A day after announcing she was quitting, Miami-Dade County Animal Service Director Sara Pizano was all smiles as she heard the barking outside her door.
"I'm used to the chaos," she said.
Chaotic might be one way to describe Pizano's six years as the head of the county's animal shelter. She has been the target of protests, picket signs and a Facebook page dedicated to her removal.
But the critics aren't what forced Pizano to leave, she said Friday. It was the increasing number of animals being taken in by the shelter.
Since 2005, the animal shelter's unwanted animal intake has grown from 28,000 to more than 37,000, Pizano said.
"I want to be more proactive and keep animals out of the shelters," she said.
Despite figures that show the shelter has made progress in keeping euthanasia down and increasing adoptions, Pizano has been vilified by local animal activists, who claim she should have done more to turn the shelter into a no-kill shelter.
At times, the debate and the attacks have been personal, with people threatening to publish Pizano's home address to stage a protest where she lives.
Along with a Facebook page filled with less than flattering comments about Pizano, a protest was staged outside of the shelter earlier this year. During that week, adoptions were down by 50 animals, Pizano said.
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"All the criticism ultimately hurts the shelter animals," she said. "We have made tremendous strides. We need help not blame."
Pizano will be replaced by former assistant county manager Alex Munoz, her former boss.
Munoz said he understands that he could become a target of treatment similar to what Pizano received, but thinks open dialogue will get everyone on the same page.
"We're going to sit down and we're gonig to talk," he said. "It's funny. We all have the same mission and that's to save animals. That's what I want to do and that's what they want to do."
