SPCA contract with Fresno nears end

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The city of Fresno and the county are trying to work out a deal to keep the SPCA in the animal control business for a while longer.

Beth Caffrey with the SPCA told Action News, "We are in negotiations with the city and county to do a temporary new agreement so it wouldn't be an extension of the current contract because the current contract will end October 1st."

The proposal would be a sort of month to month agreement. The hope is by the first of the year the city and county can find somebody else to pick up strays and enforce animal control laws.

Assistant City Manager Bruce Rudd said, "The short term challenges of finding a vendor, a new facillity and hopefully start developing some new policies or implementing some changes that would result in having to manage fewer animals."

Rudd says the city is soliciting bids for the service and working with animal experts from the UC Davis Veterinary School to find a better way of dealing with the massive number of stray and abandoned dogs and cats.

"The animal population we are trying to deal with is off the chart," Rudd said. "It's an inordinate amount of animals we are dealing with."

Rudd says the old juvenile boot camp on Elkhorn Avenue, 12 miles South of the City could be converted into an animal shelter. He says whatever happens, it's not likely to be business as usual as the city and county try to deal with more animals, while killing less.

"Someone comes in says I've got a box full of kittens or I've got those puppies or whatever, you say No," Rudd said.

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spca, fresno, fresno county, local, gene haagenson

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