Adopt-A-Palooza is coming up June 20, and I want every adoptable animal there to find a safe, loving home. The last time I went, it was not just an adoption event. It was a full of wagging tails, excited dogs, friendly faces, pet-loving vendors, and those beautiful “furever home” moments that remind you why this work matters.
It was happy. It was hopeful. It was exactly the kind of event people should attend. So yes — please go. Adopt if you are ready. Foster if you can. Donate if you are able. Support the vendors, volunteers, rescues, and staff. Share the event. Tell your friends. Help get as many dogs adopted as possible before the worst of Florida’s summer heat settles in.
Because every dog adopted is one less dog waiting in the heat. But I also want us to talk honestly about what happens before adoption day. I wrote before about the challenges and terrible conditions at the Palmetto shelter. Now, with animals being housed at the Bishop location, I am concerned that we have not solved the underlying problem — we may have simply moved it.
At Bishop, the dogs are now facing even more heat and sun exposure. In Florida, that is not a small issue. Heat, direct sun, stress, noise, and inadequate shelter design all affect animal welfare. This is not just about comfort. It is about health, safety, and humane care. Adoption events are wonderful. But we cannot let a happy adoption event cover up the harder question: Are we building a shelter system that is actually safe, humane, storm-resilient, heat-conscious, and designed for the animals who have to live there every day?
A recent motion to even look more seriously at the shelter facility cost issue did not receive a second. That should bother us. Because animal welfare is not just the moment a dog gets adopted. It is the kennel they sleep in. It is the shade they do or do not have. It is the heat they endure. It is the noise, stress, ventilation, medical care, quarantine space, storm protection, and daily conditions before anyone ever sees their adoption photo.
For the dogs’ sake, Manatee County needs to stop treating shelter planning as a temporary patchwork problem. We need a long-term, humane, Florida-appropriate animal welfare facility plan. But on June 20, we also need people to show up. Go meet the dogs. Go support the event. Go be part of someone’s furever home story.
Sari Lindroos-Valimaki is the Democratic candidate for Manatee County Commission District 1. This column was originally published in her Substack. Click here to subscribe.
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writerlynn9717
Thanks, Sari, for your honest story about the needs of one important Manatee County responsibility, the dogs in our shelter. Yes, our shelter. This means that we citizens should have a say about what we see with our own eyes about the precious caged animals having too much hot temps while being housed there. Years ago, I gave a substantial donation to the building of the shelter, which I was very excited about seeing come to fruition, and I've never found out the reason why it took so long and why it was designed so poorly for the health of our dogs. We were made promises of how "state of the art" the new shelter would be. The debacle makes me feel that these county commissioners are not good stewards of our tax monies they spend, nor good stewards of the donations citizens provided for the shelter project. Very sad situation. I'm always reminded that how we treat our animals is indicative of how we are as humans.
Wednesday, June 24 Report this
mjorders
Thank you Sari for your commentary. Those who volunteered at the Palmetto shelter and advocated for a new shelter due to the horrible issues at Palmetto are shocked at how much worse the Bishop Trailer Park & Tent Kennels are. So many have said "I can't believe it but Palmetto actually was better!" BOCC had close to 10 years to provide what was promised: a safe, secure permanent shelter building that would consider the best interest of the dogs. Instead, these prefab trailers literally just appeared one day. Many thought they were temporary while a concrete block permanent building was completed. So much for operating in the Sunshine!
Just the other day George Kruse, who has made it his mission to antagonize, criticize, politicize and verbally attack those who are speaking out, stated the only reason the Bishop trashy kennels are being criticized is because we are a few months out from elections. I call B.S. on that. There may be candidates using this as an issue in their campaigns and to that I say Thank You! the more people spreading the word about this nightmare the better. I will say to Mr. Kruse though that the very first BOCC meeting after the ribbon cutting drew community members / volunteers to speak out about issues. The volunteers and community members have been appearing at EVERY BOCC meeting since then to add to the list of concerns before the dogs were moved; then to speak out about actual "We told you so" concerns plus a laundry list of new concerns after the dogs were moved. Pun intended on the laundry list - there are NO LAUNDRY facilities in these trailers!!
Instead of beginning a discussion on how to move forward with what was initially promised, a concrete block kennel building under one roof, the BOCC with the exception of Dr. McCann, has responded by harassing and even attempting to retaliate against those who find the trailers to be the deplorable pieces of trash they are. Just a few months in and dogs are being locked inside crate sized kennels from 11am to 3pm because of the heat. The noise and temperatures inside these trailers is almost as unsafe as leaving them in their outside runs. The dogs are already beginning to eat the walls and floors in the kennel. Volunteers have little to no access to the dogs during these hours because the walkway inside is too narrow for them to safely access the dogs. The BOCC answer to date has been to dump good taxpayer dollars after bad right down the drain to try and fix something that can never be fixed. THIS SHOULD CONCERN EVERY RESIDENT - PET LOVER OR NOT. They are supposed to be the good stewards of OUR MONEY. This truly is a public safety concern. Abandoned dogs roaming streets and neighborhoods are a recipe for disaster.
The list of safety concerns for the dogs, staff and volunteers at the Bishop property is extensive and all are suffering. At the last BOCC meeting Dr. McCann put forward a motion simply requesting county staff run the numbers on adding a concrete block kennel building next to / adjoining the almost complete adoption and administration building. The motion didn't pass. In his rant that followed, Kruse rambled off so much garbage & twisted half truths it made heads spin. Of all the millions spent, ONLY $2M was spent on the trailers!! We already have the veterinary building; once complete we will already have the adoption & administration building; play yards (in full sun) are complete other than the promised AstroTurf so dogs don't continue to dig out; the required infrastructure / utilities are there now. We simply need a safe block kennel building and we will continue to show up, make noise, grow in numbers and get louder long after this election year is over and until the dogs and taxpayers receive what they were promised. Like and follow Manatee Shelter Watch on Facebook to stay up to date.
Wednesday, June 24 Report this