Thursday, December 5, 2013 News Bulletin Page 9
Castroville’s virtual animal shelter reuniting pets and owners Ann Chen Staff Writer As the weather gets cold and damp, Castroville’s virtual animal shelter will become even more vital to making sure the lost pets of Castroville make it safely home for the holidays. Run as a partnership by the Friends of Castroville Animal Control and the city, the shelter has experienced some remarkable success in using technology to get animals back to their owners. One such instance is the story of Patience and Faith, two dogs that wound up lost in the Castroville Regional Park. “They ended up being in Castroville because…[a Castroville resident] was dog sitting [for his nephew]…and the two dogs got out,” said Director of Public Services Kim Davis, who works with FCAC and the virtual shelter on the city’s behalf. It was days later that the dogs were found by a local resident, who then took them to Castroville’s animal control officer. It was discovered soon after that one dog had a microchip implanted. Though the information on the chip
was outdated, Davis and the FCAC were able to use search engines and online networks to their advantage. “We were able to take that old information and just do a simple Google search, and [we found] a news story about that person [the dogs were registered to] having received a scholarship, and that her plans were [to go] to Texas A&M University,” Davis said. “A [city] staff member has family at Texas A&M University and the two college students connected [through Facebook]. So she notified the new dog owner, and the new dog owner ended up coming to Castroville to get [the] dogs. It was just amazing how through emails and Facebook and all of that, all of these different degrees, we’re able to get reconnected.” For Davis, Patience and Faith’s story is a prime example of the virtual shelter doing what it was designed for. “This is how the virtual shelter works. This is a perfect example of it being successful, because then we put the picture on the website [and the owner] was able
to go and say, ‘Yes, this is Faith and Hope and here are [their] names,’” Davis said. “[It helped the owner confirm] that these are the exact dogs that they were looking for and we’re able to reunite [them].” According to Davis, the shelter has been online for approximately a year. The virtual shelter catalogues all the pets housed by animal control and in the FCAC’s foster network, giving the animals more exposure and, therefore, a better chance at finding a home. “They stay kind of in that virtual network. So their pages are on the Friends of Castroville of Animal Control website, the city website, FCAC’s Facebook page. So it gives us the opportunity to [both] reunite pets with their families [and] it gives us the opportunity to show people in the community, ‘Hey, here’s what’s available for adoption,’” Davis said. The net result is fewer animals being euthanized due to lack of city resources and facilities. This is particularly the case thanks to the foster network, which is always looking for some
Patience and Faith were remarkably reunited with their owner after being found in the Castroville Regional Park thanks to the tech-savvy sleuthing of virtual animal shelter members. Above, the two canines wag their tongues for the camera. (Courtesy Photo) extra help. “[The foster network] is going great. We can always use more fosters, and, if people are not available to foster, donations to the FCAC to help offset the cost [for] families that do foster and vet care is greatly appreciated,” said Davis. With the weather getting colder, such outreach is more vital than ever. “[Winter] is a difficult time for the animal shelter, because it’s not a heated
facility. So we have to go in and put blankets and things in to provide [a] comfortable environment. You have all of those conditions that you have to deal with,” Davis said. “It’s even more important then that people are aware [and that they] start to realize they can use the city website if your pet is lost or missing…to scroll through the pictures and see if it’s one of the pets that’s been picked up. Or you can contact us through the website
if your pet is missing and let us know so we can kind of be keeping an extra eye out.” Davis hopes that residents will utilize the virtual shelter and network to keep as many pets warm and cared for as possible during this holiday season. “It’s a good network where the fosters and the families involved and the people involved are great at supporting and looking out for the pets in town,” Davis said.
MVISD board votes to remove $60K from worker’s compensation fund Ann Chen Staff Writer Medina Valley Independent School District will move $60,000 from its worker’s compensation fund to the district’s operating fund, one of a number of budget amendments approved by the school board at the Nov. 18 meeting. “The worker’s comp fund is very healthy,” said Assistant Superintendent for Business and Operations Paul Holzhaus. “We budget for the worst and take advantage of the best. In other words, if we have a lot of claims in terms workers’ compensation, we’re comfortable [that]
we’re going to be covered. If we don’t have any claims, we have multiple safe years, we benefit from that by bringing those dollars back to us since we are self-insured.” The past two to three years have been healthy ones for the fund, which is at a net position of $374,000. “It’s really over two years worth of liabilities, if you will. That being said, I’m going to recommend that you move some of that money out and put it to work,” Holzhaus said to the school board. “Part of a comment you made earlier when we passed the budget of needing to replace three of the labs [but we only have
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money to replace one]…these dollars can go and replace two more labs that we’re in need of.” The amendment would move $60,000 out of workers compensation into the operating budget Function 51, which is used by facilities director Tommy Ellison. According to Holzhaus, the
fund would still have adequate funds to cover the district after the transfer. “I’m confident that worker’s comp is going to remain healthy in terms of fund balance and taking care of liabilities or any incurred but unreported claims we may have out there,” said Holzhaus.
Funds for worker’s compensation would be built back up relatively quickly, depending on the number of claims or liabilities the district experiences in the next couple of years. “So that will bring your $374,000 worker’s comp down, but…if we have another good year, we can build that back
up again, maybe not in one year, but over two or three years perhaps,” Holzhaus said. “We’ve done this before, but it’s been about two or three years since we’ve done this. Again, if we have a lot of bad, expensive claims, I can’t come back and do this, because that money needs to be there for that purpose.”