FOCCAS.ORG
Friends of Colusa County Animal Shelter

Home :: News @ Events

NEWS & EVENTS

Did you notice we have a new email address ~ foccasanimals@gmail.com

NOTE: All FOCCAS donation/collection boxes are clearly marked with our name, address and phone number. FOCCAS is not affiliated with any other group.

The Colusa County Fair rolled through again last month "Blue Jeans and Country Dreams" was the theme this year. Gayle took on the project of creating and displaying our booth with help from Carolyn who made the letters along the back wall. Gayle incorporated information and the actual agricultural products that Colusa County grows in large quantity, rice being the main product. She created and displayed a collage of a dog made out of rice which turned out beautifully. For her hard work and dedication the Fair awarded FOCCAS with a Third Prize ribbon and a check for $150. (7/2011)

The dog license and rabies clinics are finished for another year. After all the receipts are tallied we will post what clinic brought in the most people. There were two mishaps this year because dogs were not on a leash. You may believe that your dog is well behaved and wouldn't do anything but it's the OTHER dog and owner you should take into consideration. The clinics are noisy with strange people, dogs and location which can cause your dog to be stressed. This year there were more volunteers taking down the information and answering questions while people waited in line. This sped up the procedure and it will be continued next year. We want to send a big thank you to the sheriff's dept. personnel and volunteers from the sheriff's dept. citizens group and FOCCAS. (5/2011)

Colusa County Animal Ordinance updated from the 1949 original statute. The Board of Supervisors approved to update a section of the county animal ordinances on Tuesday April 5, 2011. The ordinance which will be in effect as of May 5, 2011 states that dogs must be on a leash not longer than 6 feet, when the animal is off the property of the owner. Several home owners in the Arbuckle area have had continuous complaints over a years time about owners that do not have their dogs under control. The entire ordinance will be posted on Colusa Animal Information Network website in May when it will go into effect. (4/2011)

It's amazing what a can of paint can do. If you've visited the shelter office you will be greeted with newly painted walls and a whole lot of binders, papers, animal information etc waiting to be put away - somewhere. A new year brought the opportunity to clean the place up. The shelter office has new paint, both U-Haul storage trailers have been straightened up with dog/cat food being thrown away because of rats. We've solved the rat problem so that won't happen again. The animal shelter portion has really had a much needed face lift! All kennel doors have had the chain link replaced with stronger link We've added colorful plexi-glass panels on each door so there isn't cross aisle contamination for the dogs. We will add the photos hopefully next week. It's very exciting to see this change. Stop by the shelter between 2:00 - 3:00 Monday through Friday and check it out for yourself. (2/2011)

The Colusa County Senior Health Fair that was held on October 28th from 10am to 2pm at the Colusa County Fairgrounds was a lot of fun. Gayle and Dee manned our both for the four hours where they sold dog identification tags for a $1.00 donation and handed out the Fall 2010 issue of our newsletter Waggin' Tales. The questions that were asked focused on spay/neuter, shelter fees for an impounded dog and where to go for low cost spay/neuter. Information on spay/neuter and Parvo were available in Spanish also. Gayle creates wonderful gift baskets that we raffle off for free each year and the lucky winner was Ruth G. who is a resident at Valley West Care Center in Williams. We hope she enjoys all the goodies. (11/10)

Two amendments concerning Colusa County animal ordinances were submitted to county counsel at the end of September. The proposals are requesting an update to Dog At Large and Dogs On The Land Of Another ordinance which was written in 1949 and has not been updated since then. The proposals have the backing of the sheriff's dept. The two ordinances were researched and updated because of many requests from the public. (10/10) UPDATE: County counsel has reviewed the ordinance proposals. We hope they will be presented to the Board of Supervisors in January 2011. (12/10)

Chief Animal Control Officer Elliott and Dee a FOCCAS volunteer met with Lt. Maxey yesterday to discuss possible FOCCAS projects.

1) Because of the cost it was agreed not purchase the plexi-glass kennel panels from the company in Kansas but to go ahead and have a cement curb built between two kennels, place the chain link on top of that then purchase a plexi-glass panel from a company in Yuba City and attach that to the chain link - one being 6 foot long for the side panels and one for the kennel door. Only one kennel will be updated at first to see how everything works. By doing this we hope to stop the flow of contaminants from one kennel to another and the plexi-glass will ease cage-to-cage fighting.

2) The possibility of obtaining a donated mobile office trailer to be used for storage and to have a quiet place where the officers would be able to work on statistics, write reports etc without interruption was denied.

3) Ordinance proposals to change the Dog At Large and Dogs On The Lands of Another were presented. Lt. Maxey ok'd the draft and he will present them to the sheriff for his suggestions or approval.

4) Our collection box at Granzella's was vandalized so we need to order more boxes. No money was taken. Granzella's has offered to look at the surveillance video regarding the incident. (8/30/10)

The dog kennel panels have rusted through leaving sharp dangerous holes and edges. They are in much worse condition than the photos shown below on this page. We are currently working with the sheriffs dept. to discuss the best way to solve the problem so the panels won't need replacement every four or five years. A new shelter would be the best option but because that isn't even in the rear view mirror we need to purchase stronger materials or build a "cement curb" between each kennel and then place the chain link on top of that. Ideally what ever design is chosen it should create a substantial barrier to the floor so liquid and contaminants can't seep through to the next kennel. It would certainly diminish the outbreak of Parvo and lessen the euthanasia's that normally follow. (8/10)

Seventy dogs were processed through the Colusa Animal Control Dept in just one month. January 2010 was unfortunately a busy month and the numbers continue to increase. We've seen the impound numbers continue to climb from approximately 30 dogs in 2004: 60 dogs 2006: to last month 70 dogs. These are not just "homeless" dogs. Some have owners, others may be vicious or non socialized & are owner surrenders. Then you have the puppy litters - 4 - 6 - 8 puppies. For all the people who think they will make quick cash by letting your dog breed should stop at the shelter & watch the puppies and young dogs being euthanized. The reality is there are not enough quality homes especially in the current economy. But you can make a difference - Spay or Neuter your animals & Save A Life. (2/10)

Unsafe, unsanitary kennels still a problem. The purchase from Houndquarters, read below story, would require that all dogs be removed from the kennels, the pipes be cut off and the new kennel system be constructed in place. The problem was where to house the dogs while construction was happening and then there was the price. To completely transform the 14 kennels the cost would be $14,500 not including tax, shipping or installation. So we are looking for another solution.

The current idea is to cut the chain link, pour cement approximately 4 inches thick and 2 or 3 feet high, replace the pole and chain to rest on the new wall. The cement would be smooth in order to be able to scrub it clean and so no food or waste would accumulate. The disinfectant wouldn't harm the cement and would last for years. Most important of all the cement would create a barrier between kennels so contaminates can't leak from kennel to the other. A volunteer is researching local companies who could provide those services at a nominal cost. Our idea has to be approved by all the "higher ups" but we want to get things in place so hopefully this can be accomplished in March 2010. Can you help us? If you know of someone who could help us with this project, please email foccasanimals@gmail.com 11/6/09 UPDATE 11/20/09: We have one bid so far. So we are making headway.

These panels lasted 5 years but are now corroded creating rusty sharp edges. (The dark area is a rusty gap between the cement floor and panel. ) Not safe or sanitary anymore.

Got Animal Shelter Adoption software? No we don't. All adoption paperwork, posting of the available animals on Petfinder, and follow-up procedures are done the old fashion way - by hand. We are currently looking at a software program from Shelter Pro. It has an Adoption Module that would make the process so much more efficient. The animal information and photo would automatically link our available pets to three adoption sites: Petfinder, Pets911 and Save A Pet. More sites means more exposure means more adoptions. 10/9/09 The shelter is still without a shelter software program. The above program, Shelter Pro, is recommended by The Humane Society of The United States. It would assist the officers with the tracking of lost and found animals, warning and citation reports, adoptions, dog license records and much more. Perhaps 2010 will be the lucky year. (2/10) Think we've pretty much given up the idea of having a software program for the shelter. It would be efficient, save time for the animal control officer and improve record keeping. Not only is the cost holding us back but there is no one to do input duty on a regular basis. (4/3/11)

Hit Counter