Hunting for forever homes

In the city of Vestavia Hills, code enforcement and animal control officer Jimmy Coleman picks up 30 to 40 stray dogs per year. Most of these — 85 to 90 percent, Coleman said — are returned to their owners within a couple of days.

For those pets that don’t get picked up by their owners within five days, the city takes an additional five days to find an adopter or rescue organization to rehome the dogs. However, the city’s animal control policy does allow for euthanasia of unclaimed strays, which has led to recent social media conversations on whether that policy is outdated and inhumane.

A conversation on the “What’s Happening in Vestavia Hills” Facebook page in late April centered around the city’s animal control policy and whether enough is done to find homes for stray dogs, as well as their care while the city searches for their owners.

The city contracts with Vestavia Animal Clinic (VAC) to board stray dogs during their 10-day holding period. Coleman said the city pays for flea treatment and medical care for injuries or illnesses but does not pay for spay/neuter or routine check-up services. The city does not have a contract with local humane societies for stray dogs but does work with the Greater Birmingham Humane Society (GBHS) to handle stray cats.

City Manager Jeff Downes said that while the city doesn’t have a contract, he has spoken with GBHS’s leadership and described them as “more than willing to assist with extended boarding or adoption assistance as it is needed.”

“My analysis has shown that those circumstances are very rare,” Downes said. “The city has regularly paid to extend boarding for healthy animals well beyond the code limited periods until an owner or new home can be found for the animal.”

Coleman said despite euthanasia being part of the city policy, it is a rare occurrence. In his three years of animal control duty, there have been only three dogs put down: two that contracted parvovirus — a contagious and potentially fatal disease — and one that had been struck by a car and had injuries too severe to have a chance at recovery. 

“Knock on wood, since I’ve been doing it we’ve only had three dogs euthanized,” Coleman said. “I’ve been fortunate not to have to do that.”

Coleman and Dr. Shane West at VAC both confirmed the city’s contract with VAC does not include spay/neuter surgery or routine medical care. 

Coleman said spaying or neutering is intended to be the responsibility of the person or organization that takes the dog, not the city. However, he said while the dog is in the city’s care, “that animal’s our responsibility and we will do whatever the veterinarian says.”

Coleman said the city works with VAC because they have outdoor kennels that he can access even if he picks up a stray late at night. Downes said the city pays $11 per animal per day for boarding, and the Vestavia Hills budget shows payment of $2,931 to VAC for its services so far this fiscal year.

“They fit our need 24 hours a day,” Coleman said.

Additionally, the city has paid GBHS $2,216 and West Alabama Wildlife Services $5,412 this fiscal year for other animal control services.

The main contention in the “What’s Happening in Vestavia Hills” conversation on animal control is that the city is not doing enough to publicize dogs available to adopt while in stray holding. A group of commenters even discussed interest in visiting VAC regularly to photograph available strays to let more people know about them.

Coleman said he is open to talking with citizens about new ways to get information out about adoptable dogs.

Coleman said his current method is first to look for an owner through identification or rabies tag details, microchips and by posting pictures and descriptions of strays on the VHPD Animal Control Facebook page. In most cases, “We are fortunate to find the owners pretty fast,” he said.

After five days of looking for the owner, Coleman said, he posts on Facebook that the dog is available for adoption and begins working through his network of potential adopters. Coleman said he has a list of local rescue organizations he calls to find one that can take in a stray, and he also works through friends and even his own daughters to find people who might want to bring home a new pet.

“I just try to use everybody I can,” he said.

At VAC, West said the staff also look for potential adopters and, in some cases, will drive stray dogs to the Greater Birmingham Humane Society, as that facility is more equipped to find adoptive homes and provide spay/neuter surgery. 

Coleman seeks out local adopters, preferably within the city, he said, and tries to get to know them before adopting. He does not do background checks, however, which some in the Facebook discussion in April said the city should change its rules to require.

Coleman said he understands why the city includes euthanasia as part of its animal control policy — to prevent the burden of many unclaimed and unadopted pets being kept indefinitely at a veterinary clinic that is not a rescue organization. 

However, he emphasized he wanted residents to know putting a dog down is always a last resort for him.

“I try my best to find somebody to take them,” Coleman said.

Read the full Vestavia Hills animal control policy at vhal.org/departments/police-department/animal-control. Updates on stray dogs found in Vestavia can be found at facebook.com/VhpdAnimalControl.