Tommy Gonzalez
Tim Fischer/City of Midland
mrt
Stewart Doreen, Staff Writer
New City Manager Tommy Gonzalez said the city needs to emphasize the need for microchipping and put more resources into areas to create more effective outcomes.
Gonzalez said he personally met with the owner for around an hour on Monday and then said this animal death – the first on his watch as city manager – provides an opportunity for the city to stress the need for residents to microchip their animals and for the city to strengthen processes at departments across the city.
What happened and the microchipping message
Gonzalez told the Reporter-Telegram that a dog named “Luna” was brought in Friday. He said a veterinarian said it appeared healthy and the animal was dewormed and vaccinated. The animal was also checked for a microchip, but it did not have one.
Gonzalez said the dog was exposed to a respiratory illness inside the shelter and was then put down.
“I think that the pet owner was very distraught because it happened so quickly,” Gonzalez said.
City staff met with the owner and then Gonzalez, along with the city secretary, also met with the owner. He told her that the city will push for more microchipping across the community, “and she was so very strengthened by that.”
“I think she felt that we were listening,” Gonzalez said, “that if her animal had been microchipped, (Luna) would have immediately been given back to the owner, or at least contacted. And that's what's really heartbreaking. And so, I apologized to her several times and I told her we took responsibility. … And so, we really are going to push for more microchipping and really look at putting more money in the budget for microchipping.”
Coincidentally, Fix West Texas also posted on its Facebook page on Monday night, “Let Luna be the reason you get all of your pets microchipped this month!!”
State Law requires shelters to scan all intakes,” Fix West Texas stated in a post. “While this may or may not have saved her life, it could save your dog’s life.”
Fix West Texas also posted, “Microchips will be Pay What You Can Afford all month for those mentioning ‘In Memory of Luna.’ You get a free lifetime registration. It’s registered to you and Fix West Texas. That way if your pet is locked up, we can help contact you to bail them out.”
About processes
Luna’s death is at least the third that has made its rounds on social media since June. There was the death of a dog in an Animal Control vehicle and a death at the shelter during the intake process, according to reports.
Those deaths and the dismissal of former Animal Services Manager Ty Coleman were reasons residents had shown up at Midland City Council meetings and lashed out at city leaders and staff. Luna’s death is the first under new city management and under the new Animal Services Manager Melissa Griffin-Hobson.
Gonzalez said Luna’s death will be a “call to action” to put in place stronger protocols and better policies, so employees can take care of things that happen and the “12 events” that those actions can trigger.
“When I talked to staff this morning, they were very distraught, very upset and very concerned,” Gonzalez said. “And I listened to them, and I told them, ‘Hold on a second, this is what this is where I'm coming from. I want to make sure that you have the resources that you need, I want to make sure that you know that I know y'all have taken it on the chin, and I need to take one for you.’”
He said the city will provide more resources where they are needed and then call for better outcomes.
“No one wants to do that a bad job out here at shelter; no one wants to do a bad job at the city,” Gonzalez said. “And so that's the delicate piece of how that's communicated. Because our folks are the ones doing the day-to-day. And they need to understand where I'm coming from. They need to understand where the council is coming from. And, quite frankly, they need to have the resources to show for it as well.”
The City of Midland opened its 18,400-square-foot facility in October 2021, and the Animal Services division’s $2.323 million budget is an increase of 31% compared to the previous fiscal year and a jump of $1 million (or 75%) compared to fiscal year 2019, according to Animal Services budgets provided by the city.
“That includes an increase in base salaries for Animal Services employees from $523,100 in FY 2019 to $991,402 this year (an increase of 89%),” according to a previous Reporter-Telegram article.
Gonzalez told the Reporter-Telegram on Tuesday that the city has increased the amount it will pay to fill its full-time veterinarian position and that he is working to respond to comments from staff about the need for more vehicles with properly working AC units (for the animals). He also said Griffin-Hobson will be checking and double-checking processes.
“Good leadership is listening to the customers, which is the council and the community, and listening to the people that actually do the work, which are the people that I'm out here with today,” Gonzalez said. “And then being able to get them the resources they need. And then being able to report and communicate effectively how we're doing and what we're doing. Because it's not enough in today's time and where we live today -- with both social media and with just information flow -- it's not enough to do the work. You have to communicate how you're doing it. … You also have to say what you're doing next.”