Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey named Joe Hellebrand the Director of Animal Services. Director Hellebrand was a police sergeant in Melbourne when his k9 died from heatstroke while locked in his patrol car behind the police station in June of 1988. The temperatures in the car reached 140 to 150 degrees while the dog, Ike, was locked inside for 30 minutes.
- Advertisement -
Brevard County South Animal Care and Adoption Center Facebook profile picture.
Under the Sheriff’s Office’s duty to enforce animal services, Sheriff Ivey is tasked with overseeing the Brevard County South Animal Care and Adoption Center (SACC) located at 5100 Eau Gallie Blvd. A source who works closely with SACC reported the impact Sheriff Wayne Ivey’s decisions have had on the shelter.
Sheriff Ivey announced that Brevard Animal Services had reached a “no-kill” status at the end of the 2015/2016 fiscal year.
- Advertisement -
According to the source, maintaining the no-kill status has produced several outcomes.
To keep numbers down, few owner surrenders are accepted. When accepted, there is a mandatory two-week waiting period. In that time, they are encouraged to sell the pet on Craigslist. The animals are often released, euthanized, or placed in harmful situations. After the two weeks, the owner can then make an appointment to surrender.
- Advertisement -
Domesticated cats are also sometimes treated as feral and released in order to keep numbers down.
To further keep numbers down, adoption fees don’t exceed $25 and are often free. The only requirement for adoption is a photo ID. The source reports that this has resulted in animals being adopted by the homeless. One animal was found roaming the streets weeks later, and had to be euthanized due to behavior.
Dogs with behavior issues at SACC are often euthanized. Hiring a trainer has been suggested, but volunteers report that Sheriff Ivey is not open to suggestions.
Volunteers have been forced to foster animals who are at the end of their life, expressing that they wished the animal had been humanely euthanized instead of suffer until a natural death.
The source also reported that the SACC is not allowed to utilize Facebook to advertise animals up for adoption under Sheriff Ivey’s direction, citing his desire for all publicity to center around himself. The source noted that a Facebook page would enable animals to be adopted at a higher rate. This would allow more surrenders to be accepted.
The Brevard County South Animal Care and Adoption Center was contacted for comment, but deferred to Tod Goodyear, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer. Goodyear was unable to be reached for comment.
