HITCHCOCK ROAD
Animal Services
2025–2028 Strategic Plan
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Hitchcock Road Animal Services 2025-2028 Strategic Plan iii A Message from Our Administrator
and Board of Directors Chair
At Hitchcock Road Animal Services (HRAS),
our mission is to ensure a high-quality of
life for animals and people in the county
through our programs and services. As a
Joint Powers Agency (JPA) between the
County of Monterey and the City of Salinas,
we are dedicated to advancing animal well-being and promoting public health in all that we do.
With our mission guiding our work, HRAS has just completed a comprehensive strategic planning process. The HRAS Board prioritized conducting an extensive community engagement process to identify community priorities and needs. This process consisted of conducting focus groups with HRAS staff, HRAS volunteers, animal-serving organizations in Salinas and throughout Monterey County, the HRAS Advisory Committee, community members from across the county, and an interview with the CEO of CalAnimals.
We are pleased to note that many of the strategies and activities identified in this strategic plan are already in practice and align with best and promising practices. The strategic plan also includes areas for enhancement. The plan prioritizes strengthening animal services, expanding community engagement and partnerships, and establishing sustainable funding to enhance operations—all with the goal of creating a county where both animals and people can thrive.
The final product incorporates the range of input we gathered and reflects our values, ambitious goals, strategies, and activities that will guide HRAS’s direction over the next three years and beyond.
We hope that this strategic plan is shared widely throughout the county to increase awareness about the range of excellent services and programs offered by HRAS and encourages community members to check us out and get involved! We invite everyone to share our excitement for this next chapter of HRAS and our ongoing commitment to ensure a high-quality of life for animals and people through the range of services and programs offered at HRAS.
Best regards,
Glenn Church, Chair, HRAS Agency Board of Directors
Supervisor, District 2, County of Monterey Board of Supervisors Cynthia Burnham, HRAS Animal
Services Administrator
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Hitchcock Road Animal Services 2025-2028 Strategic Plan v Table of Contents
About Us ................................................................................................ 6 Our Mission and Vision............................................................................ 7 Mission Statement .............................................................................................................................. 7 Vision Statement ................................................................................................................................ 7 Our Services .......................................................................................... 8 Animal Sheltering ............................................................................................................................... 8 Lost and Found................................................................................................................................... 8 Licensing ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Education Programs and Collaborations ............................................................................................. 8 Adoption ............................................................................................................................................. 9 Field Services ..................................................................................................................................... 9 Volunteer and Foster Programs .......................................................................................................... 9 Strategic Planning Process ................................................................... 10 Goals + Strategies ................................................................................ 11 HRAS Goals + Strategies ...................................................................... 12 GOAL 1 Deliver the Highest-Quality Animal Services ....................................................................... 12 GOAL 2 Expand Community Engagement and Partnerships to Enhance Animal Well-being and Ensure Community Health ................................................................................................................ 14 GOAL 3 Establish Sustainable Funding to Enhance Operations ...................................................... 16 Acknowledgments ................................................................................ 18
Hitchcock Road Animal Services 2025-2028 Strategic Plan 6
About Us
Hitchcock Road Animal Services (HRAS)
is the result of a Joint Powers Agreement
between the County of Monterey and the
City of Salinas. HRAS provides a range of
animal services to areas that are
unincorporated in Monterey County, the
City of Salinas, the City of Del Rey Oaks,
the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, the City of
Greenfield, the City of Marina, and
California State University Monterey Bay.
Each year, the HRAS shelter houses
approximately 4,000 animals—including
dogs, cats, rabbits, and other small pets
(e.g., birds, guinea pigs, hamsters). HRAS
strives to provide the highest-quality
animal services while addressing the
needs of the county and ensuring
community health.
Hitchcock Road Animal Services 2025-2028 Strategic Plan 7 Our Mission and Vision
Mission Statement
Ensure a high-quality of life for animals and people through education, compassion, pet retention, advocacy, collaboration, and effective enforcement in Monterey County.
Vision Statement
Animals and people thrive in Monterey County.
The Five Freedoms and Association of Shelter Veterinarians Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters informed a common understanding of shelter best practices and helped shape the strategic plan.
The Five Freedoms are long-standing and widely recognized principles in animal well-being that ensure both the mental and physical well-being of animals. The codified Five Freedoms are as follows:
1. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigor.
2. Freedom from Discomfort by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
3. Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
4. Freedom to Express Normal Behavior by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.
5. Freedom from Fear and Distress by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.
For more information, please visit the Animal Humane Society’s webpage on the Five Freedoms.
The Association of Shelter Veterinarians Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters aim to serve as a resource for the care of shelter animals, such as providing a set of common standards for animal care and well-being and guidance on ways to reduce common shelter challenges. For more information, please read The Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters.
Hitchcock Road Animal Services 2025-2028 Strategic Plan 8 Our Services
Animal Sheltering
HRAS provides compassionate care for
animals in need of shelter. Every animal
brought into the shelter receives nutritious
food, clean water, a clean space to stay,
and necessary medical treatment. The staff
are committed to addressing the needs of
every animal while they wait to be reunited
with their owner, adopted into a new home,
or transferred to an animal rescue partner.
Lost and Found
HRAS strives to get as many lost pets back
home as possible. To make it easy, HRAS
offers a texting platform where community
members can receive information related to
lost and found pets without coming into the
shelter, which aims to reunite the animal
with their family. When lost animals are
brought to the shelter, HRAS staff scan for
a microchip, administer vaccinations,
photograph the animal, and begin the
process of reunification. Lost and found
reports can be submitted by community
members and viewed both in person and
online, with listings updated hourly to
provide timely and accurate information to
the community.
Licensing
HRAS is responsible for enforcing local and
state rabies vaccination requirements for
pets. HRAS offers easy and accessible
licensing and renewal services for animals
their geographic service area through a
partnership with DocuPet. Having an up-to-
date pet license ensures that a pet has its
state-mandated rabies vaccine and helps
identify owners of lost pets. HRAS, through
DocuPet, enrolls the pet into a 24/7 lost pet
service, providing a more efficient
reunification process that does not require
the animal to enter the shelter.
Education Programs
and Collaborations
Educational efforts include providing
resources to pet owners, posting
information on social media, and attending
local community events throughout
Monterey County. HRAS also partners with
other organizations and local providers—for
example—to offer low-cost community
spay/neuter clinics for owned pets and
feral cats.
Hitchcock Road Animal Services 2025-2028 Strategic Plan 9 Adoption
HRAS offers in-person adoption services,
so community members have the
opportunity to meet available animals in the
shelter and ensure compatibility with their
existing pets through supervised meet-and-
greet sessions. All adopted animals are
spayed/neutered, vaccinated with initial
essential vaccines, and microchipped to
support a healthy start in their new home.
Resources related to behavior and
veterinary support are also provided to
ensure a successful relationship between
the adopted pet and the new family.
Field Services
HRAS animal control officers (ACOs) are
trained to respond to various animal-related
concerns throughout unincorporated
Monterey County and the City of Salinas.
ACOs enforce state and local animal well-
being laws and ordinances; pick up stray,
injured, and aggressive animals; and
investigate noise disturbances, animal
bites, potential rabies exposures, and cases
of animal neglect and abuse. They also
work with and educate community
members regarding proper ways to care for
and shelter pets at home. Their work is
central to the well-being and protection of
community members and animals and
promotes responsible pet ownership.
Volunteer and Foster
Programs
HRAS offers a range of opportunities for
community members to engage with and
support the shelter. Volunteers can walk
dogs, socialize with cats, assist at adoption
and education events, help with daily tasks
like cleaning kennels and feeding animals,
and contribute to administrative and social
media tasks. Participants of the foster care
program provide a temporary but secure
home for animals that may be too young to
be adopted, have special medical or
behavioral needs, or need a break from the
shelter environment. Foster homes provide
the animals with the care and attention they
need to thrive. Through participation in the
volunteer and foster programs, community
members not only contribute to the shelter
animals but also have opportunities to build
meaningful connections with the greater
Monterey County community.
Hitchcock Road Animal Services 2025-2028 Strategic Plan 10
Strategic Planning Process
The HRAS Strategic Plan was developed through a
comprehensive and collaborative process to
identify and clarify the shelter’s direction over the
next three years and beyond. This effort involved a
thorough review of promising and best practices in
animal care, a review of strategic plans from peer
shelters, and extensive input from a range of
community stakeholders and partners. Raimi +
Associates was contracted to lead the strategic
planning process and established a Strategic
Planning Team (SPT), made up of the HRAS’ Board
of Directors, to oversee the process.
As part of the environmental scan, the SPT reviewed
strategic plans from similar organizations as well as industry promising and best practices in the areas of operational excellence, policy and governance, community engagement and retention, animal well-being and outcomes, and data- driven decision making. This information supported the SPT in identifying core topic areas—many of which were already in operation at HRAS—to include in the strategic plan.
Raimi + Associates worked closely with the SPT to design a community engagement plan to gather input from a range of stakeholders. Raimi + Associates then conducted focus groups with HRAS staff, the HRAS Advisory Committee, HRAS volunteers, community members from across the county, representatives from animal-serving organizations in Monterey County and the City of Salinas, and conducted an interview with the CEO of CalAnimals—an association of California’s animal welfare organizations. These conversations were summarized for the SPT and informed further discussions about community priorities and positioning the shelter to deepen and expand its impactful role throughout the county.
Hitchcock Road Animal Services 2025-2028 Strategic Plan 11
Goals + Strategies
1. Deliver the Highest-Quality Animal Services
Strategy 1.1 Ensure high-quality animal intake management and/or support pet retention practices
Strategy 1.2 Enhance practices that support animal well-being Strategy 1.3 Expand use of data to guide long- and short-term decisions and proactively communicate with partners and the public
2. Expand Community Engagement and Partnerships to
Enhance Animal Well-being and Ensure
Community Health
Strategy 2.1 Expand education to communities throughout the county and prioritize outreach to hotspots based on data
Strategy 2.2 Increase the volunteer base to support high-quality services Strategy 2.3 Expand support and training to retain volunteers Strategy 2.4 Develop inclusive, culturally responsive messaging and targeted outreach strategies to increase visibility and advance strategic priorities Strategy 2.5 Strengthen and initiate strategic partnerships to address community needs
3. Establish Sustainable Funding to Enhance Operations
Strategy 3.1 Secure sustainable funding
Strategy 3.2 Ensure the highest-quality facility management practices and shelter operations
Strategy 3.3 Improve staff recruitment, hiring, and retention efforts Strategy 3.4 Expand facility as staffing and resources allow to ensure high-quality services
Strategy 3.5 Advocate for more effective countywide animal well-being policies
Hitchcock Road Animal Services 2025-2028 Strategic Plan 12 HRAS Goals + Strategies
GOAL 1
Deliver the Highest-Quality Animal Services
Provide high-caliber, compassionate services to improve animal well- being and meet community needs.
Strategy 1.1 Ensure high-quality animal intake management and/or support pet retention practices
a. Track animal identification information at the time of intake and provide timely, accessible, and transparent processes for returning pets to their owners b. Improve resources and information for pet owners to prioritize pet retention c. Expand education and support to increase pet retention and animal well-being, which may include free pet identification, supplies, and resources for pet owners d. Place owner-surrendered animals without behavioral challenges immediately up for adoption
e. Work towards developing a community-based Stray Cat and Dog Management Plan Strategy 1.2 Enhance practices that support animal well-being and community health a. Work to reduce the average length of stay for the animals in the shelter and increase the overall live release rate
b. Address shelter animals’ emotional and physical needs based on evolving animal well- being research and accepted best practices
c. Provide appropriate housing and equipment for animals in the shelter to promote sanitation, space, and stress reduction practices and protocols
d. Implement pet and stray vaccination and microchip requirements
Hitchcock Road Animal Services 2025-2028 Strategic Plan 13 Strategy 1.3 Expand use of data to guide long- and short-term decisions and proactively communicate with partners and the public
a. Improve consistency and timeliness of recordkeeping to improve accuracy of metrics b. Refine and identify areas to capture data and build out recordkeeping to inform decision making
c. Develop and refine recordkeeping and maintenance process d. Identify data that can be shared publicly to support transparency and foster community trust
Outcomes
• Maintain high-caliber animal well-being services,
treatment, and facilities
• Increase pets returned to owner
• Improve data collection and transparency
Metrics
• Average length of stay by species and age group
• Live release rate by species
• Number of adoptions
• Number of animals returned to owner
• Number of animals transferred to
rescue partners
• Number of animals euthanized by reason
• Foster-to-adopt conversion rate
Hitchcock Road Animal Services 2025-2028 Strategic Plan 14 GOAL 2
Expand Community Engagement and
Partnerships to Enhance Animal Well-being
and Ensure Community Health
Strengthen community engagement activities, volunteer opportunities, and partnerships to promote responsible pet ownership, expand community support for HRAS, enhance service coordination, improve animal well-being, and maintain the health of the community.
Strategy 2.1 Expand education and prioritize outreach to hotspots based on data a. Develop and disseminate educational resources related to responsible pet ownership b. Expand efforts with schools and youth programs to teach humane education and responsible pet ownership and caregiving
c. Plan community engagement events and messaging campaigns, especially related to the importance of spay/neuter operations
Strategy 2.2 Develop inclusive, culturally responsive messaging and targeted outreach strategies to increase visibility and advance strategic priorities a. Publicize services using a mix of traditional and digital media to increase visibility and educate the community
b. Utilize social media platforms and neighborhood news applications to publicize volunteer opportunities and shelter events
c. Tailor outreach campaigns to advance strategic priorities, including promoting shelter adoptions
d. Partner with trusted organizations and veterinarians to conduct outreach activities and share information with residents
e. Share accomplishments with community members
f. Increase effectiveness of educational and outreach programs by adjusting outreach tactics based on community feedback and other evaluation data
Hitchcock Road Animal Services 2025-2028 Strategic Plan 15 Strategy 2.3 Increase the volunteer base to support high-quality services a. Enhance opportunities and reduce barriers to volunteer engagement b. Reduce and streamline Health Department requirements for onboarding for volunteers Strategy 2.4 Expand support and training to retain volunteers a. Establish consistent and standardized training approach and protocols for new volunteers, including enhancing volunteer shadowing opportunities
b. Promote and encourage volunteer shift opportunities to allow more outside-the-shelter enrichment time
Strategy 2.5 Strengthen and initiate strategic partnerships to address community needs
a. Collaborate with community organizations to increase access to free- to low-cost veterinary care, especially for communities with the highest need
b. Expand partnerships with local veterinary programs to address veterinary services shortage c. Formalize relationships with various animal-serving organizations to provide services, share resources, and offer educational opportunities
d. Strengthen partnerships with rescue agencies and community partners to provide low-cost and accessible spay/neuter opportunities, expand adoption and owner redemption services, and increase rescue transfer rates—all to reduce pet overpopulation and euthanasia
Outcomes
• Enhance community awareness and education to
improve pet care and animal well-being
• Increase volunteer and community engagement
• Expand culturally responsive outreach
• Expand and strengthen relationships with
community partners
Metrics
• Number of community engagement events and
social media interactions
• Number of active volunteers
• Types of volunteer opportunities available
• Total of volunteer hours
• Number of partnerships by service type
Hitchcock Road Animal Services 2025-2028 Strategic Plan 16 GOAL 3
Establish Sustainable Funding to
Enhance Operations
Establish sustainable funding sources to strengthen operations and ensure high-quality services.
Strategy 3.1 Secure sustainable funding
a. Diversify funding sources
b. Improve and expand opportunities throughout the community to increase financial donations
Strategy 3.2 Ensure the highest-quality facility management practices and shelter operations
a. Explore options to enhance hours, services, and programs to better meet animal and community needs based on resources available
b. Explore expanding veterinary services to provide critical animal care for pet owners c. Prioritize operating within the capacity of the shelter’s facilities and evaluating the safety and well-being of animals in the shelter (especially when taking in animals with severe behavioral and medical issues)
Strategy 3.3 Improve staff recruitment, hiring, and retention efforts a. Work with the County to improve the recruitment and hiring processes to recruit and retain talented staff
b. Support the need to increase staffing to meet the animal service needs of both the community and HRAS
c. Promote and encourage a working environment that supports staff well-being
Hitchcock Road Animal Services 2025-2028 Strategic Plan 17 Strategy 3.4 Expand facility as staffing and resources allow to ensure high-quality services
a. Address space limitations by identifying opportunities to increase capacity as staffing and resources allow
b. Seek capital funding to establish a satellite location in South County, once community needs, services, and facilities are evaluated
Strategy 3.5 Advocate for more effective countywide animal well-being policies a. Strengthen and refine HRAS’s policies, procedures, and protocols to address gaps in animal well-being, meet community needs, and abide by regulatory standards b. Advocate at multiple levels of government for policies and ordinances that advance animal well-being goals and are consistent across jurisdictions
Outcomes
• Increase funding and diversity of funding sources
• Strengthen facility infrastructure and operations
to meet community and animal well-being needs
• Improve policy alignment across jurisdictions to
reduce inefficiencies and establish a standard
for animal well-being
Metrics
• Number of community member donations
received
• Number of community spay/neuter,
microchipping, and vaccination services
• Staff retention rate
• Description of wellbeing activities offered for staff
Hitchcock Road Animal Services 2025-2028 Strategic Plan 18 Acknowledgments
Strategic Planning Team
• Glenn Church, HRAS Board Chair, County of
Monterey Board of Supervisors, District 2
• Dennis Donohue, HRAS Board Vice-Chair, City
of Salinas Mayor
• Kimbley Craig, Former City of Salinas Mayor
• Nick Chiulos, Alternate Director, Assistant County
Administrative Officer of Monterey County
• Sonia M. De La Rosa, Director, County
Administrative Officer of Monterey County
• Rene Mendez, Director, City of Salinas
City Manager
HRAS Staff
• Cindy Burnham, Animal Services Administrator
• Jessica Anguiano, Office Assistant II
• Kendra Brady, Educator/Volunteer Coordinator
• Christen Brooks, Animal Control Officer
• Joel Holloman, Animal Care Technician II
• Leah Gast, Sr. Animal Care Technician
• Gabriela Gonzalez, Principal Office Assistant
• Petra Lewis, Animal Services Supervisor, Shelter
• Valiska Lujan, Animal Services Supervisor, Field
• Laura Ramos, Registered Veterinary Technician
• Sade Rivera, Office Assistant II
• Debiann Watanabe, Veterinarian
Health Department Representatives
• Elsa Jimenez, Director of Health
• Miriam Mendoza-Hernandez, Finance Manager
Members of the JPA
• Karla Tinajero, HRAS Treasurer
• Robert Brayer, HRAS Counsel
Advisory Committee
• Mike Richards, Chair
• David Alexander, Vice Chair
• Mary Arnold
• Liz Camacho
• Julia Nix
• Susan Salcedo
Volunteers
• John Bradford
• Adelina Bonano
• Bill Buffalo
• Sohee Cho
• Corinna Close
• Aramenta Hawkins
• Jacquie Ives
• Kathy Long
• Christine Riise
• Angie Roeder
Animal-Serving Organizations
• Scott Delucchi, SPCA Monterey County
• Lora James, SNIPbus
• Laurie Machado, Animal Friends Rescue
• Rosemary Soto, South Coast Animal Rescue
Community Members
• Melissa Bispo
• Scarlett Bispo
• Esther Malkin
• Kristina McCafrey
• Delia Leal
• Ivana Ranansky
• Corinna Zaglmayr
CalAnimals
• Jill Tucker, Chief Executive Officer
Raimi + Associates
• Kym Dorman, Principal and COO
• Paige Kruza, Intermediate Associate
• Sarah Perez, Intermediate Researcher
Hitchcock Road Animal Services 2025-2028 Strategic Plan 19
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A local young artist, Scarlett Bispo,
was awarded first place in the More
Pets and People Together Art
contest, earning a $5,000 grant.
Ms. Bispo designated HRAS as the
beneficiary of this grant.