An OC Grand Jury’s look at the county’s animal control and shelter operations released a report supporting many of the concerns animal advocates have been raising about management and animal welfare practices.
The jury said its investigation was prompted by recent public criticism of OC Animal Care as well as more than a dozen complaints it received last year. It is not the first time a grand jury has looked at the agency’s operations, five previous reports detailed similar concerns with excessive euthanasia rates, poor leadership, limited staffing, lack of proper assessment of animals chosen for euthanasia and low morale, the newest report released this week said.
The grand jury is recommending OC Animal Care reopen its shelter to the public for walk throughs to maximize opportunities for pet adoption and also reconsider its opinion about the shelter’s former Trap, Neuter and Return program, which took in cats to be spayed or neutered and vaccinated and then them returned to the outdoors.
It is a method used by some agencies to manage populations of feral and stray cats, including by OC Animal Care until it received a cease-and-desist letter a few years ago from an attorney for several cat rescue groups. Department officials said previously they are concerned resuming the program would court lawsuits.
Closing the shelter’s interior to visitors began as a pandemic precaution, but officials have said they are keeping the system where interested adopters can choose animals from an online database to have brought up from the kennels to meet because it has helped prevent visitors from getting bitten and reduces stress on the animals from a flurry of visitors.
“The current appointment system is restrictive and does not provide prospective adopters viewing access to all available adoptable animals,” the grand jury said in its final report. “Public safety is important, however, dogs representing bite risks can be segregated, and supervised viewing is a viable option. Shelter leadership said that public viewing within the kennels stresses the animals and that restricting access keeps the animals calm. However, to address that concern, dogs prone to excitability and stress can be secluded, and supervised viewing is an option.”
The grand jury report also raises concerns that the shelter’s Behavior Evaluation Committee evaluates dogs for euthanasia without written guidelines, policies or procedures. “The rate of behavioral euthanasia of dogs has increased significantly over the last the years,” which suggests that there is inconsistency over time as to how dogs are being assessed and evaluated for behavior-related euthanasia, the report says.
A former volunteer who has been tracking the shelter’s data, including euthanasia, biting and adoption rates, Michael Mavrovouniotis, said he is “pleasantly surprised” by the jury’s report.
“They proved that the increase in the kill rate is statistically significant. It’s not just random fluctuation,” Mavrovouniotis said, adding that he believes the data the department releases to the OC Board of Supervisors and the public is skewed. He and other advocates were back at the OC Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, June 6, arguing for an audit of the agency and a strategic plan.
“At OC Animal Care, industry standards are utilized when entering, tracking and compiling shelter data,” Jackie Tran, spokesperson for OC Animal Care, said in an email. “By employing a standardized method of reporting that’s industry approved, complex operational statistics are accurately reported and performance can be compared year over year.”
The jury also described hiring practices for the shelter as inadequate and said animal care attendant vacancies need to be filled more quickly.
“Based upon industry standards and best practices, OC Animal Care kennel attendants are understaffed to meet the needs of animals under care,” the report says.
By the end of this year, the grand jury recommends that OC Animal Care management add a representative from a rescue organization to serve as a non-voting, at-large member on the Behavior Evaluation Committee to improve transparency. It is also recommending the county hire an animal behaviorist or certified dog trainers to work with aggressive animals to reduce the high rate of dogs being euthanized and enhance their adoptability.
Regarding the grand jury’s report and recommendations, OC Animal Care officials said in a statement that the report will be reviewed, and a formal response will be prepared by the County Executive Office within 90 days.
“The shelter’s overall save rate was 82.06%, with a dog save rate of 94.16% and 73.63% for cats,” the statement said, adding that last year. “OC Animal Care counseled over 10,000 adoption visits (both pre-scheduled and walk-in) matching potential adopters with furry friends, contributing to the shelter’s low dog return rate of 11.6%.”
