CENSUS: INLAND EMPIRE HAS NATION'S HIGHEST POVERTY RATE

Sad, disgraceful, but true. And this has a major effect on the animal shelters in the Inland Empire. 

"About one in four children in the Inland Empire are living in poverty, according to recent statistics, said Gregory Bradbard, CEO of Inland Empire United Way."

Who would adopt when they can't feed their children? If they have pets, they don't have the money to have them spay/neutered and more come into the world. They can't provide medical care and then abuse sets in. They dump, they abandon.

The City of San Bernardino is hit hardest. Do the activists care? Nope. They are filing a lawsuit against a City in bankruptcy, when programs for children are being cut, these activists expect animals to be treated better than children or the elderly.

"It’s seen in the numbers for the city of San Bernardino, which according to the Census Bureau’s American Communities Survey had a poverty rate of 31.1 percent and an unemployment rate of 17.5 percent in 2012, the year the city filed for bankruptcy."

Despite the downturn in the economy, the County of San Bernardino's animal control/shelter has continued in the quest to be the best they can be for animals. The County has a 35% euthanization rate when many shelters are well over 50% and higher. 

"In 2012, 20.4 percent of San Bernardino County residents lived below the federal poverty line, an increase of 1.1 percentage points from the year before and 6.0 percentage points from 2008."

So at least 21% of the population of the County would probably not be in the market to adopt pets from the shelter, and probably contribute to the shelter population because neither can they afford to alter their pets. It's a vicious circle.

http://www.sbsun.com/social-affairs/20130919/census-inland-empire-has-nations-highest-poverty-rate

I congratulate the County of San Bernardino and the Devore shelter for continuing on against these striking odds. They deserved more praise than condemnation. 

DOUG SMITH: AN HONOR WELL EARNED

Homeward Bound Project Adopt

Liked · 12 hours ago 

Captain Doug Smith honored as the Department of Public Health’s Employee of the Month for April 2013.

During the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health’s (DPH) quarterly Employee Recognition Event held in September, Captain Doug Smith who oversees the Shelter Services Section for the Animal Care and Control Division was honored as the employee of the month for April 2013. Captain Smith’s Supervisor, Greg Beck wrote the following:

Captain Smith is willing to go above and beyond his regular position duties to make sure that Animal Care and Control's two shelters are maintained at the highest level possible and that the animals that are housed at the shelter receive proper care. On June 18, 2013 over 130 dogs were seized from a hoarder situation for a criminal animal cruelty case from a location in the County area of Apple Valley and impounded at the Devore Animal Shelter. During the impound process, the dogs were examined by a veterinarian, photographed and placed into their kennels. Smith coordinated this effort with field and shelter staff in a process that extended past the normal closing time of the shelter and past the end of his and staff’s shift. During the time that these dogs were housed at the Devore Shelter, Smith managed normal shelter operations and coordinated staff's efforts to clean and maintain above average number of animals at the shelter. Smith interacted with a number of local and national rescue groups that would eventually take and care for 131 of the dogs. Smith’s hard work and dedication he made sure that a difficult situation was handled professionally to shine a positive light on San Bernardino County Animal Care and Control and the Department of Public Health.

We are honored to see the Captain Smith received this recognition on behalf of the over 800 employees who work in the Department of Public Health. 

We would be remiss not to acknowledge the entire team at Animal Care and Control that assisted with this case, from the kennel staff who worked tirelessly to care for the additional animals at the shelter, to the field animal control officers who worked overtime to impound and care for the animals initially, to the supervisors at ACC who assisted in compiling and filing the criminal complaint in this case.  We also need to acknowledge the expanded efforts of our rescue group partners who ultimately accepted the animals for long term care and placement.  Truly a case of this magnitude can not be successfully managed without the help of many unsung heroes who have stepped forward to help those animals in their time of need.