The State - News from Jan. 25, 1988

Acknowledging that research on pound animals “doesn’t feel real clean to me,” Yolo County Sheriff Rod Graham has decided to halt sales to the University of California, Davis, from the county’s animal shelter. Animal rights activists lauded the decision. But university officials said it could lead to inadequate training of veterinary students. His order, Graham said, was triggered by the mistaken sales to the university of some animals before efforts had been made to find homes for them. He added he has not determined whether the ban will be permanent. The university has been getting up to a third of its dogs and cats from Yolo County, paying about $5 an animal, said Dale Brooks, who is responsible for care of animals used at UC Davis. The school bought 679 dogs and cats from the county in the 1986-87 fiscal year, he said. “This is going to be disastrous for our teaching program,” he added.