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July 20, 2006

Cheese Whiz at BARC, the Houston Pound

Kent Robertson, the new top dog at BARC, is CHEESY. Really. In fact, he'd probably tell you himself, while he extols the value of a good can of Easy Cheese, also known as Cheeze Whiz. He says it's his secret to bringing the personality out in even the shyest dog.

I visited with Kent Robertson this morning to see he's settling in during his first month on the job. He has the high hopes of the animal community resting on his shoulders to reshape a shelter that's been plagued with problems. From what I've seen, he's ready, and he's already making a difference.

I'm hoping the volunteers who've worked wtih BARC and have been there for this transition will share their comments, too. This is merely my opinion. But, I have seen quite a change at the BARC "blimp." The feeling of gloom I used to get when I walked into the place is gone. It's bright. It's clean. It doesn't even smell as bad as it used to. It looks like a place you'd take your kids to go to adopt a pet. And that.. is the goal. Bringing adopters to BARC to give these animals loving homes. Here are some of the things going on at BARC:

new cleaning protocols in place: dogs are moved out of their kennels before they are hosed down
all animals are examined when they come in and treated
pit bulls, rotties, german shepherds and dobermans are no longer automatically euthanized
Friends of BARC has contributed $20,000 to create dog runs in the back for exercise and socialization
There's a great possibility another huge grant will come in from a national pet company that will fund the spaying/neutering of pit bulls
a new "Kitty Corner" room has been set up with toys for volunteers and potential adopters to come and spend time with the cats outside of their kennels
Kong chew toys in many of the dog runs, and towels down for the cats in their cages.
A pet groomer comes in Saturdays to groom and freshen up the dogs who will be taken offsite to adoption days around Houston
A temperament tester comes in weekly to test the dogs

Robertson says his long term plan is a no kill city of Houston, meaning all healthy adoptable animals, including feral cats, would be adopted out. It's a big order, and it begins inside the shelter itself. Robertson is making it a point to bring the shelter employees - from the animal control officer to the vet techs - in on the decision making process. He wants to instill a pride in their work in a place where everyone is treated with respect and their suggestions are appreciated.

Back to the Easy Cheese. Robertson totes that stuff around and the dogs seem to think it's manna from Heaven. When he walks into the kennel runs, the dogs - smart enough to know he's the CHEESE MAN! - run to the front of the cage for a snack. Robertson hopes this will increase the chances for adoption, bringing normally shy dogs up to greet potential owners.

I had hoped to shoot some video on my home camera, but DARN IT if the battery didn't die. I'll be heading back next week to talk with the Top Dog again and shoot some video to post here. In the meantime, here's a heads up: we're working on a weekly webcast from Robertson highlighting a BARC animal. We'll be setting up a webcam and get that going as soon as possible.

Sorry for the length of this post. I had a lot to squeeze in. BARC has gotten such a bad rap in the nine years I've been here. I have a good gut feeling about what's happening now.

Posted by at 4:45 PM

Your Comments..

ANY comments with profanity will be deleted as soon as I find them, and your IP address will be banned. If you can't make your point without cursing, you don't have any business posting.

Yes, positive things are happening BUT we NEED fosters and adopters NOW for the animals - BARC will have no choice but to euthanize animals - as the shelter is PACKED! There are MANY sweet adoptable animals available at the shelter that need a new home. For every foster or adopter found, a life is saved. If you can foster or adopt, go to BARC today! If we don't have at least 10-15 animals out on MONDAY, they will have to euthanize as no more small cage space is available. These mean kitties and puppies will have to be killed.

--Posted by: Malise at July 24, 2006 9:54 AM

the changes that are under way at BARC can only continue if Houstonians remind their elected officials how important a well run animal control facility is to them. BARC has historically been neglected by City Hall. The Fiscal 2006 budget for BARC amounted to $1.68/citizen. This ratio is the lowest among the major cities in Texas where Austin Town Lake Center spends about $4.48/citizen and Dallas spends about $3.50/person. According to the International City/County Management association, an effective animal control program must be funded at the level of $4/citizen. If one thinks about all of the sales tax revenue that is generated by petowners in the City of Houston, by under funding BARC the City is sending an implicit message to the Taxpayers that their pets don't matter.

--Posted by: Margaret at July 21, 2006 2:17 PM

Thanks Lisa for announcing the positive changes at BARC! I think we have turned the corner and BARC will be a place to go! Now we need volunteers to work both off-site adoptions at various PetSmart stores and to bathe, groom, walk and love the pets while they are at BARC. You can sign up at www.friendsofbarc.org. The idea of the weekly webcast from Kent is terrific and can only increase animal adoptions. I am looking forward to those.
Everyone, please come to a Meet and Greet at Dr. Cooper's Clinic, 1136 Heights Blvd, August 5th from 10am-3pm! A huge PODS is on her property and being filled with donations from the community for the animals at BARC.

--Posted by: Mike Kinsella at July 21, 2006 9:02 AM

I am impressed!! Maybe he can do what needs to be done - bless him for that!! Thanks for the update!!

--Posted by: Donna at July 20, 2006 5:37 PM