July 16, 2025 • 30 mins
Contra Costa Animal Services is more than just a shelter—it’s where compassion, public safety, and community connection come together. In this episode, we go behind the scenes with the dedicated team that rescues animals, reunites families, and supports safe, healthy neighborhoods. From field officers to adoption counselors, learn how Animal Services protects both people and pets—every day.
Guests: Animal Services Director Ben Winkleblack, Public Information Officer Steve Burdo, and Host Kristi Jourdan
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to government Speak.
This is where we'll cut throughthe government speak to get the
information you need aboutcounty programs, services, and
events straight from the source.
Welcome to Government Speak,
Contra Costa County'sofficial podcast.
I'm your host, Christy Jordan,Contra Costa County's public
information officer, and onthis episode we have Animal
Services director BenWinkleblack and public
(00:22):
information officer Steve Burdo
joining us in studioat 10 Douglas.
Ben and Steve, welcometo the podcast.
Thanks for having us.
In sync, um, you know, animalservices might be one of the
most emotionally chargedplaces in county government.
You're reuniting lost dogswith children, you have public
safety meaning animal welfare.
(00:43):
What does a typical daylook like for your team?
They're all over the map.
The primary focus of the staffis the care of the animals and
how are they doing in our care.
Uh, the first thing that I doin my mornings I walk through
and look at all the animals in
the shelter with oneof our veterinarians.
We're looking for change, youknow, how are they, how are
(01:05):
they sheltering, um, are wemeeting their needs, you know,
their emotional needs there,you know, they get stressed
when they're with us, and welike to look at every one of
them every day.
After that, we take thatknowledge and we go to it's
called the pathwayplanning meeting.
And it's really case managementbrought to animal sheltering.
So it's all the outcomestakeholders that we have
working for us, medical staff,behavior staff, shelter staff,
(01:28):
everyone's invited um thatworks there and we, we talk
about the animals whoseneeds aren't straightforward.
How many, how many animals areyou seeing in a year or a given
day at the shelter?
Um, well, as of this morningwe have about 113 dogs and 123
cats in our care.
(01:48):
Is that?
Oh, I'm sorry,it's it's flipped.
It's 123 dogs and 113 cats.
Is that a is thata unique number?
Is that relatively high?
Is that an average day?
Um, this is a busy time of yearfor us, um, right after the 4th
of July, the, the 5th of Julyis really a, a busy day in
The fireworks scare away, youknow, dogs, they, they run
(02:10):
animal welfare.
because they're, you know,fearing for their life, and
That happens on theevening of the 4th of July.
So the 5th of July,they all end up with us.
Yeah, uh, over the sinceFriday, we've taken in 53
animals, most ofthose being dogs.
Oh wow.
Um, so how do you handle kindof that information collection
(02:32):
process and making sure that
those animals getback home safely?
I mean, what is an emergency
rescue or animalcruelty investigations?
What does that all look like?
Well, there, there's a handfulof things, you know, animals
come into our carefor different reasons.
Um, some are just stray because
they got separatedfrom their family.
Um, we've been doing somereally exciting things as far
as, um, reuniting animalswith their owners.
(02:54):
We call it the RTO campaign.
Um, I'll, I'll let Steve talkabout that because this has
been a program that he'sreally owned and it's.
It's the most exciting thingthat we have going right now,
and I, I think that he would doit better justice than I would.
Um, yeah, it's, it's a really
exciting thing and it'snothing groundbreaking.
It, it was a simple idea, right?
(03:16):
Let's get more awareness aboutwhat people can do if they've
lost their pets.
Main point being,hey, check with us.
We're the county shelter, it's
probably with us,um, so we start.
Running back in November, uh,paid social media ads targeted
in the communities where we seethe most stray animal intake
Um, these are particularly inWest County and in East County,
coming from.
(03:37):
but we're running thempretty much countywide.
We're just targeting them morespecifically in those areas.
Um, the idea was to run thoseads and also, um, pair those
ads with free service clinicswhere people can get a free
microchip, get freevaccinations, all the things
they need to keep their petssafe and at home, um, but the
microchips really the importantpiece because that's the
(03:59):
easiest way to reunite ananimal with their family if
they're stray and theycome into our shelter.
So we, we're doing thisabout 6 times a year.
We're trying to do more.
We've done.
Uh, 6 over the last year wherewe just set up in a city or at
our facility and we say, hey,come on down and get a free
microchip and vaccinations.
(04:20):
I think it's partof the long game.
We started doing the free uhmicrochip clinics back in 2017
and I think we're starting tosee the results of that, but
the campaign has beenremarkably successful.
It's run from November to
current day and atthe end of June.
Um, over the course of thecampaign we've seen a 30%
increase in the animals we'vebeen able to return to their
owners from the years prior.
(04:43):
So same period we'relooking at 30% increase.
So it really kind of is atestament to when you're
proactive out in the communityand you're sharing information
and making sure people getconnected with the with the
facts that just howpowerful that can be.
I mean that's a huge number.
Um, so how can people get their
pets vaccinated,spayed neutered?
(05:04):
Um, that's, I'm assuming one ofthe biggest questions that you
all field, um, day to day.
What's the process for that?
Well, we've been retooling ourspay neuter program and we've
increased our capacityby about 30-35% in 2025.
It is wildly popular.
So if someone comes in andtries to get on the schedule,
there might be a wait.
(05:27):
Um, we open up, um, surgeryslots, uh, when we have the
capacity for it.
There are other ways toget spay neuter done.
Measure X is funding thousandsof spay neuters over the next
few years.
Um,
Joybound Joybound People andPets is administering most of
that, um, through a partnershipwith Animal Fix Clinic.
There are other, um,community-based organizations
(05:50):
that also receive some animalbenefit funding, um, and they,
they can maybe put somebodyin contact with resources.
But again we're, it's a programthat we are really invested in
expanding um we have, it's beena big focus of 2025 and we're
starting to see the results,um, it similar to the RTO
campaign about a, a 30 35%increase in in spades and
(06:13):
neutral, so we look for, uh,more availability and more
capacity within that program.
And you had mentioned MeasureX for those who might be
listening for the first time,have sent voter uh sales tax
approved back in 2020, um, goesto fund safety net programs and
animal services isdefinitely one of those, um.
(06:33):
So what are some of themisconceptions that people have
about the shelter?
The work you do, I imagine, is,you know, we've talked about it
being emotionally charged,people um love their animals.
And so what are some of thethings that you wish people
knew about the shelter that
they might perceiveum differently?
You know, the, the animal
(06:54):
welfare has hada rough go of it,
not, not just here, um, but youmentioned safety net a little
bit ago and that's how Iusually describe our, our
operation, you know,the buck stops with us.
Uh, we are here when everyoneelse has turned away.
We are here to support the,the neediest animals in the
community and to function as asafety net, we, we really have
(07:14):
to keep our eyes onthat mission and, and.
If we turn take in everythingthat shows up at our door and
everything that's in need, um,we, we need to, you know, be
We need to make sure that weare resourced appropriately for
set up for that.
that which we are but wefunction differently than a
private nonprofit that, youknow, gets to pick and choose
(07:35):
the animals that come in.
Um, we are here for the onesthat are sick and and injured
or or or not thefriendliest animal.
So what I'd like the communityto know is, you know, while we
have serious work that wedo, we're also a place that
reunites familiesand creates families.
um, I have, I'm sitting heretalking to you and I'm thinking
(07:56):
about my little dog Fern who'ssitting at home waiting for me.
Um, that and that we do thatevery single day, uh, we
reunite if, if my little dog,or any of my dogs, several, um,
went missing, I wouldjust be beside myself.
I would not be able to functionand I would look to animal
services to be the, the safehaven for for that dog to to
(08:18):
show up and I I would be ableto go and be reunited with my,
with my family.
So while we do have to maketough decisions and, and we
have hard work to do, um, we,you know, we respond to reports
of animal cruelty.
And that is, when, when you seewhat some people are capable
of, um, you know, that'sreally hard on your soul, and
(08:43):
We're happy to show up and dothat because somebody has to go
and intervene, um, andthat just happens to be us.
So I, I don't.
I think that there is, youknow, the term of pound, um,
you know, a lot of laws usedto be called pound master laws,
and that's what where that termcame from, and impound, that's
what we do with the animals.
(09:04):
But we're so much more thanthat, and we have hundreds of
volunteers that come every week
to enrich the livesof the animals.
We have a very large staff thatspends all day thinking about
how can we maketheir lives better.
And yeah, and you know, Ithink, you know, Ben had
mentioned the pound.
I think, you know, the days of.
An agency like ours beingthe pound are long gone.
(09:24):
It's about capacity for care.
Our motto is compassion andaction, and I think, you know,
certainly one of the byproductsof what we do is occasionally
we have to euthanize animalsand that's something that is
one of those emotionallycharged, you know, things that
somebody in the community thatmay not have familiarity with
our organization, you know,says, oh well, they euthanize
(09:45):
animals and you know, we useeuthanasia as a last resort and
it's, you know, really.
In our, uh, pathway planningand our capacity for care
model, it's about making whatdecision is best for the animal
and best for the community,um, and so you know there are
countless examples of staffmembers Ben, myself, others who
have adopted animals and have
(10:08):
fostered animalsfrom our shelter.
um, that term compassion andaction is not something that we
just came up with becausewe thought it was cool.
It it's what we sawevery day and so.
I think in those situationsremembering like yeah we're
we're the organization thatas Ben said, we're trying to
reunite families we're tryingto make new families we're
trying to care for the animalsthat come into our care in a
(10:30):
variety of different conditionswhether it's a behavioral
condition or a medicalcondition, um, with an acute
medical problem, a broken leg,uh, uh, you know, eye that
needs to be taken out,something like that.
To watch our medical team andour shelter team do their job
every single day, you willsee that compassion in action.
(10:50):
Um, there's a lot of care,there's a lot of emotion in it
and um it's something where Ijust feel a real sense of pride
coming to work with this groupof people, um, as well as our
volunteers every single day andand the volunteers just can't
get enough shout outs becausethese are people who just give
their time and their talent tocome in and help the animals
and help the community.
(11:13):
Um, and so it's a reallyspecial place to work, um, and
it's a special thingto be a part of.
We love givingtours to the public.
We have no issues with peoplewanting to come in and see how
we do what we do.
We're willing to show you wartsand all, um, and the fact of
the matter is we feel the waywe're doing things, there,
there aren't many warts, like
(11:34):
there's always roomfor improvement.
Um, but when you see what'shappening in our shelter every
single day out in the fieldwith our officers, the actions
that they're taking in thefield to help reunite pets or
work with families who, youknow, may have lost a pet or,
or their pet may have bitten
somebody, it'sremarkable to see.
(11:54):
You know, and you will seethat that is the compassion and
action that we talk about.
So you both touched on two,I think it kind of polar
opposites, but I thinkthey work together.
You talk about compassion, but
you're also a lawenforcement agency.
How do you strike that balancebetween those two things?
That's a great question.
Um, there's a handfulof ways to look at it.
(12:16):
We're gonna receive calls orcomplaints from the community.
They see something that theydon't like or they don't agree
with and they think it mightbe, you know, a compassion
issue or a criminal issue.
Um, and, and they'll callus and, and we'll send field
officers out.
It's, they have the discretionout there, you know, they ask,
they ask questions, they find
(12:39):
out how are we inthis situation.
Sometimes it doesn't matter theanswer to those questions, we,
we know that this isa criminal situation.
Sometimes it's a resource issue.
Sometimes it's a perfectlyloving home that never thought
about an animal the way thatyou and I would think about an
animal, and it's ourjob to educate them.
Figuring out where that lineis, you know, it, it's comes
down to evidence and andcircumstance and, and why are
(13:02):
we there and also what, youknow, who are we dealing with
on the other end and, and whatgot them there, um, our job is
to, you know, make thatanimal's life better in one way
or another after that visit.
Sometimes it's an incrementalimprovement through education
of the owner.
Sometimes we have to, you know,utilize the penal code, seize
(13:23):
the animal, and, and starta criminal investigation.
I mean one came in over theweekend and, you know, I get a
phone call.
Hey, this is, you know,this is what we're seeing.
I called a forensicveterinarian, she was able to
show up and, and we're startingthat process so it's the full
spectrum of, of animal welfare.
I mean, the more you work withany community you're gonna see
that and.
(13:45):
Yeah, I, I think you, you getto see in it, well, we would
need to be compassionatetowards our community too and
look at.
Why are we talking to them?
And is it a resource issue andcan we, can we help meet that?
That need It's also a betterway of doing business.
If you are gonna, somesituations, they don't rise to
(14:06):
the level of a criminalcomplaint or or give us the
authority to seize the animal.
Well, you're gonna continue toget calls on that situation.
So if you approach it, howdo we resolve this situation?
How do we make it so wedon't have to come back?
Can we, can we make afriend in the community?
Can we build a bridge?
And can we resolve thiswith maybe some education?
Maybe spay neuter is the issue,maybe it's a, you know, a
(14:28):
health thing, dropoff some food.
We're gonna addressit like that.
And, and then we're not gonnahave to go back, we're gonna
have to go less frequently.
So it, there's a whole lot ofways to, to look at this, but
yeah, you.
You know, you, you gave a shoutout to the volunteers, and I
wanna, you know, second that,but I also want to give a shout
out to the field staff becausethey're out there by themselves
(14:49):
and, and having to make thesetypes of decisions every day
and which side of theline does this fall on.
So that leads to decisionfatigue and and everything so
we try to take care of them,but I also wanna, you know.
Just talk about how much Irespect what they do day in and
day out.
So, let's talk about that.
(15:09):
How do, how do you get into,you know, this type of work and
you're a newer departmenthead to Contra Costa County.
So what has that transitionbeen like for you?
Um, I, well, I've been doingthis for about 20 years.
Um, I really love, I have abackground in high tech, which
is the exact opposite, and I, Imoved away from that because it
(15:31):
was not, you know, I did notfeel fulfilled by my job at, at
that time and some people areable to, and I maybe I was just
in the wrong sector of tech,but I've always loved animals.
My family hasalways had animals.
And there was a veterinaryhospital down the street from
where I was living, and I hadmoved to California and I was
(15:52):
by myself, so I thought I'll
just go down thereand get a job.
And I've never turned back and
never regretted it for a second.
So, I've been atmultiple shelters.
I've consulted with shelters
and, and I'm reallyhappy to be here.
Um, the, the governmentfunctions really well here and,
and we have what we need to dothe job that, that we're being
(16:13):
asked to do.
So, um, you know, I really feelthat I've arrived and, and I, I
just hope that everyone'swilling to tolerate me for all
my shortcomings so I cancontinue to do it here.
Well, you're doing great.
Steve, what about you?
What's your background?
How did you end upin animal services?
Yeah, my, my background's kindof gone all over the place.
I started as a communityorganizer back on the East
(16:35):
Coast, um, organizing inlow-income communities for
social justice issues and Um,eventually became the executive
director of a largeorganization at the time there
was nothing holding me downback east, so, uh, when it was
time to move, I put up myresume around the country and
wound up, uh, coming out to
California workingat a, uh, PR firm.
(16:57):
Uh, where we worked with, uh,government agencies, nonprofit
clients, uh, politicalcandidates, and rose through
the ranks there, became thevice president of the firm, and
my passion has always beenconnecting governments and
communities, governments andpeople, and so I knew I wanted
to take the communicationskills that I, you know,
garnered over the years andapply that to, um, public
(17:19):
service and so that's where,uh, I applied for a job with
the county, um, and.
This November will be 10 yearsfor me, um, and haven't looked
back since.
That's great.
Um, when, when I hear yourbackgrounds and and what you
bring, it's so fascinating tothink about how that work is,
you know, those previousexperiences are impacting, um,
(17:40):
many lives here inContrecos County.
Um, let's talk aboutnatural disasters.
So animal services definitelyplays a role, um, when things
go sideways in terms ofearthquakes and wildfires,
things like that.
Um, talk about the role ofanimal services and, and how
your team shows up andresponds during emergencies.
(18:01):
Well, every emergency is alittle different, um, and, and
we are here to respond tothose, but before we get to
that, I always want to urgeeveryone preparedness is really
the key.
Yep, you know, there, there's amillion people in this county.
There's north of that, and youknow, by workout math, there's
hundreds of thousands ofpets in this community.
(18:24):
We have about 90 employeesso we can't show up to every
single one, so a little bit ofpreparedness to so that allows
us to help the ones that aretruly in need that truly need
the assistance.
Everyone should have a a to gobag packed for their pet with
medications and a plan and a
leash or or acarrier for the cat.
(18:45):
So I just don't wanna letany opportunity to talk about
preparedness when it comesto disasters, um, slip by.
As far as what happens when awhen a disaster goes down, so
we have two lieutenants thatthat are, you know, very
involved with the EOC.
Um, and we are set up to offer,you know, assistance at a, a
(19:05):
co-located shelter, um,depending on the shelter, um,
there is, you know, a lotof large animals in this
community, um.
Not just dogs and you know,horses and and livestock.
And being supportive of thatcommunity, usually that's a
pretty self sufficientcommunity but but everybody
needs help and when it'sa disaster, um, you know,
(19:27):
learning how to come togetherand and save those animals is
really important um we workwith the fairgrounds, you know,
that might be a temporaryshelter for large animals.
I think the the big thing withanimals, animal services and
disasters is wehave to be flexible.
We have to, to be ready to, toshow up and and establish, you
(19:48):
know, a prop up a small shelter
um near where peopleare, are congregating.
You do not want it's a lot moreefficient to deliver services,
um, if everybody'scoming to you, so.
If they have a co-locatedshelter, we wanna show up and
we wanna give them the toolsso they can be successful with
that because it's moreefficient for um all the other
services to get to thepeople that need them.
(20:11):
Yeah, and one of the hugebenefits we have in our
department is we have our CARTteam, which many people are
familiar with CERT um, thisis our version of CERT.
It's the countyAnimal response team.
So this is a group ofvolunteers that are led by
Lieutenant Weissman andour field division to.
Go and do those things like setup a temporary shelter at a Red
Cross shelter so that peoplecan come with their animals.
(20:33):
We may remember last year whenwe had the heat wave, um, we
had a number of coolingcenters set up in the county.
Um, I think therewere 4 or 5 of them.
There was only one of them thataccepted animals and that was
the most populated one because,you know, animals are part of
our family, they'repart of our lives.
We're not gonna leave them at
(20:54):
home if we don't haveair conditioning.
For them to suffer, peoplewant to take them with us.
So working with our partners inemergency response to, to let
them know like, hey, we'rehere to help you set up that
temporary shelter so thatpeople can take their animals.
That's a, that's a big thing
and and our car teamare just amazing.
They drill all the time.
Um, we recently, a few monthsago did a drill down with the
(21:14):
EOC in Richmond, um, where wewere setting up a temporary
shelter in a simulation.
And um our team is just soskilled at doing this that they
make the process easy andefficient for the people coming
in, making sure that theiranimals will have everything
they need food, water, a placeto stay while they get cool or
evacuate an emergency, whateverit is, um, as Ben said, you
(21:37):
know, this is something wefocus on a lot and our team is
really well set up to do and,and again, another point of
pride for us that we're able tohave that team and be able to
take action intimes of emergency.
This is why countiesare so cool.
They can do so manydifferent things.
Animal services is just onekind of nuanced narrative when
it comes to umemergency response.
(22:00):
Um, so how, if people neverheard of Contra Costa Animal
Services before, how can peoplevolunteer, how can they adopt?
How can they donate,plug that stuff.
Well, I'm gonna let Steve take
this because this isreally his wheelhouse.
Yeah, you can, uh, you canfind us on the web at CASD.org.
Uh, our website is atremendous resource.
(22:23):
Um, we're trying to get moreservices on the website, so
things that you would normallycall into the shelter for.
We're more and more puttingthose on the website.
So if you want to find.
A noisy animal report orcheck out the animals that are
available for adoption or evencheck out the animals that
recently left the shelter.
Um, all that can be donethrough the website.
Um, one of the greatest wayswe connect with people is on
(22:44):
social media because pets and
social media justgo hand in hand.
It's um pretty amazing andUh, we are active on Facebook,
Instagram, TikTok, X, formerlyTwitter, uh, and we have a
pretty robust YouTube pageas well, um, and we're always
looking at what are the newplatforms that we could kind of
(23:05):
expand on to, um, for now thoseare the ones we're on, um, if
people are interested indonating, we do have our animal
benefit fund and you canfind that on our website.
Um, and this is an amazing fund.
It goes all the money in thefund goes to supporting the
animals, um, in ways both in
our shelter andoutside of our shelter.
(23:25):
So some of the things we'refunding through that fund are
additional spay andneuter capacity.
We know that's something thatthe community really wants and
needs, and it's typicallysomething that's at a higher
cost if you go to aprivate veterinarian.
Um, we're trying to figure outways to, you know, do that in a
way that's cost efficient forpeople who may not be able to
afford it because it is a hugefactor in people, you know,
(23:46):
either relinquishing theiranimal or, um, you know, the
animal having behavior issuesgetting out and and coming into
the shelter ultimately.
Spay and neuter is a big one.
Shelter intervention is a potthat we call these are things
that help keep animalsout of the shelter.
Um, right now we're partneringwith, uh, joybound people and
pets on that, and they'rehelping to provide innovations
(24:07):
that will help people keeptheir pets in their homes.
That's the wholegoal of that program.
Um, so the animal benefit fundreally is a great thing to
donate to if you want todonate, and it's simple.
You just go to our website, youcan click the link, donate, how
much or as little as youwant, um, every penny counts.
But then we also have ourAmazon wish lists, which are,
(24:28):
these are things we typically
use in the shelter blankets, um.
Certain types of dog food orcat food for animals that may
have, you know,specific dietary needs.
Um, we keep that wishlist on our website.
You can find that, um, on ourdonations page as well, and
those are things that really goto helping the animals in the
(24:50):
shelter and making sure thatevery animal is comfortable,
has the resources they need,and our volunteers have things
to continue to enrichthe animals, um.
So yeah, we try to stay veryactive um in any kind of
communication and we do a lotof media um we do things like
this which any any opportunitywe have to kind of tell our
(25:11):
story and and talk about, youknow, what we see in the work
we do, we, we will always take
uh whoever up on onthat opportunity.
Usually people are asking usto shut up about what we do.
Well, if there's one takeawayfrom today's discussion, what
would you want peopleto remember the most?
Oh, that's a good question.
(25:32):
Just one.
One takeaway I would say, um,for me it's the importance of
uh microchipping and licensing,and I say that because, um, you
know, again, they're the bestways to be reunited with their
pet if they ever become lost.
Uh, the best story that I'veever seen in my time at Contra
(25:52):
Costa Animal Serviceswas a few years ago.
We had a uh pet in ourshelter that had a microchip.
It, it had come in, wescanned the microchip.
We, it, it went back to anaddress and a phone number that
were no longer active, um, sothe animal was in the shelter
for a little while.
(26:13):
Ultimately, and this is howamazing our clerical unit is,
they, they don't just, youknow, take, all right, well, we
tried to contact theperson and that's it.
They will go and sleuth asolution here to reunite that
pet with their owner.
Found the owner.
The owner was in Florida.
The owner had lost.
The dog two years prior.
That person flew back to uhContra Costa County, came into
(26:35):
our shelter, and I, I swearthere was not a dry eye in our
lobby when you saw thereunification and that dog
absolutely losing its mind whenit saw its owner and the woman
losing her mind when she sawthe dog she thought she would
never see again.
(26:55):
that's when you talk about theRTO campaign, when you talk
about everything we do at ananimal services like that's
where, you know, you feelgood about the work you do.
You go home thinking like I didsomething good today and that
touches everybody in ourshelter, our volunteers, our
staff who cared for the dog,um, our clerical team who
sleuthed down that informationand made that connection, um,
(27:17):
that's where you feel like,
wow, we, we foundsome success today.
That's a pretty goodtime to remember hardly.
I left in this room after that.
Um, I remember you told me thatstory, and didn't they get on
the plane almost immediately,oh, Fluffy's at the shelter.
It's amazing we have technologyin place where we can reunite
(27:40):
That's amazing.
even years later.
And, and that's the other thingI'll say is, um, we could have
returned that dog probably alot earlier if, and this is
something that a lotof people don't know.
They think themicrochips in the animal.
And their information's inthere, but then they move,
update your information on themicrochip so we know where to
It's only as good as theinformation exactly our clerks
(28:02):
reach you.
will sleuth that information,
but you know,let's make it easy.
Let's get it home asquickly as possible.
So these are kind of the thingsthat you do to keep the animals
out of the shelterin the first place.
Yeah, yeah, everybody talks
about the animalsin the shelter.
It's all the animals that wewere able to help, you know,
through the progressiveprogramming like the microchip
(28:22):
campaign, the RTO campaignthat, you know, that's, that's
really the, the excitingpart of what's going on, um.
At least for me.
Well, I mean, another excitingthing for me here is all of the
work that, you know, Ben'sbrought in and Doctor Mahalak
has brought in in terms of the
increased spay andneuter we're doing.
(28:44):
Christy, you know, there hasbeen a large cry for those
services in our county foryears now and It it really
feels like we're making a hugedent in that in terms of we've
really expanded those services,we're doing way more than we
have ever done in the past anda lot of that was just, you
know, bringing in a differentperspective, trying things a
(29:06):
little different, trying to seewhat type of volume can we do.
Um, and, and then also thepartnerships we're making in
the community withorganizations like Joybound and
others that are helping toexpand those services into the
community where we through our,you know, agency capacity may
not be able to get through, butthrough things like the Animal
(29:26):
Benefit Fund and MeasureX we're able to form these
partnerships and increaseour impact in the community.
So it's, it's definitelycommunity partnership expanding
to meet community needs is
effective governmentat its finest.
Um, well, thank you bothfor being here today.
That's it for today's show.
Uh, I'm your host, ChristyJordan, Contra Costa County's
(29:46):
public information officer.
Thank you for joining us onthe Government Speak podcast
brought to you by the Office ofCommunications and Media, but
don't just take our word for it.
Stay curious, stayconnected, and stay informed.
Until next time, keep your mindopen and your facts straight.
Welcome to government Speak.
This is where we'll cut throughthe government speak to get the
information you need aboutcounty programs, services, and
events straight from the source.
Welcome to Government Speak,
Contra Costa County'sofficial podcast.
I'm your host, Christy Jordan,Contra Costa County's public
information officer, and onthis episode we have Animal
Services director BenWinkleblack and public
(00:22):
information officer Steve Burdo
joining us in studioat 10 Douglas.
Ben and Steve, welcometo the podcast.
Thanks for having us.
In sync, um, you know, animalservices might be one of the
most emotionally chargedplaces in county government.
You're reuniting lost dogswith children, you have public
safety meaning animal welfare.
(00:43):
What does a typical daylook like for your team?
They're all over the map.
The primary focus of the staffis the care of the animals and
how are they doing in our care.
Uh, the first thing that I doin my mornings I walk through
and look at all the animals in
the shelter with oneof our veterinarians.
We're looking for change, youknow, how are they, how are
(01:05):
they sheltering, um, are wemeeting their needs, you know,
their emotional needs there,you know, they get stressed
when they're with us, and welike to look at every one of
them every day.
After that, we take thatknowledge and we go to it's
called the pathwayplanning meeting.
And it's really case managementbrought to animal sheltering.
So it's all the outcomestakeholders that we have
working for us, medical staff,behavior staff, shelter staff,
(01:28):
everyone's invited um thatworks there and we, we talk
about the animals whoseneeds aren't straightforward.
How many, how many animals areyou seeing in a year or a given
day at the shelter?
Um, well, as of this morningwe have about 113 dogs and 123
cats in our care.
(01:48):
Is that?
Oh, I'm sorry,it's it's flipped.
It's 123 dogs and 113 cats.
Is that a is thata unique number?
Is that relatively high?
Is that an average day?
Um, this is a busy time of yearfor us, um, right after the 4th
of July, the, the 5th of Julyis really a, a busy day in
The fireworks scare away, youknow, dogs, they, they run
(02:10):
animal welfare.
because they're, you know,fearing for their life, and
That happens on theevening of the 4th of July.
So the 5th of July,they all end up with us.
Yeah, uh, over the sinceFriday, we've taken in 53
animals, most ofthose being dogs.
Oh wow.
Um, so how do you handle kindof that information collection
(02:32):
process and making sure that
those animals getback home safely?
I mean, what is an emergency
rescue or animalcruelty investigations?
What does that all look like?
Well, there, there's a handfulof things, you know, animals
come into our carefor different reasons.
Um, some are just stray because
they got separatedfrom their family.
Um, we've been doing somereally exciting things as far
as, um, reuniting animalswith their owners.
(02:54):
We call it the RTO campaign.
Um, I'll, I'll let Steve talkabout that because this has
been a program that he'sreally owned and it's.
It's the most exciting thingthat we have going right now,
and I, I think that he would doit better justice than I would.
Um, yeah, it's, it's a really
exciting thing and it'snothing groundbreaking.
It, it was a simple idea, right?
(03:16):
Let's get more awareness aboutwhat people can do if they've
lost their pets.
Main point being,hey, check with us.
We're the county shelter, it's
probably with us,um, so we start.
Running back in November, uh,paid social media ads targeted
in the communities where we seethe most stray animal intake
Um, these are particularly inWest County and in East County,
coming from.
(03:37):
but we're running thempretty much countywide.
We're just targeting them morespecifically in those areas.
Um, the idea was to run thoseads and also, um, pair those
ads with free service clinicswhere people can get a free
microchip, get freevaccinations, all the things
they need to keep their petssafe and at home, um, but the
microchips really the importantpiece because that's the
(03:59):
easiest way to reunite ananimal with their family if
they're stray and theycome into our shelter.
So we, we're doing thisabout 6 times a year.
We're trying to do more.
We've done.
Uh, 6 over the last year wherewe just set up in a city or at
our facility and we say, hey,come on down and get a free
microchip and vaccinations.
(04:20):
I think it's partof the long game.
We started doing the free uhmicrochip clinics back in 2017
and I think we're starting tosee the results of that, but
the campaign has beenremarkably successful.
It's run from November to
current day and atthe end of June.
Um, over the course of thecampaign we've seen a 30%
increase in the animals we'vebeen able to return to their
owners from the years prior.
(04:43):
So same period we'relooking at 30% increase.
So it really kind of is atestament to when you're
proactive out in the communityand you're sharing information
and making sure people getconnected with the with the
facts that just howpowerful that can be.
I mean that's a huge number.
Um, so how can people get their
pets vaccinated,spayed neutered?
(05:04):
Um, that's, I'm assuming one ofthe biggest questions that you
all field, um, day to day.
What's the process for that?
Well, we've been retooling ourspay neuter program and we've
increased our capacityby about 30-35% in 2025.
It is wildly popular.
So if someone comes in andtries to get on the schedule,
there might be a wait.
(05:27):
Um, we open up, um, surgeryslots, uh, when we have the
capacity for it.
There are other ways toget spay neuter done.
Measure X is funding thousandsof spay neuters over the next
few years.
Um,
Joybound Joybound People andPets is administering most of
that, um, through a partnershipwith Animal Fix Clinic.
There are other, um,community-based organizations
(05:50):
that also receive some animalbenefit funding, um, and they,
they can maybe put somebodyin contact with resources.
But again we're, it's a programthat we are really invested in
expanding um we have, it's beena big focus of 2025 and we're
starting to see the results,um, it similar to the RTO
campaign about a, a 30 35%increase in in spades and
(06:13):
neutral, so we look for, uh,more availability and more
capacity within that program.
And you had mentioned MeasureX for those who might be
listening for the first time,have sent voter uh sales tax
approved back in 2020, um, goesto fund safety net programs and
animal services isdefinitely one of those, um.
(06:33):
So what are some of themisconceptions that people have
about the shelter?
The work you do, I imagine, is,you know, we've talked about it
being emotionally charged,people um love their animals.
And so what are some of thethings that you wish people
knew about the shelter that
they might perceiveum differently?
You know, the, the animal
(06:54):
welfare has hada rough go of it,
not, not just here, um, but youmentioned safety net a little
bit ago and that's how Iusually describe our, our
operation, you know,the buck stops with us.
Uh, we are here when everyoneelse has turned away.
We are here to support the,the neediest animals in the
community and to function as asafety net, we, we really have
(07:14):
to keep our eyes onthat mission and, and.
If we turn take in everythingthat shows up at our door and
everything that's in need, um,we, we need to, you know, be
We need to make sure that weare resourced appropriately for
set up for that.
that which we are but wefunction differently than a
private nonprofit that, youknow, gets to pick and choose
(07:35):
the animals that come in.
Um, we are here for the onesthat are sick and and injured
or or or not thefriendliest animal.
So what I'd like the communityto know is, you know, while we
have serious work that wedo, we're also a place that
reunites familiesand creates families.
um, I have, I'm sitting heretalking to you and I'm thinking
(07:56):
about my little dog Fern who'ssitting at home waiting for me.
Um, that and that we do thatevery single day, uh, we
reunite if, if my little dog,or any of my dogs, several, um,
went missing, I wouldjust be beside myself.
I would not be able to functionand I would look to animal
services to be the, the safehaven for for that dog to to
(08:18):
show up and I I would be ableto go and be reunited with my,
with my family.
So while we do have to maketough decisions and, and we
have hard work to do, um, we,you know, we respond to reports
of animal cruelty.
And that is, when, when you seewhat some people are capable
of, um, you know, that'sreally hard on your soul, and
(08:43):
We're happy to show up and dothat because somebody has to go
and intervene, um, andthat just happens to be us.
So I, I don't.
I think that there is, youknow, the term of pound, um,
you know, a lot of laws usedto be called pound master laws,
and that's what where that termcame from, and impound, that's
what we do with the animals.
(09:04):
But we're so much more thanthat, and we have hundreds of
volunteers that come every week
to enrich the livesof the animals.
We have a very large staff thatspends all day thinking about
how can we maketheir lives better.
And yeah, and you know, Ithink, you know, Ben had
mentioned the pound.
I think, you know, the days of.
An agency like ours beingthe pound are long gone.
(09:24):
It's about capacity for care.
Our motto is compassion andaction, and I think, you know,
certainly one of the byproductsof what we do is occasionally
we have to euthanize animalsand that's something that is
one of those emotionallycharged, you know, things that
somebody in the community thatmay not have familiarity with
our organization, you know,says, oh well, they euthanize
(09:45):
animals and you know, we useeuthanasia as a last resort and
it's, you know, really.
In our, uh, pathway planningand our capacity for care
model, it's about making whatdecision is best for the animal
and best for the community,um, and so you know there are
countless examples of staffmembers Ben, myself, others who
have adopted animals and have
(10:08):
fostered animalsfrom our shelter.
um, that term compassion andaction is not something that we
just came up with becausewe thought it was cool.
It it's what we sawevery day and so.
I think in those situationsremembering like yeah we're
we're the organization thatas Ben said, we're trying to
reunite families we're tryingto make new families we're
trying to care for the animalsthat come into our care in a
(10:30):
variety of different conditionswhether it's a behavioral
condition or a medicalcondition, um, with an acute
medical problem, a broken leg,uh, uh, you know, eye that
needs to be taken out,something like that.
To watch our medical team andour shelter team do their job
every single day, you willsee that compassion in action.
(10:50):
Um, there's a lot of care,there's a lot of emotion in it
and um it's something where Ijust feel a real sense of pride
coming to work with this groupof people, um, as well as our
volunteers every single day andand the volunteers just can't
get enough shout outs becausethese are people who just give
their time and their talent tocome in and help the animals
and help the community.
(11:13):
Um, and so it's a reallyspecial place to work, um, and
it's a special thingto be a part of.
We love givingtours to the public.
We have no issues with peoplewanting to come in and see how
we do what we do.
We're willing to show you wartsand all, um, and the fact of
the matter is we feel the waywe're doing things, there,
there aren't many warts, like
(11:34):
there's always roomfor improvement.
Um, but when you see what'shappening in our shelter every
single day out in the fieldwith our officers, the actions
that they're taking in thefield to help reunite pets or
work with families who, youknow, may have lost a pet or,
or their pet may have bitten
somebody, it'sremarkable to see.
(11:54):
You know, and you will seethat that is the compassion and
action that we talk about.
So you both touched on two,I think it kind of polar
opposites, but I thinkthey work together.
You talk about compassion, but
you're also a lawenforcement agency.
How do you strike that balancebetween those two things?
That's a great question.
Um, there's a handfulof ways to look at it.
(12:16):
We're gonna receive calls orcomplaints from the community.
They see something that theydon't like or they don't agree
with and they think it mightbe, you know, a compassion
issue or a criminal issue.
Um, and, and they'll callus and, and we'll send field
officers out.
It's, they have the discretionout there, you know, they ask,
they ask questions, they find
(12:39):
out how are we inthis situation.
Sometimes it doesn't matter theanswer to those questions, we,
we know that this isa criminal situation.
Sometimes it's a resource issue.
Sometimes it's a perfectlyloving home that never thought
about an animal the way thatyou and I would think about an
animal, and it's ourjob to educate them.
Figuring out where that lineis, you know, it, it's comes
down to evidence and andcircumstance and, and why are
(13:02):
we there and also what, youknow, who are we dealing with
on the other end and, and whatgot them there, um, our job is
to, you know, make thatanimal's life better in one way
or another after that visit.
Sometimes it's an incrementalimprovement through education
of the owner.
Sometimes we have to, you know,utilize the penal code, seize
(13:23):
the animal, and, and starta criminal investigation.
I mean one came in over theweekend and, you know, I get a
phone call.
Hey, this is, you know,this is what we're seeing.
I called a forensicveterinarian, she was able to
show up and, and we're startingthat process so it's the full
spectrum of, of animal welfare.
I mean, the more you work withany community you're gonna see
that and.
(13:45):
Yeah, I, I think you, you getto see in it, well, we would
need to be compassionatetowards our community too and
look at.
Why are we talking to them?
And is it a resource issue andcan we, can we help meet that?
That need It's also a betterway of doing business.
If you are gonna, somesituations, they don't rise to
(14:06):
the level of a criminalcomplaint or or give us the
authority to seize the animal.
Well, you're gonna continue toget calls on that situation.
So if you approach it, howdo we resolve this situation?
How do we make it so wedon't have to come back?
Can we, can we make afriend in the community?
Can we build a bridge?
And can we resolve thiswith maybe some education?
Maybe spay neuter is the issue,maybe it's a, you know, a
(14:28):
health thing, dropoff some food.
We're gonna addressit like that.
And, and then we're not gonnahave to go back, we're gonna
have to go less frequently.
So it, there's a whole lot ofways to, to look at this, but
yeah, you.
You know, you, you gave a shoutout to the volunteers, and I
wanna, you know, second that,but I also want to give a shout
out to the field staff becausethey're out there by themselves
(14:49):
and, and having to make thesetypes of decisions every day
and which side of theline does this fall on.
So that leads to decisionfatigue and and everything so
we try to take care of them,but I also wanna, you know.
Just talk about how much Irespect what they do day in and
day out.
So, let's talk about that.
(15:09):
How do, how do you get into,you know, this type of work and
you're a newer departmenthead to Contra Costa County.
So what has that transitionbeen like for you?
Um, I, well, I've been doingthis for about 20 years.
Um, I really love, I have abackground in high tech, which
is the exact opposite, and I, Imoved away from that because it
(15:31):
was not, you know, I did notfeel fulfilled by my job at, at
that time and some people areable to, and I maybe I was just
in the wrong sector of tech,but I've always loved animals.
My family hasalways had animals.
And there was a veterinaryhospital down the street from
where I was living, and I hadmoved to California and I was
(15:52):
by myself, so I thought I'll
just go down thereand get a job.
And I've never turned back and
never regretted it for a second.
So, I've been atmultiple shelters.
I've consulted with shelters
and, and I'm reallyhappy to be here.
Um, the, the governmentfunctions really well here and,
and we have what we need to dothe job that, that we're being
(16:13):
asked to do.
So, um, you know, I really feelthat I've arrived and, and I, I
just hope that everyone'swilling to tolerate me for all
my shortcomings so I cancontinue to do it here.
Well, you're doing great.
Steve, what about you?
What's your background?
How did you end upin animal services?
Yeah, my, my background's kindof gone all over the place.
I started as a communityorganizer back on the East
(16:35):
Coast, um, organizing inlow-income communities for
social justice issues and Um,eventually became the executive
director of a largeorganization at the time there
was nothing holding me downback east, so, uh, when it was
time to move, I put up myresume around the country and
wound up, uh, coming out to
California workingat a, uh, PR firm.
(16:57):
Uh, where we worked with, uh,government agencies, nonprofit
clients, uh, politicalcandidates, and rose through
the ranks there, became thevice president of the firm, and
my passion has always beenconnecting governments and
communities, governments andpeople, and so I knew I wanted
to take the communicationskills that I, you know,
garnered over the years andapply that to, um, public
(17:19):
service and so that's where,uh, I applied for a job with
the county, um, and.
This November will be 10 yearsfor me, um, and haven't looked
back since.
That's great.
Um, when, when I hear yourbackgrounds and and what you
bring, it's so fascinating tothink about how that work is,
you know, those previousexperiences are impacting, um,
(17:40):
many lives here inContrecos County.
Um, let's talk aboutnatural disasters.
So animal services definitelyplays a role, um, when things
go sideways in terms ofearthquakes and wildfires,
things like that.
Um, talk about the role ofanimal services and, and how
your team shows up andresponds during emergencies.
(18:01):
Well, every emergency is alittle different, um, and, and
we are here to respond tothose, but before we get to
that, I always want to urgeeveryone preparedness is really
the key.
Yep, you know, there, there's amillion people in this county.
There's north of that, and youknow, by workout math, there's
hundreds of thousands ofpets in this community.
(18:24):
We have about 90 employeesso we can't show up to every
single one, so a little bit ofpreparedness to so that allows
us to help the ones that aretruly in need that truly need
the assistance.
Everyone should have a a to gobag packed for their pet with
medications and a plan and a
leash or or acarrier for the cat.
(18:45):
So I just don't wanna letany opportunity to talk about
preparedness when it comesto disasters, um, slip by.
As far as what happens when awhen a disaster goes down, so
we have two lieutenants thatthat are, you know, very
involved with the EOC.
Um, and we are set up to offer,you know, assistance at a, a
(19:05):
co-located shelter, um,depending on the shelter, um,
there is, you know, a lotof large animals in this
community, um.
Not just dogs and you know,horses and and livestock.
And being supportive of thatcommunity, usually that's a
pretty self sufficientcommunity but but everybody
needs help and when it'sa disaster, um, you know,
(19:27):
learning how to come togetherand and save those animals is
really important um we workwith the fairgrounds, you know,
that might be a temporaryshelter for large animals.
I think the the big thing withanimals, animal services and
disasters is wehave to be flexible.
We have to, to be ready to, toshow up and and establish, you
(19:48):
know, a prop up a small shelter
um near where peopleare, are congregating.
You do not want it's a lot moreefficient to deliver services,
um, if everybody'scoming to you, so.
If they have a co-locatedshelter, we wanna show up and
we wanna give them the toolsso they can be successful with
that because it's moreefficient for um all the other
services to get to thepeople that need them.
(20:11):
Yeah, and one of the hugebenefits we have in our
department is we have our CARTteam, which many people are
familiar with CERT um, thisis our version of CERT.
It's the countyAnimal response team.
So this is a group ofvolunteers that are led by
Lieutenant Weissman andour field division to.
Go and do those things like setup a temporary shelter at a Red
Cross shelter so that peoplecan come with their animals.
(20:33):
We may remember last year whenwe had the heat wave, um, we
had a number of coolingcenters set up in the county.
Um, I think therewere 4 or 5 of them.
There was only one of them thataccepted animals and that was
the most populated one because,you know, animals are part of
our family, they'repart of our lives.
We're not gonna leave them at
(20:54):
home if we don't haveair conditioning.
For them to suffer, peoplewant to take them with us.
So working with our partners inemergency response to, to let
them know like, hey, we'rehere to help you set up that
temporary shelter so thatpeople can take their animals.
That's a, that's a big thing
and and our car teamare just amazing.
They drill all the time.
Um, we recently, a few monthsago did a drill down with the
(21:14):
EOC in Richmond, um, where wewere setting up a temporary
shelter in a simulation.
And um our team is just soskilled at doing this that they
make the process easy andefficient for the people coming
in, making sure that theiranimals will have everything
they need food, water, a placeto stay while they get cool or
evacuate an emergency, whateverit is, um, as Ben said, you
(21:37):
know, this is something wefocus on a lot and our team is
really well set up to do and,and again, another point of
pride for us that we're able tohave that team and be able to
take action intimes of emergency.
This is why countiesare so cool.
They can do so manydifferent things.
Animal services is just onekind of nuanced narrative when
it comes to umemergency response.
(22:00):
Um, so how, if people neverheard of Contra Costa Animal
Services before, how can peoplevolunteer, how can they adopt?
How can they donate,plug that stuff.
Well, I'm gonna let Steve take
this because this isreally his wheelhouse.
Yeah, you can, uh, you canfind us on the web at CASD.org.
Uh, our website is atremendous resource.
(22:23):
Um, we're trying to get moreservices on the website, so
things that you would normallycall into the shelter for.
We're more and more puttingthose on the website.
So if you want to find.
A noisy animal report orcheck out the animals that are
available for adoption or evencheck out the animals that
recently left the shelter.
Um, all that can be donethrough the website.
Um, one of the greatest wayswe connect with people is on
(22:44):
social media because pets and
social media justgo hand in hand.
It's um pretty amazing andUh, we are active on Facebook,
Instagram, TikTok, X, formerlyTwitter, uh, and we have a
pretty robust YouTube pageas well, um, and we're always
looking at what are the newplatforms that we could kind of
(23:05):
expand on to, um, for now thoseare the ones we're on, um, if
people are interested indonating, we do have our animal
benefit fund and you canfind that on our website.
Um, and this is an amazing fund.
It goes all the money in thefund goes to supporting the
animals, um, in ways both in
our shelter andoutside of our shelter.
(23:25):
So some of the things we'refunding through that fund are
additional spay andneuter capacity.
We know that's something thatthe community really wants and
needs, and it's typicallysomething that's at a higher
cost if you go to aprivate veterinarian.
Um, we're trying to figure outways to, you know, do that in a
way that's cost efficient forpeople who may not be able to
afford it because it is a hugefactor in people, you know,
(23:46):
either relinquishing theiranimal or, um, you know, the
animal having behavior issuesgetting out and and coming into
the shelter ultimately.
Spay and neuter is a big one.
Shelter intervention is a potthat we call these are things
that help keep animalsout of the shelter.
Um, right now we're partneringwith, uh, joybound people and
pets on that, and they'rehelping to provide innovations
(24:07):
that will help people keeptheir pets in their homes.
That's the wholegoal of that program.
Um, so the animal benefit fundreally is a great thing to
donate to if you want todonate, and it's simple.
You just go to our website, youcan click the link, donate, how
much or as little as youwant, um, every penny counts.
But then we also have ourAmazon wish lists, which are,
(24:28):
these are things we typically
use in the shelter blankets, um.
Certain types of dog food orcat food for animals that may
have, you know,specific dietary needs.
Um, we keep that wishlist on our website.
You can find that, um, on ourdonations page as well, and
those are things that really goto helping the animals in the
(24:50):
shelter and making sure thatevery animal is comfortable,
has the resources they need,and our volunteers have things
to continue to enrichthe animals, um.
So yeah, we try to stay veryactive um in any kind of
communication and we do a lotof media um we do things like
this which any any opportunitywe have to kind of tell our
(25:11):
story and and talk about, youknow, what we see in the work
we do, we, we will always take
uh whoever up on onthat opportunity.
Usually people are asking usto shut up about what we do.
Well, if there's one takeawayfrom today's discussion, what
would you want peopleto remember the most?
Oh, that's a good question.
(25:32):
Just one.
One takeaway I would say, um,for me it's the importance of
uh microchipping and licensing,and I say that because, um, you
know, again, they're the bestways to be reunited with their
pet if they ever become lost.
Uh, the best story that I'veever seen in my time at Contra
(25:52):
Costa Animal Serviceswas a few years ago.
We had a uh pet in ourshelter that had a microchip.
It, it had come in, wescanned the microchip.
We, it, it went back to anaddress and a phone number that
were no longer active, um, sothe animal was in the shelter
for a little while.
(26:13):
Ultimately, and this is howamazing our clerical unit is,
they, they don't just, youknow, take, all right, well, we
tried to contact theperson and that's it.
They will go and sleuth asolution here to reunite that
pet with their owner.
Found the owner.
The owner was in Florida.
The owner had lost.
The dog two years prior.
That person flew back to uhContra Costa County, came into
(26:35):
our shelter, and I, I swearthere was not a dry eye in our
lobby when you saw thereunification and that dog
absolutely losing its mind whenit saw its owner and the woman
losing her mind when she sawthe dog she thought she would
never see again.
(26:55):
that's when you talk about theRTO campaign, when you talk
about everything we do at ananimal services like that's
where, you know, you feelgood about the work you do.
You go home thinking like I didsomething good today and that
touches everybody in ourshelter, our volunteers, our
staff who cared for the dog,um, our clerical team who
sleuthed down that informationand made that connection, um,
(27:17):
that's where you feel like,
wow, we, we foundsome success today.
That's a pretty goodtime to remember hardly.
I left in this room after that.
Um, I remember you told me thatstory, and didn't they get on
the plane almost immediately,oh, Fluffy's at the shelter.
It's amazing we have technologyin place where we can reunite
(27:40):
That's amazing.
even years later.
And, and that's the other thingI'll say is, um, we could have
returned that dog probably alot earlier if, and this is
something that a lotof people don't know.
They think themicrochips in the animal.
And their information's inthere, but then they move,
update your information on themicrochip so we know where to
It's only as good as theinformation exactly our clerks
(28:02):
reach you.
will sleuth that information,
but you know,let's make it easy.
Let's get it home asquickly as possible.
So these are kind of the thingsthat you do to keep the animals
out of the shelterin the first place.
Yeah, yeah, everybody talks
about the animalsin the shelter.
It's all the animals that wewere able to help, you know,
through the progressiveprogramming like the microchip
(28:22):
campaign, the RTO campaignthat, you know, that's, that's
really the, the excitingpart of what's going on, um.
At least for me.
Well, I mean, another excitingthing for me here is all of the
work that, you know, Ben'sbrought in and Doctor Mahalak
has brought in in terms of the
increased spay andneuter we're doing.
(28:44):
Christy, you know, there hasbeen a large cry for those
services in our county foryears now and It it really
feels like we're making a hugedent in that in terms of we've
really expanded those services,we're doing way more than we
have ever done in the past anda lot of that was just, you
know, bringing in a differentperspective, trying things a
(29:06):
little different, trying to seewhat type of volume can we do.
Um, and, and then also thepartnerships we're making in
the community withorganizations like Joybound and
others that are helping toexpand those services into the
community where we through our,you know, agency capacity may
not be able to get through, butthrough things like the Animal
(29:26):
Benefit Fund and MeasureX we're able to form these
partnerships and increaseour impact in the community.
So it's, it's definitelycommunity partnership expanding
to meet community needs is
effective governmentat its finest.
Um, well, thank you bothfor being here today.
That's it for today's show.
Uh, I'm your host, ChristyJordan, Contra Costa County's
(29:46):
public information officer.
Thank you for joining us onthe Government Speak podcast
brought to you by the Office ofCommunications and Media, but
don't just take our word for it.
Stay curious, stayconnected, and stay informed.
Until next time, keep your mindopen and your facts straight.
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