HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Her name is Cupid, she’s a stray found in Plant City a year ago. She ended up with Bill Gray’s Second Chance Boxer Rescue.
“Once again we were stuck. The finder called the shelter. They said, ‘No, we don’t take strays after noon.’ She ended up in a vet clinic and we were called,” said Bill Gray.
Cupid suffered from a gaping wound when a rope became embedded around her neck.
“She needed medical care so we hospitalized her at our expense, tried getting her fixed up,” added Bill. Medical expenses for Cupid ran about $1,500. That, according to Bill came out of the rescue’s pocket.
“Unfortunately the rescues, as far as I’m concerned, are doing a lot of the job that Pet Resource Center (PRC) should be doing,” said veterinarian Dr. Christy Layton, who sits on Hillsborough County’s Animal Advisory Committee.
Bill estimates that Second Chance Boxer Rescue now has 40 to 45 dogs in foster homes, most of them strays. He and other rescues complain Hillsborough County’s Pet Resources Center makes it difficult to drop off strays.
“They’ve reduced intake drastically at the shelter. They’re just not letting them in,” explained Bill.
An email, sent after 8 On Your Side began airing reports about the Pet Resources Center, shows the county now plans to expand intake hours. Assistant County Administrator Dexter Barge admits the county received complaints about PRC.RELATED: Hillsborough County to vet caring for abandoned pets: ‘Let them go’
“Well a lot of them to my knowledge, many of them have come after your story and we’ve taken that to heart,” explained Barge.
Our reports focused on how even veterinarians experience difficulty getting the county to respond to strays and abandoned animals. And that while the county’s live release rate is climbing dramatically, its intake of strays is down by thousands.
“Those animals are still out there. We can pretend they’re not, they’re out there on the street and our phones are ringing,” Bill said.
Cupid is no longer out there. She has a permanent loving home. She is, one lucky dog.RELATED: Neglected dogs handed back to owner by Hillsborough Pet Resources
