Is Manatee’s Bishop shelter expansion fit for dogs? Advocates raise concerns
After a $12 million addition to the Bishop Animal Shelter in Bradenton, some animal advocates say they’re concerned the expansion doesn’t go far enough.
The expansion added eight pre-fabricated kennel buildings, increasing the shelter’s maximum capacity by about 120 dogs. A second phase of the expansion will add a new adoption and administration building to the shelter at 5718 21st Ave. W., Bradenton, later this year.
But during a recent board meeting, volunteers and advocates said they had concerns about the amount of space for dogs in the new kennels, emergency planning and noise levels inside Manatee County Government’s shelter expansion.
But county commissioners pushed back on some of those complaints, calling Bishop’s addition a major improvement over the aging Palmetto Animal Shelter that officials are transitioning from.
One Manatee County citizen and dog trainer, Julie Madison, wrote that the expansion has “fallen short of the mark” in her recent online petition pushing for the county’s reconsideration of the shelter.
The petition, which had over 1,800 signatures as of Friday afternoon, argue that the new kennels, “Don’t support efficient daily operations or realistic capacity needs.”
Animal advocates criticize Bishop expansion
During the Jan. 6 Board of County Commissioners meeting, a handful of residents said they had issues with the amount of kennel space and concerns about emergency planning, in addition to the noise levels inside the kennels.
Each new kennel at Bishop features a door that allows dogs to go indoors or outdoors whenever they want, while remaining in their enclosed space. There are different kennel sizes for different dogs, but most of them are about 45 square feet, according to Michael Strollo, the county’s communications coordinator for Community and Veteran Services.
According to the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program, medium dogs should have a minimum of 24 square feet of space in their kennels. Large dogs should have a minimum of 32 square feet, and extra-large dogs should have 40 square feet.
In Madison’s public comment to the commissioners, she spoke about how the lack of planning for emergency events, such as hurricanes, is a concern.
In the case of emergency events and strong storms, Strollo said that animals can be housed in the existing brick and mortar Bishop shelter building or moved to another structure. Fostering is also encouraged during severe weather events.
“If you guys move forward with Bishop as is, you are going to, at some point, run into an opportunity where you are going to have to house those dogs, and you’re not going to have anywhere to put them,” Madison said in the meeting. “And it’s going to be a problem.”
Concerns about the noise inside the kennels were brought up in the commission meeting by Misty Evans, a Manatee County resident and volunteer.
“I experienced the inside firsthand with only a few dogs, and it was very loud. Almost unbearable at times,” Evans said. “Noise levels are crucial to shelter dog behavior, as constant loud barking causes significant stress, leading to anxiety, fear, frustration and problem behavior.”
Manatee officials respond to shelter complaints
Commissioner George Kruse shot down those concerns during the meeting, saying that the new shelter is “substantially better.”
“I don’t care what complaints you have about that shelter,” Kruse said. “Nobody can look me in the eye and say that the Palmetto shelter is a better alternative for these dogs than what is now at Bishop. Zero people can, and if you try to tell me that, you’re lying.”
Kruse added that infrastructure is already in place, and it’s not going anywhere.
“That’s what’s there,” Kruse said at the meeting. “We’re not ripping out $12 million worth of kennels and adoption centers and starting over, spending the next three years rebuilding it because somebody wants something different.”
The kennels are not perfect, Kruse acknowledged, but he said the county has provided the best shelter possible under the constraints of their budget.
“Is it perfect? Are these all 300 square-foot studio apartments for each individual dog, and everyone’s got soundproof barriers? No,” Kruse said. “But we have to work on a finite amount of tax dollars and money, and try to provide the best way we can for everyone, whether it’s for boat ramps, pickleball courts or animal shelters.”
Commissioner Carol Ann Felts also responded to public comments made about the Bishop shelter.
“We have a mechanism. We have taken steps with this mechanism. No, nothing is perfect...” Felts said.
Felts urged the other commissioners to take public comments “seriously” and to work to address the concerns the citizens have.
“You have been heard. We have a plan,” Felts told residents. “We will work with you on that plan.”
The Bishop Animal Shelter is expected to be discussed during the board’s next meeting on Jan. 27. The meeting is set to begin at 9 a.m. at the Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
