Animal welfare groups adapt to challenges

Originally appeared in the Miami Herald

by Cindy Lerner

The Jan. 25 story “No room at the kennel” sheds light on the challenges Miami-Dade County faces because of a growing shortage of veterinarians. According to a recent article by the University of Florida School of Veterinary Medicine, this nationwide shortage is hitting animal-welfare organizations, shelters and private clinics particularly hard, and has made it difficult to provide wellness, spay-neuter and emergency care to all the cats and dogs in need.

Despite this challenge, Miami-Dade’s Animal Services has made tremendous progress over the past decade. It moved into a state-of-the-art facility, and its budget doubled, from $15 million in 2012 to more than $34 million in 2022, which has added significantly to its spay-neuter numbers.

The Humane Society calculates it has done 25,000 spay-neuters over the past five years, and the Miami Veterinary Foundation provided a similar amount of support by recruiting private veterinary clinics to participate in the county program.

In light of the veterinary staff shortage, the Feb. 3 op-ed by Michael Rosenberg, “Miami-Dade shelter is drowning in cats and dogs. The Pets’ Trust is the obvious solution,” is not a feasible or realistic solution. The Pets’ Trust has been around for more than a decade and has only been used as a funding mechanism for political campaigns, with no significant contribution to funding spay-neuter services, wellness care or pet rescues.

Miami-Dade County Animal Services continues to prioritize pet adoption, spay-neuter programs and public education. The Humane Society, the many local rescues, and private veterinarian clinics are working together to address the shortage and provide care.

Cindy Lerner,
Pinecrest