Panel Urges Changes at Pet Shelter

To improve its handling of animals, the county’s Animal Care Services needs to conduct a nationwide search for a shelter director, hire a chief veterinarian and review staffing levels, the Orange County Grand Jury said Monday.

Animal Care Services handles more than 50,000 animals a year, but the agency “has not always met our high expectations,” jurors noted.

The report cited changes made in reaction to recent newspaper articles, but jurors concluded that more improvements probably are necessary. Jurors recommended hiring a permanent director to improve the center’s “lack of leadership and direction,” which would address low morale among employees.

Jurors found that the animal shelter’s managers and staff repeatedly neglected to follow their own policies regarding treatment of sick and injured animals by not making daily rounds, inappropriately handling controlled substances and prematurely euthanizing animals.

The report also noted many recent positive changes such as individual cat cages instead of “gang cages”; extended daily hours; and a computerized inventory and licensing system.

County Health Care Agency Director Michael Schumacher, whose department oversees animal services, said he was pleased the grand jurors acknowledged what he called “significant progress” at the shelter on the City Drive in Orange.

In the last six months, the county has spent $400,000 to improve the facility, which included eliminating gang cages for cats, building a 144-cat pavilion, a new dog walk and a spay-and-neuter facility, he said.

Schumacher said he has increased salaries at the center and also appointed Russ Patton as interim director while a nationwide search is conducted. Recruitment of a chief veterinarian is statewide, he added.

Meanwhile, consultants brought in to help reform animal services will continue to assist with staff training and team building efforts.

“The [county’s] animal advisory board is firmly committed to continuing the momentum at Animal Care Services and implement the remaining recommendations suggested by the grand jury,” said William Grant, a veterinarian and chairman of the animal advisory board. “I’m pleased with the progress that’s been made in the last six months.”

The turnaround at the shelter comes after a tempestuous year that saw both its director and chief veterinarian step down under fire. Both had been criticized by veterinarians and animal rights advocates for not stemming a distemper outbreak among cats at the shelter, and for failing to inoculate all strays.

Critics also said shelter officials were slow to adopt mandatory spaying and neutering rules and failed to create a friendly environment for adopting pets.

A complete copy of the report is on the grand jury’s Web site. (https://www.oc.ca.gov/superior/extract .htm#gjreports).