Nearly a quarter million people live in Jackson County, Oregon. With only three commissioners to cover this expansive county, many issues and the people affected by them, do not get the attention they deserve. Fortunately, our vast county is filled with an incredible resource – many people with invaluable experience, expertise, talent, dedication, motivation, interest, concern, and willingness. Jackson County for All of Us (JCFA) is a community organization that recognizes this human potential and invites everyone to the conversation to help address some of the major challenges facing us in Jackson County. JCFA promotes transparency, accountability, inclusion, community engagement, rolling up our sleeves, working together, and getting things done.
What's Happening in the County?
First Some Background on the Animal Shelter -- Then a New Approach!
Currently, the animal shelter is run by Jackson County with the help of many volunteers. The main volunteer organization at the shelter is called Friends of the Animals (FOTAS). FOTAS has contributed countless volunteer hours and large financial donations to the shelter for over three decades. Over the past couple of years, Jackson County started restricting volunteers from offering critical services, getting dogs out on Mondays, and stopped accepting cats altogether.
After trying on multiple occasions to appeal to County and feeling unheard, animal advocates arranged a public town hall meeting in Medford in April to discuss the state of the animal shelter. Over 120 attendees, representing at least sixteen different animal-centered organizations, took part in the discussion.
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Participants at this initial town hall made clear that the community wants a new, bigger, better shelter, meeting the following criteria:
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A no-kill, open admission animal shelter for dogs, cats, and possibly other animals
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A central accessible location with a facility designed according to shelter best practices
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Capacity to accommodate future growth of our county
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Indoor/outdoor dog runs with play yards
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Adequate and pleasant shaded outdoor space for dog play groups and walking dogs
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A warm, welcoming atmosphere for volunteers
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Friendly collaboration with other animal welfare organizations
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After that initial meeting, volunteers stepped up and formed a group called Community Animal Rescue and Education (CARE) and started visiting animal shelters in other Oregon counties, doing research about how shelters are structured, built, and funded. They traveled to Klamath County Animal Shelter in Klamath Falls, Saving Grace in Roseburg, and Greenhill Humane Society in Eugene. They have been in phone contact with shelters in other states, including Reno, Nevada, Fairfax County Animal Shelter in Virginia, and others.
One theme that emerged in Oregon shelters was that several counties provide dog control services only (as mandated by state law), but work in collaboration with the overarching animal shelters, which are run by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In these scenarios, the county occupies a physical space within the shelter facility for dog control and contracts with the NGO for care of the dogs they pick up. Across the country, some animal shelters are run by NGOs and some are county-run. There are countless numbers of nonprofit organizations involved in running animal shelters in Oregon and throughout the nation, especially when offering expanded services, which is discussed below.
At the Board of Commissioners meeting on November 28th, the County Administrator unveiled a proposal to address the dog control mandate. The three commissioners rubber stamped his plan. There was no opportunity for public input and other alternatives have not yet been presented or considered.
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It is promising that there is movement on the part of County to respond to the mandate. But, to be clear, the County Administrator’s proposal is not to build a true animal shelter, but rather a dog control facility, with limited sheltering of dogs only. The good news is that it was confirmed at the meeting that there is money to build and operate such a facility.
So, we have a proposal on the table that is an improvement over the overcrowded facility we currently have, but still fails to meet our community’s basic needs before the project even begins. I struggle to name any county that excludes cats from its shelter. Failing to provide services for the cat population is irresponsible and results in untold thousands of unhoused cats and a very real possibility of a public health crisis. We are fortunate that Jackson County has a number of individuals who have stepped up on their own, formed groups and organizations, and who work hard every day trying to fill the void. Unfortunately, COVID caused major setbacks to progress that had been made, and despite their Herculean efforts, the feral cat population is exploding and resources are limited. The staggering number of unhoused dogs is also alarming and needs urgent action.
We desperately need a proactive, forward-thinking strategy -- AND a new shelter. Since we have one bite at the apple, let’s not squander this opportunity by simply meeting the basic requirements of the mandate and building a better dog pound. Now is our chance to think bigger as we consider how to address more of the challenges we face and how to make the biggest impact on our community. A well-planned true animal shelter could serve many needs throughout the county.
Envision a well-designed, clean, low-stress facility in a nice rural setting with shade trees and trails, pleasing to staff, volunteers, and animals alike. Imagine a shelter that would accept and care for, not only dogs, but cats, birds, rabbits, and other animals, as necessary. It would have a robust foster program, hundreds of active volunteers, engaging community enrichment programs, and open and effective collaboration with other related organizations.
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Widening the Circle of Compassion
We can take it a step further. Our community animal shelter could make a bigger impact, not only on animals, but also the people who love them, by removing a major barrier to accessing care and services – being unable or unwilling to leave a beloved pet(s) in order to seek help or access care and services – by offering crisis care boarding.​
Domestic violence. In Oregon, 40% of women and 36% of men experience domestic violence, and more than half of all women in the state experience sexual assault, according to the Washington County Family Justice Center. Those numbers exceed the national average.[1] Pets are not immune to domestic violence. They are often victims, too. Human victims often fail to leave violent relationships out of concern for the safety of their pets. Our shelter could include a Pet Haven program that would provide a safe place for pets of victims trying to escape abusive situations to receive care.
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Addiction Treatment. Many addicts are understandably unwilling to leave their pets in order to go into residential treatment programs. Our shelter could provide a safe place for the pets of addicts who enter treatment to get help for their addictions.
Crisis care boarding could also provide temporary housing for animals whose owners are hospitalized, incarcerated, in other emergency situations, or have recently passed.
Community Outreach Programs
Below are a few possibilities for community engagement. Such programs could help socialize, engage, and stimulate shelter animals, helping them become more adoptable, while providing bonding and healing for people who need to experience the acceptance and unconditional love of animals.
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Disabled Population. In 2016, Marin Humane in Novato, California, launched Compassion Corner, an hour-long, twice-monthly opportunity for people with physical and developmental disabilities to interact with animals in a safe and controlled setting. The shelter typically has three animal-assisted therapy teams visit with attendees. One staff member might bring in a couple of guinea pigs or rabbits, or a super mellow dog, cat or kittens for people to enjoy. This can help bring love and joy to disabled people who deserve to feel the unconditional love of an animal.
Seniors and Veterans. Many people are unable to own pets due to the cost of ownership, restrictions in their housing situations, or a host of other reasons. In 2023, a national poll found that 37% of older US adults (aged 50-80 years) experienced loneliness, and 34% reported feeling socially isolated,[2] which can have serious health consequences. Our shelter could offer opportunities for older adults and veterans, including those living in care homes, to come and interact with calm, socialized shelter animals to help treat social isolation and loneliness.
Children. In 2023, 15.5% of the children of Jackson County were living in poverty.[3] Poverty can be a major barrier to pet ownership. Our shelter could offer programs for unhoused or other children living in poverty without pets to come and experience the emotional bonding and unconditional healing love of animals. Some shelters also offer children’s summer camps in community resource rooms. Some young people may be drawn to careers in animal welfare or veterinary services which are in high demand.
Other Services
Vet Clinics. Onsite veterinary clinics where veterinarians come in to provide low-cost medical services, including opportunities for newly-trained vets to gain surgical experience by helping with spay and neuter surgeries. Vet tech training could also be provided to interested community members, including people who have been recently incarcerated and need job training. This could develop workforce to help address the shortage of licensed veterinary professionals while helping people get back on their feet and into society.
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Training & Education. There are numerous opportunities for training and education, such as providing training to new pet owners to help them provide a loving home. The center could also be a resource for people who would otherwise give up on their pets and surrender them because they lack the knowledge of how to properly care for or train them, with a goal of keeping good families together when possible.
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Including cats and other animals in need, providing temporary emergency animal shelter services for people and animals in need, and offering programs for community groups, to improve quality of life in Jackson County, could be an invaluable resource to many. Too many people are struggling and facing barriers to receiving help and improving their situations. Loving a pet should not be an insurmountable barrier.
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We, as a community, have an opportunity to do so much more than simply providing a bare minimum dog pound for our large and growing county. Programs and possibilities to widen the circle of compassion will help prevent many animals from ending up in shelters. Having wonderful shelters and rescues are critical, but we cannot shelter and adopt our way out of the overpopulation crisis. Prevention and intervention are also necessary.
A community-driven process allows for public input in order to come up with the most effective plan to best meet the needs of our animals and our growing population. A little creative thinking and a lot of collaboration can get us a true animal shelter that serves as an innovative and invaluable holistic community resource center, while conveniently helping address some currently unmet needs in our community. Jackson County will still get a better dog control facility, but we will all get a whole lot more. We can do it by working together..
A win for animals. A win for people. A win for Jackson County. A win for all of us.
To stay informed, get involved, or support, please visit jacksoncountyforall.org and click Sign Up.
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