Grant ID: 1812
Title of Proposal: Litter Free Is The Way To Be
Agency Type: Municipal
Total Funding Requested: $25,000.00
Check Payable To: Santa Rosa County Animal Services
Application Information
Demographics
Name of Applicant Agency: Santa Rosa County Animal Services Website Address: santarosa.fl.gov
Person Submitting Proposal: Tara Deaguilera Position: Kennel Technician 2
Person Submitting Proposal Email Address: [email protected]
Agency Head: Dale Hamilton Agency Head Email: [email protected]
Organization Business Address: 4451 Pine Forest Rd City: Milton
State: FL Zip: 32583
Phone (xxx-xxx-xxxx): 850-983-4680 Fax: 850-983-4686
Cell: 850-266-5574    
 
Agency Details

Date of 501(c)(3) Incorporation:
Dates of Last Fiscal Year: Begin: 10/01/16    End: 10/01/17
Organization Income in Last Fiscal Year: $1,164,112.00
Organization Expenses in Last Fiscal Year: $1,164,112.00
Number of Paid Employees: Full Time: 19  Part Time: 0
Number of Active Volunteers: 8
Total Volunteer Hours per Week: 30.00
How did you learn of the 2009  Florida Animal Friend grant competition? Previous recipient
Year(s) of previous Florida Animal Friend grants (if applicable):
Previous Florida Animal Friend Applications: Years Funded: 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014 Year(s) denied/incomplete: 2009, 2016
Auto-Generated (Previous Applications):
Grant #Proposal YearProposal TitleStatus
552009Santa Rosa Animal Friend Denied
1232010A HELPING HAND FOR PAWS AND PURRSFunded
3012012One Pet at a TImeFunded
13972014BE A PET CHAMPIONFunded
16082007 Funded
16842016Spay and Neuter Is A LifesaverDenied
18122018Litter Free Is The Way To BeFunded
Describe your Organization:
Services Provided Organization Structure:











List your current board of directors:

NameTitlePhoneOccupation
Dale HamiltonDirector850-983-4680Director: Animal Services

Applicant Qualifications
For your organization, in the last complete fiscal year:
3460  cats and 2316  dogs were admitted.
153   cats and  362   dogs were adopted.
3109   cats and  783    dogs were euthanized.
153   cats and  362    dogs were sterilized.
  
Briefly describe your animal programs:
 
If your program performs adoptions, are all animals sterilized before adoption? 
No
If not all, what percentage of animals are not currently sterilized before adoption? 
12 percet
If not all, how are animals selected for sterilization before adoption? 
We routinely schedule the animals in adoption to be spayed/neutered as they are waiting for new homes. If they are adopted before the surgery is scheduled, the animal stays at our shelter until they have the surgery done, then can leave the following day.
If not all, describe your sterilization policies and procedures for assuring sterilization after adoption:
The only animals not altered before adoption are puppies and kittens. The citizen is required to prepay for the surgery before the animal can leave, as well as sign a contract with the specific date. We do follow up on all of these and the citizen is required to complete this or the animal may be confiscated.  
Give additional background information on your organization's programs as they relate to this application and the qualifications of the personnel who will be in charge of this program. Show that you have the ability to carry out this program. 
We have been fortunate to have received this grant in the past. We have a great of employees and they are familiar with the grant process and how the funds are distributed. We have weeded out any issues in the past and the process runs very smoothly. Our participating veterinarian offices also have worked with us diligently to make this a simple procedure for everyone involved, so that we can get as many animals altered as possible.
If you currently have a program for sterilization of cats and/or dogs, describe your current level of funding and productivity and why additional resources are needed? 
We currently do not have any programs in place on our county. We are lucky to have a low cost clinic in the county next to us that does accept out of county citizens. This helps us to refer our citizens somewhere that can help them. However, we have such a need in our county that we feel having a grant to offer assistance will be utilized immediately by our citizens. The problem is ongoing and unfortunately, the prices keep rising for cost of care.

Target Population
Geographical target area (name of city, county, zip codes, geographical Information service (GIS), etc.):
 Santa Rosa County 
Total human population in target area: 174,272 
Percent of residents living below poverty in target area: 10.6% 
Estimated number of pet cats in target area (human population divided by 3.3): 52810 
Estimated number of pet dogs in target area (human population divided by 4.0): 43568 
Estimated number of feral cats in target area (human population divided by 6.0): 29046 
Number of cats admitted to animal control shelters in the target area last year (if known) 3536 
Number of dogs admitted to animal control shelters in the target area last year (if known) 2323 
Number of cats euthanized in animal control shelters in the target area last year (if known) 3236 
Number of dogs euthanized in animal control shelters in the target area last year (if known) 762 
Please explain if you believe your target area animal population is significantly different than above.
xxxx
Please explain what you believe are the most substantial sources of dog and cat overpopulation in the target area:
 We believe that there are a substantial amount of pit bulls/ large breed dogs in our county that are not altered. We hope to change that and make a difference in the large amount of litters we intake from throughout the county. The other large issues are community cats. We have a local group that is working hard on that issue, so we want to focus on the dog side of things.
What kinds of spay/neuter services are currently available in the target area and in what ways are these resources currently insufficient to meet community needs?
We currently do not have any programs in our county. With the amount of animals in our county as well the number of citizens living in poverty, it is clear that this would be of vital assistance to our community.
Florida Animal Friend is highly supportive of proposals that are focused on animal populations that are identified as substantial sources of dog or cat overpopulation rather than being diluted over too broad of a geographic area or diverse animal populations. Describe the specific target animal population of the spay/neuter project proposed for this grant:

  
 
TNR Managed Colony Feral Cat Program/Community Cats (Free-Roaming and/or Owned) Program
Define the precise boundaries of the colony or targeted area, including estimate of square miles.
 
What is the criteria used for determining the target area(s) and/or eligibility for this program?
 
Describe whether the targeted area is rural, suburban, or urban. Is it commercial, residential, agricultural, or a designated special land use?
 
Estimated number of cats in the target colony area :  
Estimated number that are currently sterilized: 
Projected reduction after utilizing the grant:  
 
For TNR program, describe the ability to maintain lifelong care for remaining cats, commitment level of volunteers/organizations, etc.
 
Do current city/county ordinances address TNR or free-roaming cats?


Please explain what is allowed:

(NOTE: FAF will not fund any program this is inconsistent with local ordinances.)
 
For TNR program, list any groups or government agencies who support this TNR effort:
 
Describe any effort to lessen the negative impact on local wildlife.
 
Describe efforts that will be made to mitigate current or potential nuisance issues.
 
Will the cats be ear-tipped?
Will the cats be microchipped?
 
Provide any additional information that will help the grant selection committee understand how this program will operate to achieve its goals.
 
Objectives
What do you hope to accomplish with these funds (objectives should be specific and quantifiable)?
With these funds, we hope to get approximately 350 animals altered. We want to target pit bull/ pit bull mix and large breed dogs. These dogs are having larger litters, bringing about many animals that are being dumped at the shelter. While 350 seems low in the big picture, we think it can make a huge difference in our community. Hundreds of animals not being brought in to the shelter down the road is definitely something to be happy about.
How does this program increase the number of sterilization surgeries above the existing baseline?
We feel like with our focus on pit bull breeds and large dogs, that we will hit a group of animals that many times are not being altered due to lack of funds. The animals are bigger and the price is higher. This will offer an easy way to get the animal altered. Another issue is that pit bulls often get an immediate bad reaction. If we can help our citizens be better pet owners and make it relatively easy for them, they will be more likely to participate. We also look at our bite reports and see that pit bull and large breed dogs are the highest percentile. Most of the dogs come in unaltered. By offering assistance with the surgery, we hope to hit a group of people that normally would not be inclined to do the surgery. This would help the overpopulation issue and as an added bonus, may help prevent some animal bites that were based on the behaviors of intact males or females in season.
Methods
What criteria will you use to determine eligibility for your program? 
We will be going for pit bull breeds and mixes, and large breed dogs. We always verify the rabies vaccination is current before making the appointment, so we will verify the breed according to the rabies certificate. If there is any question, we may ask the citizen to bring their pet in so that we can determine if the animal is eligible for the grant.
How will you advertise the program? Explain how the advertising will reach the target audience.
We plan to advertise in every way possible. We will alert our citizens when they are at the shelter. We especially plan to target the animals that fit the criteria. We will also advertise this on our website as well as facebook. Our officers will be alerting citizens in the field so that we can get people in here that otherwise may not take their animal in. We have many rescue and social groups that we work with, and plan to have them spread the word and information for us as well. We will also contact our local media outlets and they usually do a piece on it that gets the ball rolling for us immediately.
How will you address barriers to full use of the program such as transportation, illiteracy, and cultural hurdles? 
We have not had issues in the past as far as we know, but we always have a plan in place to help. We have local groups that have offered to assist any citizen that needs transportation help. We also have a diverse group of county employees and can call for translation if necessary. As far as cultural hurdles, we find that kindness and communication does the job. People just want to be heard and understood, and if you treat them with kindness and respect, most anything can be worked out.
Does this project involve the transportation of animals by someone other than the client? If so, describe the vehicles, methods for confinement, personnel training, liability releases used to assure the safety of the animals and handlers.
 The citizen is responsible for getting their animal to the proper place for surgery. If for some reason a citizen does need assistance, we would refer them to one of our groups to help them. This would be between the group and themselves, and the group in assistance would handle any waivers or liability issues. Fortunately, we rarely ever have an issue with this.
Veterinary Services
 

What arrangements have you made with veterinarians to perform the surgeries? 
We have been lucky enough to receive this grant in the past, and have a great program set up with our local veterinarians. Without them, this could not be possible. We screen the citizen here to make sure they are qualified. We ensure they are current on their rabies vaccination before scheduling the surgery. We go over the copay as well. We then make the appointment, so the burden on the veterinarian office is minimal. The copay is 25.00 and the surgery grant fee is 85.00 for female dogs and 65.00 for male dogs. This was after discussion with our veterinary community.
Are they:  
 

Veterinary Practices
Practice NameAddressCityStateZipPhoneLead Practice
Animal Medical Center3205 Gulf Breeze PkwyGulf Breeze FL32563850-932-6085
Ark Animal Hospital3648 Berryhill Rd PaceFL32571850-994-0677
Gulf Breeze Animal Hospital 2727 Gulf Breeze ParkwayGulf BreezeFL32563850-932-6116
Pace Veterinary Clinic4541 Chumuckla HwyMiltonFL32571850-994-1597

Fee Range
What is the fee range to be paid for spay and neuter and what is the distribution to be paid by the client vs. the grant program? Keep in mind that Florida Animal Friend grant funds may only be used for costs directly associated with sterilization surgery (including anesthesia and pain control) and not for other items such as vaccines, testing, licensing, and capital purchases.
Amount Paid by Client Amount Paid by Project Total Amount
Range for Male Cats
Range for Female Cats
Range for Male Dogs
Range for Female Dogs
Please check each item below to indicate additional services offered at the time of surgery, whether the client is required to pay for them, and if so what the fee is. For example, if an examination is required for surgery but is not charged to the client it would be marked: Required  Yes, Fee to client No
Required, Optional, or Not Offered Fee to Client?
Examination   
Rabies Vaccination if Due   
Other Vaccination if Due   
Pain Medication   
Parasite Medication   
HW Testing   
Feline Leuk/FIV
County License   
Ear tipping   
Microchip
Other   

None of the anticipated grant funds can be used for any of the above services, except for pain medication.
If necessary, please explain the procedures and fees described above: 
 This grant is strictly for spay/neuter purposes only. We require the rabies vaccination be current before the appointment can be scheduled. If the citizen wants any other services, that is strictly up to them to coordinate with the veterinarian office and will NOT be covered by the grant or copay. We stress this to each citizen applying for assistance.  
Is this a voucher program? No
 
If so, how will you assure compliance with the program?

 
For your voucher program, how have you determined the capacity of the veterinarians listed above to handle the projected capacity?
 
 
Will you have the ability to report the number of vouchers issued and the percentage that result in S/N surgeries?

 
Community Collaboration
To assure the success of your program, are there any local groups (such as rescue groups, animal control agencies, TNR groups, local businesses, local media, social service agencies,etc.) other than your organization and your cooperating veterinarians who are committed to assist?
 
 
Please list them and detail their level of involvement with the proposed effort.
NameLevel of Involvement
A Hope For Santa Rosa CountyA Hope For Santa Rosa County is a wonderful local group dedicated to spay neuter in our community. They already do two large transports monthly out of county to assist our citizens in getting their animals altered. They are working primarily on community cats and tnr at this time, which would allow us to focus more on our dogs. They are very supportive in getting information to the community about anything we have going on, and we will be utilizing them to get the word out and identify people that need our help.
CARE of Santa Rosa CountyCare Of Santa Rosa County is a nonprofit group dedicated to animal welfare in our community. They have offered their assistance in any capacity should we get this grant. They are willing to hand out information, give information on their website and facebook page, identify citizens in need and refer them to us, and basically anything that we need them to do. It is great to have a local group who supports our efforts to spay/neuter!
Helping Shelter Pets of Santa Rosa CountyHelping Shelter Pets is a local group of citizens that maintain a facebook page to share all of our lost/stray and adoptable animals. They are very supportive of our efforts to make changes in the community, and we can count on them to get the word out to our citizens about the spay/neuter program if we are able to secure funds.

 
Other Information
Provide any additional information that will help the grant selection committee understand how the program will operate to achieve its goals.
 We will work hard to get the animals scheduled for surgery in an efficient manner. Our administrative staff is dedicated and works very hard to make the procedure run well. All kennel and office staff members are trained on how to approve a citizen and how to proceed. We schedule the appointment for them with the vet and they must bring in their assigned number to verify for their appointment. We have found this works well to keep it simple. We are excited about the chance to alter more pets in our community and work hand in hand with the veterinarian offices to make it happen.
Budget
Total number of sterilization surgeries projected:
Cats: 0    Dogs:  350 
Total budget requested (Budget should not exceed $25,000): $25,000.00 
Average cost/surgery projected: $72.00 
Describe any expenses that are not included in the grant and how they will be paid for (for example, vaccines, microchipping, ear notching, etc.):
This grant is specifically being used to alter pit bull type and large breed dogs. We are not offering additional services. We feel that we want to keep this sweet and simple for our staff, citizens, and the veterinarian offices who are assisting.
 
Describe any other funding sources for this program, i.e. other grants, targeted fundraising efforts, budget allocation, etc.
Currently, we do not have other funds allocated for this program. That is why we are hoping to qualify for these funds so that we can give our citizens some help. A local group has also applied for a grant focusing on community cats, so this is why we are focusing on our pit bull type and large breed dogs, as they often get left out.
 
What percent of the total cost of the program would this projected grant cover?
75
Timeline
All projects must be completed within 12 months of receipt of funding.
Projected start date: 10/01/18/     Projected end date: 08/31/19
 
Unexpended funds
Any unexpended funds must be refunded to Florida Animal Friend within 30 days of the end of the project.

Requests for extensions
Requests for time extensions are discouraged and not often granted. If it is imperative to request an extension, such request must be made in writing at least 30 days prior to the end of the project. It is FAF’s policy to seldom grant more than a 30-60 day extension.

Failure to submit reports and requests within the required time period will impact your agency’s future grant applications.
 
Future Funding to Sustain Public Spay/Neuter
*Explain how the organization plans to fund this program in the future. Having sustainable plans including other grants, local donations and other services generating revenue enhances the chances of receiving this grant.
 We have a Partners For Pets program currently. We have used these funds in the past to care for our shelter animals and to provide them with medical, as well as spay/neuter, which helps them to get adopted faster. Our goal is to continue to solicit donations so that in the future, we can get a low cost spay/neuter program for our community. Currently, we do not have a veterinarian on staff, so we hope that will be the next step to get us where we need to be. In the mean time, we continue to educate our citizens. We refer them to whatever program can help them. And we continue to apply for grants and programs anytime we can.
Promotion of Florida Animal Friend Spay/Neuter License Plate
*Applicants selected for funding are expected to publicize their grant in support of their spay/neuter program and promote the sale of the Animal Friend license plate via press releases, newsletters, website links, social media, etc. Please describe your plan to promote the Florida Animal Friend Spay/Neuter License Plate. Grantees are required to submit documentation of promotional endeavors with their final report.
 We have always done well with promoting the Animal Friend License plate. We always have information here at the office that we give to citizens on a regular basis. We like to let people know how the money does come directly to our community. This makes people more excited about knowing that they can directly contribute to a program and see the results locally. We also have a wonderful public information officer who makes sure this information gets shared far and wide to any media outlets, as well as radio and tv. We do have a regular schedule with a local radio station and this is one of our favorite things to promote. We also have a webpage and a facebook page, which seem to be the most powerful tools in the box these days. Part of our media promotion this time would be to advertise how many animal were altered thanks to the grant and really push that in the public eye. We do community events as well, and our materials are always there as well.