During the past year and a half, we’ve seen the extraordinary roles that pets play in our lives. From the record number of pets going into homes with foster families at the start of the pandemic to the increased number of pet adoptions, people have turned to pets during difficult and alienating times. They have proven their importance as a source of emotional and physical support during a period when most of the population is experiencing social and other challenges.
Miami-Dade Animal Services Department (ASD) is the front line in animal welfare and animal-related issues in the county.
As the county seeks to fill the big shoes of former director Alex Munoz — who was appointed director of the county’s Internal Services Department in May — we must ensure that the person appointed to replace him is a leader who can work with the many factions involved in animal welfare, including elected officials, and who understands and can navigate the complicated aspects of animal welfare Miami-Dade.
Animal Services needs a leader open to finding creative and effective solutions to save and improve the lives of pets, someone who empowers the department’s team to continue to do their jobs, while allowing them to learn alongside their boss as they find ways to adapt and carry out their important work creatively. It needs a leader who puts animals first and ensures that ASD is effective in protecting animals, fostering life-saving relationships with responsible rescue partners and supporting responsible pet ownership.
It also is critical to keep in mind that shelter staff members are equally important. Existing staff, who have helped Animal Services make extraordinary strides, must be trusted to do their jobs; empowered to implement critical decisions based on their expertise and best practices and to continue to evolve their work without the undue influence of political or personal agendas.
Key staff, doing the job that Munoz empowered them to do, have brought the department to where it is in five short years: It’s a shelter that regularly takes in almost 30,000 animals a year and still manages to maintain a more than 90% live-release rate, and one that has expanded and grown services provided to pets and pet owners in the county to become a resource for pets and pet families.
Animal Services also has successfully expanded programs and services to community pets, creating collaborations to reach more pet owners and expanding programs to keep pets with their families. The transformation of Miami-Dade County’s only open-admission shelter has been nothing short of that — transformational.
The shelter now faces challenges and opportunities to build on its life-saving work of the past five years. The county has to ensure that it doesn’t lose hard-earned ground that has benefited people and pets alike. It must ensure the new director is the right fit and guard against the disruptions and defections that can begin to dismantle hard-earned progress for our county’s animals. Let’s ensure that we continue to protect the most vulnerable animals in our community.
At-risk pets and animals, and our community, deserve no less.
Yolanda Berkowitz is president of the Friends of Miami Animals Foundation.