Garrett Phillips and Melissa Marino
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Humane Society of Tampa Bay (HSTB) and Hillsborough County Pet Resources are both making a drastic change to protect dogs in their care.
The Hillsborough County Pet Resources will relocate all of the dogs at the center and close for several days this week due to an aggressive strain of canine influenza.
Starting Tuesday, staff at the center will move all dogs to another location owned by the county, with most dogs expected to return in mid-July.
As for the Humane Society, HSTB is turning away stray and owner-surrendered dogs for the first time in its 112-year history.
The Humane Society and Hillsborough County Pet Resources said they came to the decision after consulting experts, veterinarians, and animal welfare leaders in Florida.
“Canine influenza is circulating right now within the state. There are some other shelters, besides us, that have been hit and are kind of going through the same thing,” said Scott Trebatoski, Director of the Pet Resource Center. “We tried over the last couple of weeks to try to contain it within the shelter, but it seemed like it was just continuously going even with our containment efforts, so we contacted the University of Florida, Dr. Crawford is the world expert on canine influenza and she told us the only way that we could actually get rid of it was to shut down dog operations. This is the biggest operation we’ve ever had.”
Trebatoski said PRC had outbreaks in 2015 and 2018 that they were able to contain. “Right now we’re about 150% capacity so there’s no way to contain it here, so we wanted to go to a site where we could get all the dogs in one location,” he said.
Pasco County Animal Services and Miami Dade Animal Services are also enacting temporary closures to combat the disease, HSTB said.
“Our leadership did not make this decision lightly,” said HSTB CEO Sherry Silk, “HSTB prioritizes the health of its animals above all else. Unfortunately, this is an unprecedented situation that calls for extreme and immediate action to protect dogs in Tampa Bay.”
Beginning Wednesday, June 26, neither the Humane Society nor the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center will accept dogs into the lost/found, adoption, or foster care programs for a couple of weeks. All dogs currently in the shelter or in foster care will be tested for canine influenza and treated accordingly.
The Resource Center will be closed from Wednesday until Monday, July 1, and will not accept new dogs until July 14. The shelter will be cleaned and undergo extensive disinfection.
Meanwhile, the Humane Society said it would offer free dog food to citizens who are caring for stray dogs while the shelter is refusing to take in new dogs. Food can be picked up at the shelter from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
Canine influenza is an extremely contagious respiratory disease. Most dogs have mild or no symptoms, but severe health complications can arise, sometimes leading to death.
“Canine influenza is a very contagious virus,” said Dr. Jerika Brooks, Lead Veterinarian at Pet Resource Center. “The symptoms tend to be very similar to kennel cough, you’re going to see obviously some coughing, fevers, some lethargy and just not feeling great. It’s really quite similar to human influenza.”
Lab tests confirmed that they were dealing with canine influenza.
“The community should not panic,” said HSTB Director of Shelter Operations Danyelle Van Horn, “while it should be taken seriously by pet owners, canine influenza is much more dangerous in shelter environments than in private homes because of the sheer number of animals housed together and the multiple avenues of transmission.”
HSTB is also offering at-cost ($20) canine influenza vaccines to pet owners in an attempt to build herd immunity. Owners must make an appointment online at HumaneSocietyTampa.org/ahc or by calling 813-870-3304.
The Humane Society will continue to take in stray cats, rabbits, pocket pets, and exotics during this period of dog intake quarantine.
Rachel Carter is a health and wellness expert dedicated to helping readers lead healthier lives. With a background in nutrition, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being.
