Four dozen community members attended an “Animal Welfare Public Forum” this week at the Medford library addressing homeless animals and animal control needs in Jackson County.

An earlier public forum was hosted in January. Thursday’s event included a presentation comparing operations at a slew of regional shelters.

The meetings were prompted by discussions earlier this year about replacement of the county’s ailing 1961 animal shelter and county officials’ consideration of an animal service district.

Thursday’s event was hosted by an informal steering committee made up of community members who in recent months visited and gathered information from non-government-run shelters and nonprofits around the region.

Laura Ahearn, an Applegate attorney who led the meeting, said the group had visited various locations, including shelters in Eugene, Klamath Falls and Best Friends of Baker County, to compare everything from live release rates and volunteer policies to management of foster programs and spay and neuter service availability.

Ahearn said the group, going forward, could review a range of options for sheltering homeless pets in the county.

“I feel strongly that we have to come together and reach a point in clarity about what we really want and really beat the drum and then also try to find a carrot. … What can we do to help (the county) give us what we want?” Ahearn said.

“Some of us feel that they should pay for everything, and some want it to be very independent. And that is fine,” she said. “That’s why we will go through a future exercise to talk about — money aside — what is pie in the sky? What is it we need and want?”

Hadassah DeJack-Reynolds, director for Tikkun Olam Farm Sanctuary in Phoenix, said she was hopeful future proposals for addressing the issue of unwanted animals in the county could include more than just cats and dogs.

“We’re directly across the street from the current (county) animal shelter right now, so it’s very easy for us to collaborate with them,” she said.

“We have talked and mentioned this more than once, that we’d be happy to build in our back pasture, to put a barn so that we could do, like, if you have confiscation… if there’s a cruelty case and an investigation… and we’ve got nothing.”

During time for audience members to voice concerns, discussion shifted to concerns that the county shelter is no longer accepting cats and with an ongoing shortage of spay and neuter services. County officials have expressed that, in addition to a new shelter, increased funding will be needed to accommodate both stray dogs and cats.

Talent resident John Linnehan, who runs the Feral Cats Advocacy with his wife, Amanda Linnehan, addressed the group and encouraged collaboration with the county. He encouraged a focus on helping animals in need versus finger-pointing.

“I think it’s really easy for this group to all kind of sit here and say Jackson County could be doing better — and I don’t disagree that we could probably boil it down to one or two people — but I don’t know that that helps dogs, cats, birds and bunnies,” he said.

“And so how do we try and work proactively and figure that out… being able to go to the county commissioners, go to the county administrator, go to some of these folks and say, ‘Here’s some options. How can we all work together?’”

Linnehan quipped that “unless anybody else has $200 million,” a collaborative effort might be best.

Lisa James, a former Friends of the Animal Shelter director and steering committee volunteer, passed out surveys asking for more feedback from those in attendance. Ahearn and James said a public information campaign would be forthcoming and that the group hopes to meet with county officials in coming months.

James said forum turnout indicated a willingness in the community to help problem-solve.

“There’s a willingness to literally come together and collaborate and talk about how we can create a mutual vision… and we need to define it,” James said.

“We need to need to define what it is we want and how we can help the county give us what we want.”

Medford resident Erin Mahanay said future work sessions would be useful in “figuring out ideas for how to approach the county about what the best approach for solving the problem.”

A past shelter volunteer and dog foster, Mahanay said she hoped that the county would navigate a solution with community support.

“Our feeling is that the county can do better and that it is the county’s responsibility, not just to turn responsibility for this problem to private individuals because they have big hearts and they’re willing to do it,” she said.

“If they don’t want to do it, fine, then they should be financially supporting the people that are doing it, because it’s a county problem and a public health problem,” Mahanay said. “It’s the county’s responsibility not to just wash their hands of it but to actively be involved in supporting the people that are out there, boots on the ground, trying to solve this.’

She added, “It hurts me to see other counties around us doing this work and looking so much better than Jackson County. … We can do better.”

Ahearn said updates would be posted to her Jackson County OR Shelter Info Facebook group.

The Jackson County animal shelter in Talent is at over-capacity and will no longer be able to take any new intakes of animals, effective immediately, officials said Friday.

“Due to an influx of law enforcement intakes and strays, we are over capacity. Unfortunately, we do not have additional space to continue to accept or maintain these animals at this rate,” said Stacy Brubaker, county health and human services department director. “We would appreciate any support the community can offer to help keep pets safe, secure, and in their own homes.”

Brubaker said the following steps are being implemented:

• County staff are doing their best to care for the high number of dogs that are currently at the shelter within the limited space that is available.

• Efforts are being made to identify any potential transfers to other shelters or rescues as appropriate.

• Adoptions are being encouraged with fees waived on any dog that has been in the shelter for more than 100 days and reduced fees for any other adoptable dog that does not meet that threshold.

What the public can do it assist, according to Brubaker:

• Please adopt our dogs if you have the resources to do so (basic health care, time for exercise and socialization, ability to contain and train).

• We ask that all pet owners please keep identification on their animals, so they can be returned to you if they are lost.

• If you have outdoor pets, please inspect your fencing and other forms of containment to ensure they are secure.

For updated information about dogs available for adoption, visit www.jacksoncountyor.gov/pets. Phone calls for adoption requests should go to 541-774-6654.