These Abandoned Pasco Pooches Desperately Want A Home For The Holidays

LAND O’ LAKES, FL — Pasco County Animal Services will host its major Home for the Holidays Adopt-A-Thon on Saturday, Nov. 11 from noon to 3 p.m. at the shelter, 19640 Dogpatch Lane, Land O' Lakes.

Join the shelter and area rescue partners as Pasco Couty attempts to place as many orphaned pets as possible in a home before the holidays.

Those attending will meet and have a chance to cuddle with an array of pets from multiple rescues and enjoy lunch from Cabo San Taco.

Animal Services Receives Grant For Lifesaving Equipment

Pasco Animal Services is the recipient of a $7,500 grant from Banfield Foundation to pay for lifesaving medical equipment that will help pets in their time of need.

“Our medical team’s expertise, skill and compassion allows us to maintain a save rate of more than 90 pecent,” said PCAS Director Mike Shumate. “We’re grateful to Banfield Foundation for helping us fulfil our mission of providing quality care for the animals in our shelter when they need it most.”

The grant money will be used to buy:

• Two portable monitors for observing animal heart rate/oxygen levels after surgery
• A tonometer to determine eye pressure

PCAS’ medical team is made up of the veterinary services supervisor, two veterinarians and six veterinary technicians. In 2022, the team helped care for approximately 6,700 dogs and cats in the shelter.

Pasco Animal Service Represented On National Board

Additionally, Pasco Animal Services is taking its premier service of animal sheltering to the national level with Assistant Director Spencer Conover’s recent selection as the newest vice president of the National Animal Care and Control Association for a minimum one-year term.

“Over the past three years with the NACA, I’ve been honored to help thousands of animal control officers and hundreds of great animal control organizations across the county,” Conover said. “I’m really looking forward to extending that reach in my new opportunity as the vice president.”

Conover has served as the PCAS assistant director since 2018 and has been part of the NACA Board of Directors since being elected in 2020. He was re-elected in 2022 to a second three-year term.

While on the NACA board, Conover helps shape policy, create programs and provide direct support to animal control agencies throughout the country. This year, he was able to provide direct support to animal control officers in Florida, Texas and Louisiana through in-person training.

Conover is a certified animal control officer, humane euthanasia technician and a certified public manager who has worked in the animal welfare industry for 13 years with organizations in Florida, Colorado and Utah.

What To Do If You Find A Lost Dog

Have you ever found a lost dog, but aren’t sure what to do? Pasco County Animal Services encourages you to try to find a lost dog’s owner before taking the dog to the shelter.

“Most lost dogs are found within a mile of their home, and often in the same neighborhood,” said Shumate. “Keeping them in the same area where they’re found gives them the best chance of getting back home.”

Options for trying to find a dog’s owner include:

• Posting information to websites and social media sites
• Checking with neighbors
• Distributing flyers
• Contacting vet clinics to check for microchips

If you find an aggressive, sick or injured animal, call PCAS at 813-929-1212.

PCAS also has a Finder to Foster program, which allows residents to hold onto lost dogs during their legal stray hold time. You can bring the dog to the shelter so animal services can post the information on its website. Then, after the stray period, and after the dog has been medically cleared and spayed or neutered, you can choose to adopt the dog or bring it back to the shelter for adoption.

For more information, including a full list of programs and services, visit the website.

Recognize This Pet?

Did you know that Pasco County Animal Services has joined the ranks of innovative shelters using facial recognition technology to identify lost dogs and cats with the Finding Rover App.

The high-tech app is reuniting lost pets and owners one smartphone photo at a time. You can download the free app from the App Store or Google Play. Whether you lose a pet or find one, simply upload a photo on the app or at findingrover.com to begin the search and matching process.

Facial recognition technology for animals scans a database of registered pets. Every dog and cat who enters the PCAS shelter system is now registered on Finding Rover. Finding Rover users can search the shelter and surrounding areas for a missing pet or the family of a found pet.

“Dogs and cats are beloved family members, and if he or she goes missing, it can be devastating to everyone involved,” said Finding Rover CEO/founder John Polimeno. “Registering on Finding Rover is another step all pet parents should take to further protect their furry family members.”

In addition to helping lost pets return home, Finding Rover also features dogs and cats available for adoption. You can view PCAS’s found and adoptable pets with just one click on Facebook or the website.