Friends of Animal Services commendation resolution

54:37Okay, next resolution, I R S three.

54:40All right. Is anyone here for Friends of Animal Services? Uh

54:48All right. Come on up.

54:56So how do I see what the resembling is?

55:04So many petitions are

55:06Mr. Cox, you're just involved in everything.

55:11All right, I'll go ahead and read the resolution. Resolution number 23-060, a resolution by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, commending Friends of Animal Services, Inc. for their generous support to the Pasco County Animal Services. Whereas Friends of Animal Services Inc., Friends, is a nonprofit organization established for the purpose of enriching the lives of pets at the Pasco County Animal Services. PCAS Adoption Center and approving and improving the likelihood of adoption

55:42into loving homes. And whereas the mission of fr of Friends is to provide funding and resources that enhance the wealth Health, welfare, and environment of shelter animals promote adoptions, advocate responsible pet ownership, promote pet sterilization, and foster public interest in and support for the Pasco County Administrator.

56:11Grant funding of $264,500 to PCAS in support of its mission to sub to help people and pets in Pasco County. This funding helped create the Pet Enrichment Program at the shelter to enhance the quality of life and ease the stress of shelter pets by providing pet toys, training aids, pet treats, and feeding puzzles. Friends also funded two new fully outfitted dog play yards and many other shelter enhancements, including a new Kubota utility. Vehicle

56:41and awnings to shade outdoor areas. And RAS Friends invested generously in the veterinary services provided by PCAS. Their donation funded over 113 heartworm treatments for heartworm-positive dogs, which improved their likelihood of successful adoption. Friends also funded new medical equipment, including dental equipment, an ultrasound machine, a diet. Yeah. And surgical instruments and post-surgery digital monitors. NRAS Friends administered 125,000

57:13in national animal welfare grants to support PCAS's new public programs, including free vaccination clinics for over 700 pets, a pet food pantry, and pet boarding vouchers to help people retain their pets during financially hardship. Brought on by the pandemic and programs for pet emergency medical procedures and pet sterilization. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County that said board hereby commends Friends of Animal

57:43Services Inc. for their generous support to Pasco County Administrator to improve the lives of shelter pets and to provide them a better chance of finding a forever home. Done and resolved in regular subject. session with a quorum present and voting this twenty fourth day of January twenty twenty three.

57:59Someone. Someone? All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Okay. Commissioner Bradford.

58:06I am honored. This is uh my first one, Mr. Chair.

58:09All right.

58:10So if you come to my house on Thanksgiving or Christmas, it's a kennel. Uh we have a lot of dogs in our house uh and uh I think it's just absolutely wonderful that we have citizens that will step up to the plate. For uh our dogs and cats and other animals that we have that um Sometimes fall through the cracks. You guys are truly doing what you should be doing and truly making a difference in the quality of life and the

58:41fabric of our community because

58:47Caring about animals brings out the best in everybody. And I'm proud to be a part of that and I'm proud to do this resolution for you. So well done and thank you.

58:56Okay. Anyone looking at? Well I'd like to say, Commissioner Cox, you've been involved um as a s as a commission, you were very strong supporter of animal services right from the get go, never wavered and haven't. Um Michael, the team that you have out there is absolutely phenomenal and I think it Makes the friends so excited to help you uh achieve great things out there. And from from the all the people I've seen you Make happy compared to how it was when you first got here to where you've got this level two, it's you've made it

59:26premier. So Thank you, friends, and thank you, Michael, for the great team and all the great work. Yeah.

59:35Oh sorry. Um When we fur when I first got elected it it wasn't quite like this and We had a lot of people out against our animal services and working but We've stepped it up and y'all have done a great job and put us where we need to be to be a premier county and especially with this service that y'all provide. So we really thank you for all that. Oh, very good.

59:58Yeah.

59:58Okay.

59:59Your commissioners, I just want to say that the real heroes here are is your staff. I mean the the people who work at animal services are the the folks that every day face those challenges and do an incredible job. You know, when when I had the pleasure of of helping start friends uh when I was on the board it it was really to try to help them achieve their goals, right? So the very first time that I toured the shelter Uh if you haven't done

1:00:29it yet, you know, please go out there and do it. But the very first time I toured the shelter The live release rate was in the forties. And I'll never forget seeing the site of the deceased animals that had been euthanized that morning that were stacked up like cordwood out there. It was a horrible sight. Now that they're, you know, ninety three percent, I think it is, or ninety three. Ninety

1:00:59three. It that's just incredible. And you know, they're They're uh they do a great job out there and our group it just supports that. So thank you for recognizing us. Appreciate it. Michael,

1:01:11anyone else?

1:01:16Hi, uh I'm Darlene Green and I'd like to say that uh I appreciate everything that the commission has done uh to help the shelter progress the way that they have. And again, thanks to the staff that you have out there. uh they are they make it Premier and they are well known throughout the state and the nation. for the terrific job that they they're doing and also for the um Training. They're involved

1:01:46in training throughout the United States and involved in all types of committees. So Pasco County should be very proud of the staff that they have out there. As the treasurer of Friends of Animal Services, it's always my pleasure to see funds donated by the community come across my desk. And uh so that I can go and deposit that money into help the people in Pasco County with the shelter. So

1:02:17as the treasurer, I'd like to give you each a brochure so that you can remember us when you leave here today and uh be happy to deposit your check as well. So So yeah, so I would like to do that. And uh but I can't tell you how pleased I am with the citizens in Pasco County because they're truly the ones that step up and make these donations possible that we give back to the shelter and we give 100% back

1:02:48because everybody on our board are volunteers. The money that goes to the shelter out there is to help provide for the benefit and the welfare of the animals there. So I thank you very much. I thank the staff for what they do, and I thank Mike, Mr. Cox. for everything that he did because he had the eye and the ear in the very beginning to come forward and show a spotlight on the shelter and the needs that they

1:03:18have out there. Thank you. Okay. Thank

1:03:21you.

1:03:22You know, I wouldn't be remiss of not to say that my wife, Abby, is the president of Friends of Animal Services. She does a lot of hard work. Um she's working in Orlando today, unfortunately. She's gotta keep me in the life I've grown accustomed to. So I I I appreciate her her involvement.

1:03:38We knew that.

1:03:44Yeah. Yeah.

1:03:48Okay.

1:03:57I'll take that. I'll send you a chat.

1:04:04All right, all right.

1:04:17There's no

1:04:20starting.

1:04:24You know, I saw that email. I couldn't make it though. Yeah, you did thank you for doing that. That's just like

1:04:29you're we'll do that in the cooler. Wow.

1:04:40Not yours.

1:04:47Yeah, right here.

1:04:51Well about the line.

1:04:55And then right here.

1:05:00Well what?

1:05:07Okay. I've seen the random art around the county and uh

1:05:10typical and so they're

1:05:14actually

1:05:18how often you've

1:05:19actually got

1:05:21a lot of people.

1:05:25But thank you for everything you do.

1:05:37How do we answer something like that? Because there's we don't have economic reports on projects from twenty fifteen. Well probably sure.