TDAC Committee Clarifies Tagging License, Mobile Vet Clinic In The Works

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

The June 17 Trenton-Dade Animal Center committee meeting addressed questions about the tagging license, announced a mobile vet clinic in the works, and touched on potential inmate programs related to the animal facility.

Don Townsend (county executive) reported that the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) is currently with the city and county attorneys, and the final version will need to be approved by both boards.

He reported that the county commissioners discussed the ordinance amendments at this month’s commission meeting, and while he anticipates minor changes, the commissioners haven’t brought any major changes to him yet.

Monda Wooten (city street commissioner) noted that she’s heard many questions about the tagging license portion of the ordinances, and Townsend agreed that this is the main topic he’s heard questions about. Bob Woods (South Dade county commissioner) added that he’s heard opinions from citizens on both sides: Some think every animal should be tagged; others believe it’s up to the individual pet owner.

Wooten explained that the county will not be forcing all dog owners to have their animal tagged, but if animal control has to pick up the dog, it will then be required to be tagged.

Alex Case (City of Trenton mayor) noted that when animals are tagged, the government can quickly return them to their owners. Wooten touched on the time and space that untagged animals take up at animal facilities.

Case said that if the Trenton-Dade Animal Center (TDAC) can find cheap tags or get them donated, TDAC may be able to offer free tagging. Audray Luck of Luck’s Rescue added that grants are available to fund microchipping efforts.

Moving on to the standard operating procedures for TDAC, Townsend noted that Emily Richards (TDAC manager) has been developing procedures to guide intake, outtake, and euthanasia. Animals will be quarantined for three days during the intake process to prevent the spread of disease.

Wooten introduced April Bowden, the director and founder of the Marion Animal Rescue Center (MARC), who offered her expertise on assessing vicious dogs. She explained that sometimes dogs are reported as vicious or aggressive, but they could be acting that way out of fear or because of mistreatment. Therefore, during quarantine, she gets to know each dog to assess its true nature. “We do like to give them a chance to show their true selves, but we will not adopt out an aggressive animal.”

MARC requires dogs to be microchipped before being returned to their owners, and Bowden said that they often pick up the same dogs time after time.

Like most animal advocates, Bowden cites spay and neuter as essential. “We get a lot of people angry that there are five dogs in their yard, but their dog is in heat. It’s luring all these dogs in from up to five miles. We’ve had dogs kill each other on people’s front lawns—males. We’ve also had males rip females apart. It’s just traumatic for everyone involved.”

Case asked Bowden if money is the reason some people don’t have their animals fixed, but Bowden said it’s also cultural. Noting that it costs about $200 to have a pet fixed at a vet’s office, she said, “People don’t want to prioritize that because they think they can avoid [unwanted litters].”

Citing the high number of animals that have been fixed through Dade County Pet Project’s low cost option, Wooten said, “It’s proven that if you offer something low cost, they will take it.”

Woods brought up one of his questions from the previous meeting again: How long will animals stay at TDAC? Case said that the goal is to move animals through as quickly as possible, and Bowden said that 14 days is the typical minimum for quarantine purposes.

Richards was unable to attend the meeting, so she was not there to explain the guidelines for how long animals will be kept at the center.

Case gave an update on purchasing the building. He gathered two unofficial quotes—just for the building itself, not including installation. One came in at $68,650 in November 2024 (so it may no longer be accurate), and a recent one came in at $78,105. The city and county will need to go through the RFP process before selecting a company and quote, but this gives them a ballpark.

Costs for installation and completion of the building are yet to be discussed.

Case then addressed the question of financial ownership of the property. The county can only use its Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) on county-owned property, and the same goes for city SPLOST. Therefore, the governments are discussing joint ownership of the property so that each can contribute to the building project.

Wooten and Luck were excited to announce that they have personally purchased a trailer to be used as a mobile veterinary clinic. The trailer was a mobile dental office for Primary Healthcare, and when the two women heard that it was available for sale, they jumped at the opportunity.

The committee will work out the details of how the trailer can be used by the government when it was purchased privately (i.e. who will own it), but Wooten and Luck simply want it to be used for low cost pop-up spay/neuter and vaccine clinics, and awareness and education events.

The trailer needs a bit of work, but it can be up and running before the TDAC facility. Case explained that Dr. Jennifer Zarecor (the city’s vet who will be TDAC’s vet) is ready to handle more work, but she needs a space, and this trailer can offer that quickly.

Townsend clarified that spay/neuter operations will still happen at TDAC, but the trailer is an additional way to reach the community.

Wooten highlighted that these low-cost operations would be funded completely by donations—not by any local property or sales tax. She added that an anonymous donor has approached her about a $10,000 matching donation to be used for the trailer’s equipment.

The committee gave an update on use of the city’s current animal shelter. Improvement work is ongoing, and once TDAC is up and running, Richards plans to use the city shelter for extra quarantine space, late-night drop-offs, and overflow as needed.

Captain Joe Chambers (Dade County Jail captain) attended this meeting to mention potential inmate programs at state prisons. There is a possibility that the county can “hire” an inmate construction crew to work on the building. The labor is free, but the county would cover room and board while the inmates are here.

Forsyth County also uses inmates to walk dogs, clean pens, and care for animals. This program offers enrichment to both the dogs’ and the inmates’ lives. Chambers plans to visit Forsyth to learn more about this program.

The Sentinel asked the committee if any decisions have been made about farm animals or any animals aside from cats and dogs. Wooten said that TDAC is starting with cats and dogs for the time being, and Case said large animals would be handled on a case-by-case basis. Wooten said the government receives some calls about farm animals, but it isn’t as difficult to find farms willing to take these animals as it is to find homes for cats and dogs. For now, the standard operating procedures and ordinances only address cats and dogs.