New Animal Shelter Director Has High Expectations For County’s Shelter

EL PASO, TX. – After months of turmoil at El Paso’s Animal Control, there’s a new director at the helm of the shelter.

Ray Sim just started his new job on Monday, but he says he’s already getting a feel for what needs to happen to make the shelter more successful. Sim used to head the animal shelter in Gainesville, Florida. Before that, he directed one in Utah.

Sim says his main goal is making sure animals get adopted out rather than put down. The new director says cities can never be entirely euthanasia-free because sometimes they end up taking care of animals that have incurable illnesses – or bad temperaments – and cannot be adopted.

But Sims added he would like to drastically lower the euthanasia rate from what it is now. Currently, 70% of animals in the shelter are put down because they can’t find a home. Sims agrees with the current policy of mandatory microchipping pets within the city limits.

“It’s a tremendous benefit to officers out there who are looking for the lost animals, to be able to scan that animal,” Sim said. He said he’ll spend the next weeks redefining the shelter’s mission and finding out if his staff is on the same page.

Change is overdue, says animal activist Loretta Hyde. “With all the groups doing what we do, and the public going down and doing adoptions, it still hasn’t made a dent. Hyde, director of Animal Rescue League, often takes animals from Animal Control and facilitates adoptions. “Hopefully, he’ll have some other ideas, new ideas that he’s bringing with him.”

Sim will be the shelter’s director when Animal Control is transferred to the city’s Health Department in January of 2008.