Loading...
DASAB Minutes 12/19/2019December 19,2019 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF COLLIER COLTNTY DOMESTIC ANIMAL SERVICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE Naples, Florida, December 19,2019 LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Collier County Domestic Animal Services Advisory Committee in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 3:00 PM in a Workshop Session with the following members present: CHAIRMAN: VICE CHAIRMAN: SECRETARY: Daniel Rheaume Jim Rich Sarah Baeckler-Davis Mary Baker Marjorie Bloom Dr. Michael Gordon James Spartz ALSO PRESENT: Darcy Andrade, Director, DAS Kyra Lynch, Shelter Operations Manager, DAS I. Call to Order Chairman Daniel Rheaume called the meeting to order at3:02 p.m. VI. Workshop A. Current Standards of Care Ordinance Dan Rheaume introduced the current Standards of Care. Darcy Andrade provided background on the Standards of care and several definitions in the current standards, including Animal Related Business, Animal Related organization, commercial Breeder, Hobby Breeder and pet Dealer. at Domestic Animal Services Training Room, Davis Blvd., Naples, Florida, I December 19,2019 Mike Gonidakis asked for oregular inspection' to be defined. Luis Marquez from Petland asked how often organizations would be inspected. Darcy Andrade discussed Article 4 which includes proper animal husbandry, state records requirements and Florida State Statutes. B. Standards of Care Amendment Discussion Darcy Andrade posted proposed language on the projector. Language that was proposed by Petland was shown in blue, language obtained from Palm Beach County Ordinance was shown in red. In Article II there was a discussion about the difference between pet shops and pet stores. Marjorie Bloom recommended mandatory sterilization for retail sale animals Sarah Baeckler-Davis asked the Chair what the expected end-product would be. Mr. Rheaume stated that they should be making recommendations for future ordinances. Darcy Andrade reminded the Board that they cannot make motions or vote on anlthing during a Workshop Session. Mr. Marquez asked if there is a cap on the 30-day provisional permit. Ms. Andrade advised that they can grant further extensions based on circumstance. Terry Miller from Petland asked if there is a specified penalty and was advised by Ms. Andrade that the penalty is specified in the fee policy. Mike Gonidakis inquired about major vs. minor violations and if they count once completed and was advised that that the violation turns into a citation if compliance is not achieved. Ms. Baeckler-Davis inquired about access for exercise and space. Ms. Andrade made a note to include that. Mr. Marquez asked for details on that and was advised by Ms. Baeckler-Davis that the USDA has minimum requirements. A discussion was held regarding temperature limits and Ms. Baeckler Davis suggested a high-end temperature of 80". Ms. Andrade advised that the current high-end temperature is 85.. Mary Baker asked if the wording could be changed to require that a local county Veterinarian must be used. Darcy Andrade responded she didn't know if that would be possible. Luis Marquez agreed that pet stores and pet shops could offer animals from local rescue organizations for adoption. Sara Baeckler-Davis asked for clarification on 'other source' of acquiring animals. Stated that they offer 'donations' for the transfers that come in from out of state from other animal related organizations. Jim Rich stated that he doesn't 2 December 19,2019 believe that it is an issue to pay transport fees for animal related organizations. Ms. Andrade and Ms. Baeckler-Davis stated that they would explore it further Mike Gonidakis requested proposed language to hold the licensed vet responsible for their own violations. Luis Marquez discussed international importation as a growing concern to animal welfare. Sara Baeckler-Davis advised that there are federal laws that govern this and including it is redundant. Mike Gonidakis wanted to know the timeline to review the proposed language and was advised by Darcy Andrade that it is dependent on what is decided, but may be ready by January. Mike Gonidakis asked if electronic records are permitted and was advised that they are. Sara Baeckler-Davis requested that pet stores be required to maintain unredacted records. There was a discussion about the source of the adoptable animals in pet stores and the requirement that the informatin be posted on the kennels. Ms. Andrade reminded everyone that these are only suggestions and she was asked to obtain photos of the cage cards from Palm Beach County She was also asked to look at Miami Dade. Darcy Andrade addressed the request that a local Veterinarian be required. Jeffrey Klatzkow advised that he would research it. Mr. Klatzkow also advised that changes were becoming too broad and that they need to be limited to the topic of regulating pet stores. Marjorie Bloom recommended mandatory spay/neuter for all cats and dogs that are sold. JC Planas stated that the Petland agreement specifies that animals are not to be used for breeding. Luis Marquez offered to provide a voucher so that clients could have animals spayed/neutered at Domestic Animal Services. Sara Baeckler-Davis recommended requiring sterilization prior to sale. Dr. Gordon mentioned that it is not always advisable on animals that young but mentioned the possibility of taking deposits. Darcy Andrade stated that she would research that. Dan Rheaume asked Luis Marquez about the success of their agreement. And was advised it is approx. 50%. Ms. Baeckler-Davis commented that the state has already established the intent to require all adopted animals to be sterilized. JC Planas stated that people have the right to have puppies. Ed Sayers stated that he agreed with Dr. Gordon and that the pet store is for pets, not for working animals. Mary Baker agreed that early sterilization is not ideal, but it is important to sterilize. Luis Marquez stated that he will not sign off on mandatory sterilization but is willing to pay DAS/HSN to perform sterilization for his customers. Jim Rich stated that he likes the idea of the refundable deposit and 3 December 19,2019 that something should be done, but his experience with voucher programs is that they don't always work. JC Planas stated that mandatory spay/neuter should be part of the licensing process and fees, not in the pet store business. Dan Rheaume asked if Petland has a Veterinarian on staff or if they use local Veterinarians. Mr. Marquez advised that he franchises, but he personally uses local Veterinarians. Darcy Andrade showed proposed language from Humane Society Naples. Sara Baeckler-Davis reminded everyone that the Animal Services Advisory Board (ASAB) unanimously voted to ban pet stores outright, but the Board of County Commissioners required them to hold this workshop regardless of the fact that the ASAB does not support it in the first place. Ms. Baeckler-Davis stated that she did some research and recommended that pet stores should only be allowed to source puppies from breeding facilities that have five (5) breeding females or less. She also suggested another workshop to continue discussions. Mary Baker requested that board members receive a copy of the language proposed by Humane Society Naples. Luis Marquez said that he would not be able to comply with that requirement because all of his breeders have more than five breeding females. Sara Baeckler-Davis reminded everyone that the ASAB does not support pet store in Collier County but understands that the workshop is intended to bring everyone together to form an agreement. Jim Spartz stated that he would like to see compromise and Marjorie Bloom agreed. Mary Baker also agreed to compromise and expressed interest in a second workshop. JC Planas asked where the suggestion for five breeding females or less originated from and was advised by Sara Baeckler-Davis that it was Cook County, Illinois. Mr. Klatzkow mentioned that Board of County Commissioners would not approve changes to the ordinance without agreement from all parties. Luis Marquez stated that there are 57 breeders that he uses and that they all have more than five breeding females. He also advised that the Board members are welcome to visit and inspect the breeding facilities. Dan Rheaume asked about transparency and customer mutual release and if non- disclosures are required for any settlements that are made. JC Planas stated that they have settlements once or twice a month, but only recalled one time have they requested a non-disclosure. 4 December 19,2019 VII. Public Comment Chuck Danielian stated he doesn't agree with Mr. Planas, he has met several people who stated that they signed non-disclosure agreements and won't come to meetings because they are afraid. He stated that Collier County should be innovative and any sterilization deposit should be a percentage ofthe purchase price ofthe pet. Kelly Hyland asked about when there would be another workshop. She would like to review every4hing from this meeting and prepare for the next. She stated that she is concemed about lack of regulation on the origin ofthe dogs and she asked if there is an overall limit on the total number of dogs coming into the store. Mary Baker commented that the number is limited by the Standards of Care. Ms. Hyland read from the CDC repo( dated 12ll7ll9 which included information about campylobacter. There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was concluded at 5:30 p,m. COLLIER COUNTY DOMESTIC E s VOE C These minutes approved by Board/Committee on amended _. AS presented _ or as 5