1. Overall, what is your sense of support for animal welfare issues? Do you see animal welfare connected to human welfare or in conflict? Please tell us how you arrive at your perspective on animal welfare in DeKalb.

Answer:

I do not believe that animal welfare conflicts with human welfare. Animal welfare and
family welfare complement one another. Animals contribute to the overall wellbeing
of the family unit, thus are essential members of a family. For many children, the
family pet is the first living thing they learn to take care of other than themselves.
The family pet reinforces the lessons parents teach about responsibility. Pets
also provide our families with companionship, help reduce stress, and provide
emotional support. We should not have to choose which family member is most
important, regardless of if they are animal or human.

2. DeKalb County has a significant problem with breeding more dogs than can be absorbed into DeKalb’s homes. Many are bred for sale. Thousands of these dogs end up homeless roaming streets and neighborhoods and some of those (about 5,000 annually), end up in our shelter. Forty-two percent of those dogs are puppies under the age of a year. In many cruelty, neglect and abandonment cases, unregulated breeding activity is an underlying and contributing factor. Overbreeding is the biggest issue for Advocates -- not only are we concerned about the suffering the animals endure but it is also a very expensive problem for our county. What are you going to do as Commissioner to address this and lead the county out of this problem? Will you support and enforce regulation of breeding?

Answer:
Yes, I would investigate the strengthening of local ordinances and state laws for the
licensing of animal breeders. I would advocate for increased penalties for breeders that bypass the required licensing. The purpose is to control practices by unlicensed
breeders that lead to abandoned animals that end up needing care at the county animal shelter. I would also budget for free spay and neutering clinics. In the establishment of new state laws, I would ask our legislators to address animal adoption in any new bill proposed.

3. Historically, Animal Services has been the last thought of county government. It’s the department with the smallest budget and, some would say, the least respect. And, it’s the topic many want to ignore or turn away from. In recent years, residents of the county have lifted this issue up for greater attention, but many citizens continue to feel that they have to organize and push for every little step forward. The county has an Animal Services Advisory Board of committed, informed, and effective volunteers , appointed by members of the Commission and the CEO. Our own organization, Advocates for DeKalb Animals, also has a large group of active, engaged volunteers who follow county decision-making and programming, promote adoptions and foster families to provide homes for DeKalb’s homeless animals, and attend court to give voice to the suffering of animals that are the victims of cruelty and neglect. From our perspective, we oppose the idea of a new task force or study group because it would delay needed actions that have already been explored and vetted from years of national standards research. As a Commissioner, what, if any, role do you anticipate for the volunteers on the Animal Services Advisory Board and in Advocates for DeKalb Animals?

Answer:
I believe we will develop better solutions if we include the citizens of DeKalb. I would ask
the Animal Services Board to meet and develop recommendations. I would provide
them with the staff and resources needed to understand the DeKalb Animal Control
process and best practices globally with the goal of becoming national leader in animal welfare.

4. Each year, hundreds of DeKalb residents are charged with cruelty, neglect and
abandonment of their animals. Often, these crimes are connected to other crimes, some of them violent. Additionally, the connection between animal neglect and cruelty and domestic violence, spousal and child abuse, has been well-established by public health researchers. Advocates would like to see leadership address these issues with preventive measures. Additionally, the victims of animal cruelty and neglect are impounded by the county into the crowded shelter and are often held there for months and even years, adding more punishment to the animal victims on top of the bad treatment that led their owners to be charged and the animals to be impounded. DeKalb has recently joined many other counties in Georgia in utilizing state laws (motions to dispose of the animals prior to trial and petitions for costs of care) to release the dogs so that the animals are not “sentenced” to confinement when their owners are charged. As Commissioner, will you continue and increase to support the practice of utilizing state laws to encourage release of the animals? Why or why not?

Answer:
Yes, I would continue and increase to support the practice of utilizing state laws to
encourage release of the animals. This would be the first step in reducing the
overcrowding we are experiencing at our animal shelters.