not ideal.” She added that while the extra space “is very important to us, it definitely will not alleviate the issue in animal rescue, but it will help us do our job better for the community, and the city.” At this time, she is using four kennels, instead of the two that are stipulated by her lease, for stray animals that are brought in by city police, “so they are taking up available space for adoptable animals.”
The city has been increasing its support to the humane society since the closure of the animal shelter near the end of the fiscal year, when it gave the non-profit $18,000 from the City Council training and travel fund, which had not been depleted.
Last week, Martin assured the Council that, “We do not euthanize healthy, adoptable animals,” though an on-site veterinarian can perform behavioral or medical euthanization. “We don’t ship animals off for euthanization,” she declared.
“You do an excellent job there,” said Council member Marcia Rafanan. “We appreciate you. And so do our animals.”
The County should be ashamed for mostly abandoning the animal control services on the coast. That the Humance Society is stepping in to help fill the void (without County funding) is awesome. Please contact the County to help fund the additional services/burden now being taken on by MCHS.
I am so glad to see those facilities get reallocated to Mendo Coastal Humane group. They do amazing work.