Isabella County Animal Control Shelter eligible for $10,000 in grants

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Isabella County Animal Control may receive $10,000 in state funding for surgical materials and supplies.

The grant request had to be approved by the Isabella County Board of Commissioners before the request for the Companion Animal Welfare Fund Grant could be submitted to the state.

The money will pay for surgeries at the shelter, which has an area set aside for it, and for medicines and supplies. The surgical center has yet to be supplied, however.

Having on-site surgeries will save the shelter money, because they now send all adopted animals out to be spayed and neutered. The shelter makes sure to spay and neuter the pets pre-adoption.

“We have to prepare them for their stay,” said Cindy Bryan, a Human Animal Treatment Society volunteer.

The grant is funded by one of the check boxes at the bottom of state tax returns.

About $8,640 will go toward preparation and supplies, and the remainder, more than $1,300, will pay for a veterinarian to perform the surgical procedures. The number of procedures the grant could fund depends on species and gender.

Both dog and cat populations at the shelter have increased since their records system was revamped in 2007. The shelter has seen 1000 more cats and 600 more dogs come in, because of the shelter’s service and the economy, among other factors.

The county will not have to front any of the funds to HATS if approved.

“After the grant is awarded, we will start buying equipment,” said Jennifer Boyce, president of the HATS Board of Directors.

Other business

The board also appointed four people to positions in the county.

Mandy Wigren was appointed to the Human Rights Commission until Sept. 1, 2012. Shirley Decker and Susan Poindexter were re-appointed to the HRC until Sept. 1, 2014, and Eileen Rau was re-appointed to the Department of Human Services Board until Sept. 1, 2012.

Two positions on the HRC remain vacant.

The board discussed mental health patients at the Isabella County Jail and costs associated with housing them and transporting them to other locations if need be.

Medical Examiner Elmer Shurlow made an annual presentation about his and his department’s operations.

The most typical request they receive is to approve cremation requests. The medical examiner’s office receives about 20 a month and must approve all of them by law.

More than 60 cases have required a trip to the hospital to examine the body over the last seven months. About 35 percent of those cases have required an autopsy. The majority have stayed in the county, although two have required a forensic autopsy in Grand Rapids.

Elmer said taking care of cremations and autopsies isn’t the bulk of his job, however.

“It’s consoling the families,” Elmer said. “You can’t just say what happened, then hang up. This is the biggest part of the medical examiner job.”