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Why Tampa?
With more than 17 million people, Florida is the fourth largest state in the United States, following close on the heels of California, Texas and New York. The three counties that comprise Tampa Bay—Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco—offer a combined population of 2.5 million. Tampa also has the third largest immigrant (Hispanic/Latino) population in the country.
ASPCA® Mission: Orange™ is going to concentrate its efforts in Hillsborough County—which, at more than 1.1 million people, has the largest population of the above-named three counties. With success, the program could be expanded to neighboring counties in the future.
Participating shelters in the ASPCA® Mission: Orange™ campaign are Hillsborough County Animal Services (the animal control facility), the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, and No More Homeless Pets (a coalition of animal welfare groups and individuals working together to end pet overpopulation).
ASPCA® Mission: Orange™ initiatives in Tampa include:
- Behavior assessment programs to complement shelter adoption programs;
- Reduced intake of unwanted animals; and
- Expansion of existing spay/neuter programs.
Each sheltering facility has veterinarians on staff, and the veterinary community (which includes two schools for veterinary technicians in the Tampa Bay area, as well as a college of veterinary medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville), has demonstrated a strong interest in helping the local shelters with disaster relief by working with the local EARS (Emergency Animal Rescue Services) representative.
Currently, Tampa Bay’s free and discounted spay/neuter programs include a voucher program run by Hillsborough County Animal Services, which charges $10 for low-income/indigent families, and a low-cost sterilization clinic at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. No More Homeless Pets-Hillsborough County (NMHP-HC) promotes adoptions and spay/neuter by working closely with the Animal Coalition of Tampa (ACT) and the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay certainly has the infrastructure and desire to ultimately support a “humane community,” and the ASPCA has more than 40,000 donors in the state who give more than $3 million annually. But the participating ASPCA® Mission: Orange™ animal welfare agencies still face the following challenges:
- Hillsborough County Animal Services: Euthanizes approximately 90 percent of animals due to limited adoption programs, lack of space, health issues with animals and no formal behavior assessment program;
- Humane Society of Tampa Bay: This limited admission facility has limited space. There have also been health issues with animals who have been transferred in from animal control, which has limited the intake of animals;
- No More Homeless Pets-Hillsborough County (NMHP-HC): Has had limited impact due to the absence of a physical shelter and lack of funding for programs.
Approximately 50,000 animals were euthanized last year at the three animal control agencies in Tampa Bay. Of the three county facilities, the breakdown is as follows:
|
Intakes |
Adoptions |
Euthanized | |
|
Hillsborough County |
36,091 |
2,900 |
29,872 |
|
Pasco County |
10,000 |
2,200 |
7,000 |
|
Pinellas County |
23,518 |
3,400 |
12,685 |
|
TOTAL |
69,609 |
8,500 |
49,557 |
Other challenges include a large number of feral/stray cats and high volume of cruelty cases often involving pit bulls, who need to be held at the shelter for long periods of time until cases are resolved. Additionally, dog fighting is an issue. Although pit bulls are banned in the Miami area, no breed bans currently exist in Tampa Bay. Shelters offer pit bulls and pit mixes for adoption, but these dogs are difficult to place and tend to linger longer than other animals, increasing the chances of disease and problematic behavior.
ASPCA® Mission: Orange™ will address these and many other issues, in collaboration with its Tampa partners, to elevate the status of companion animals in this target community.
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