ASPCA Partnership Allocates $139,000 Grant to Miami-Dade County

NEW YORK--The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today announced it will provide Miami-Dade County with a $139,000 grant dedicated to providing positive outcomes for Miami-Dade's at-risk and homeless dogs and cats.

The grant, which is part of the ASPCA Partnership launched in October 2010, will help the partner agencies by:

• Enlisting veterinary medicine professionals to help identify areas for improvement in the spay/neuter clinic;
• Improving shelter medicine protocols;
• Fine-tuning agency operations;
• Adding special adoption events for the coming seasons;
• Funding a staff position to increase the number of lost pets reunited with their owners, and
• Investing funds in the form of additional grants so that successful programs can continue to impact the future.

"The purpose of the ASPCA Partnership is to reach out to those communities that need our help the most," said ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres. "The Miami-Dade community faces a number of challenges, specifically an overpopulation of at-risk animals and a municipal shelter that is over capacity, but if the partners and community work together, we can continue the lifesaving trend and improve the lives of the county's homeless dogs and cats."

The ASPCA Partnership organizations include Miami-Dade Animal Services (the only public, open admission public shelter); the Humane Society of Greater Miami (a private, not-for-profit limited admission, adoption-guaranteed facility); and The Cat Network (a local spay/neuter, TNR and adoption group). Miami-Dade County was chosen for its leadership and strong, collaborative infrastructure.

"More animals were adopted in Miami-Dade in 2010 than ever before, but our success continues to pale in comparison to our challenges," said Dr. Sara Pizano, Director of Miami-Dade Animal Services. "We are looking forward to launching improved programs and protocols in 2011 that will increase adoptions, reunite a greater number of lost pets with owners, and increase spay/neuter opportunities for the 37,000 animals expected to enter area shelters this year."

In addition to Miami-Dade County, Fla., the ASPCA's current Partner Communities are Austin, Texas; Buncombe County, N.C.; Charleston, S.C.; Cleveland, Ohio; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Sacramento, Calif.; Shelby County, Ala.; Spokane, Wash.; and Tampa, Fla. The ASPCA's investment in these partnerships--in the form of direct grants, capacity-building, training, ASPCA staff expertise, and strategic planning--varies from a one- to five-year period to address homeless animal issues in each community. Since the ASPCA began its Partner Community program in 2007, close to a million animals have been adopted, returned to owners, or spay/neutered as a result of the exceptional collaboration among partner agencies in each community.