I have supported Sheriff Wayne Ivey since he first won election in 2012 for a number of reasons, chief among them, his staunch support of animal welfare and prosecuting cases of animal cruelty to the fullest extent of the law. His love of his K9 dog Junny, named to honor the memory of the late Junny Rios-Martinez, is well known in Brevard County, especially for those of us who work in the Space Coast veterinary community.
Last week, Premier Veterinary Care practice manager, Sharon Mann, and I had the the honor of having been invited to Sheriff Ivey and Brevard County Animal Services ground breaking ceremony officially launching construction of the future state of the art “K-9 Junny Animal Surgery Center.” Once completed, the center house the latest in surgery and medical technology for dogs and cats that under the care at the Animal Care Center.
The ceremony was proceeded with K9 Junny front and center as Sheriff Ivey and Dr. Sarah Boyd Animal Services Director of Veterinary Medicine, spoke passionately about the what the new center will mean for the innocent animals of Brevard County, and the new center’s ability to resolve treatable conditions and obtain forever homes for so many animals. Sheriff Ivey reflected on the uphill climb for the shelter to attain no kill status, and remarkably mused that this accomplishment and the new medical center will mark among his most proud career law enforcement achievements. Dr. Boyd welled up with emotion as she articulated the scope of the center’s promise to multiply her medical team’s ability to medically and surgically manage treatable conditions among the dogs and cats that come through the shelter (6000 plus per month!). Considering the remarkable work the veterinary medical team of Brevard County Animal Services has done from their current much smaller 525 square foot medical and surgical space, to be sure, the potential for the good they can do in a brand new state of the art 4500 square foot facility is beyond measure.
I have had the distinct pleasure of getting to know Sheriff Ivey on a more personal basis this year, having met him at an event and the Sheriff later graciously taking time out out of his busy schedule to attend the Premier Veterinary Care ribbon cutting ceremony earlier this year (click here to see clips of the ceremony and Sheriff Ivey’s speech). During the design and medical equipment planning stages, Sheriff Ivey returned to Premier Veterinary Care, along with Animal Services Director Joe Hellebrand and Dr. Boyd. Itself a new facility designed to maximize space and equipped with the newest state of the art equipment, they toured the clinic to gather ideas for the new surgical center.
Residing a state that ranks third to last in saving the lives of pets in shelters (Florida ranks behind only Texas and California), I cannot over state how proud it makes me as an animal medical care professional to live and practice in a county that places such a high priority on animal welfare. I salute Sheriff Ivey and Director Hellebrand on their dedication to animals and making Brevard County a shining example of what can be accomplished on their behalf by making them a priority. Having experienced shelter medicine first hand, I have the utmost respect and admiration for Dr. Boyd and her medical team, in making a career of among the most physically and emotionally taxing branches of veterinary medicine.
These are remarkable civil servants that deserve our respect, admiration and support. I call on our community to support them and their endeavors advocating for animals in any manner you can. If you are a non-local reader of our blog, I implore you to make your own local municipality aware that advocating for animal welfare uplifts a community, that no kill is possible, and to point them to Brevard County to see how it is done.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” – Mohatma Gandhi