The Metro Public Health Department announces new measures being taken by Metro Animal Care and Control to protect employees, volunteers and animals in their care. The following measures are being taken at the direction of Nashville Director of Health Dr. Michael Caldwell, and go into effect immediately. Guidance from the National Animal Care and Control Association advised shelters to take actions to mitigate the short- and long-term effects of COVID-19.
- Animal Control Officers at MACC will continue to answer high-priority and emergency calls, while non-emergency calls and activities will be suspended.
- Animal Control Officers will be instructed to wear personal protection equipment in cases when the location they are dispatched to involves a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.
- Officers are advised to make every effort to avoid entering the home of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.
- Metro Animal Care and Control is unable to accept owner surrenders at this time. Owner surrenders require an appointment, a point of person-to-person contact when transmission of COVID-19 could easily occur.
- If you are experiencing an emergency with your pet and considering relinquishment, please contact the Safety Net Program to discuss further options and resources. The Pet Safety Net team can be reached at 615-862-4017 or email [email protected].
- To further facilitate social distancing and reduce exposure to groups of people in the shelter lobby, Metro Animal Care and Control is conducting reclaims, adoptions, and fosters via appointment.
- Please contact 615-862-7928 or [email protected] to schedule an appointment at the shelter. Please visit PetHarbor.com and enter zip code 37211 to view lost animals brought to the shelter as well as animals available for adoption and foster.
Davidson County residents who find lost pets are encouraged to help reunite them with their owners using social media sites like Facebook and NextDoor, posting flyers and speaking with neighbors. Found pets can be scanned for a microchip at any veterinary hospital.
Notices of lost and found pets can also be posted on PetHarbor.com, the same location where Metro Animal Care and Control posts found and adoptable pets. The public is encouraged to view animals online before, and instead of, coming to the shelter; and to call the shelter if, after checking online, you believe your animal is at our facility.
To help mitigate possible overcrowding, Metro Animal Care and Control is working to connect with people interested in taking in a foster pet. Interested persons should read the Foster Care Guide on Nashville.gov and complete a foster care application. Applications can also be sent to [email protected]. No evidence has been found of companion animals transmitting the virus to humans.
The new policies at Metro Animal Care and Control will be in place until it is safe for employees to go about their normal routines without risk of COVID-19 infection.
Pet owners are encouraged to plan for their pet’s care in the event the owner tests positive for COVID-19. Part of that planning is obtaining a one-month supply of pet food, litter, medications, and supplies, and discussing options for housing the animal if the owner cannot care for their pet. Make a preparedness plan for your pets:
- Identify a trusted family member, friend, or neighbor to care for your pets if someone in your household becomes ill or is hospitalized.
- Research potential boarding facilities to utilize in the event boarding your pet becomes necessary.
- Have crates, food and extra supplies for your pet on hand in case moving them becomes necessary or if the disease spreads in the community and it becomes necessary to reduce social exposure.
- All animal vaccines should be up to date in the event boarding becomes necessary.
- Ensure all medications are documented with dosages and administering instructions. Including the prescription from the prescribing veterinarian is also helpful.
- Pets should have identification including a collar with current identification tags and a registered microchip.
Our staff continues to use hospital-grade disinfectant throughout the shelter, cleaning high-touch areas frequently. Our has also posted information about avoiding the spread of COVID-19 throughout the facility.
Metro Animal Care and Control is committed to the delivery of effective, courteous, and responsive animal care and control services to the residents of Nashville/Davidson County. Our mission is to promote and protect the health, safety and welfare of pets and people in Nashville. Our goals are to build partnerships within the community to promote responsible pet ownership, decrease the overpopulation of domestic pets through spay-neuter programs, and to place adoptable animals in good homes.