Poor leadership is at the root of pet deaths in California animal shelters

Capitol Weekly welcomes Opinions on California public policy or politics. Please read our guidelines for opinion pieces before submitting an Op-Ed. Submissions that do not adhere to our guidelines will not be considered for publication. 

OPINION—California is a top state for the execution of shelter pets. Many falsely attribute this crisis to “overpopulation.” This false narrative deflects from the real cause—public officials hire leaders that have an archaic kill-pound mentality.

These individuals—many of whom have a controversial “animal care” history—believe that if animals are scared, they should be killed due to “mental suffering.”

No leader would rather take than save a life, right? A small sample, from countless examples around the state, dispels that myth.

A KPBS investigation revealed how a top—now former leader—at San Diego County’s Animal Services sent a “profanity laced” message calling canines in her care “shit dogs” and expressing fury that more dogs were not killed.

A Great Pyrenees named Franklin paid for her admitted heartlessness. Franklin had a glowing report from his new owner but was returned to the Carlsbad pound because her resident dog didn’t accept him. That day, Franklin lost his life.

LA Animal Services dupe the public they are no-kill. Recently, the Chesterfield Square animal pound has denied dogs from leaving their kennel from weeks to nearly three months due to a giardia outbreak, according to the Los Angeles Times and advocates.

Experts unsupportive of giardia lockdowns believe such decisions may increase the spread of the disease due to stress. This unwarranted choice has led to adoptable animals being executed for “behavior.”  This pound’s leadership admitted to not having a daily cleaning protocol, according to hoodline.com.  Instead, kennels are cleaned “by sight.”

Chesterfield Square also has a disturbing pattern of “euthanizing” dogs (such as Sheba, Indigo, and Jonny Boy)   who were ready to go to their homes, according to NBC Los Angeles.  The latest controversy? An  employee was caught on video  kicking a docile dog into a kennel.

One insidious way pounds deceive that they have lowered their kill rate is by conducting “field euthanasia.” According to the Animal Welfare Data Center, this practice has increased by 700% at San Bernadino Animal Services.

If Gov. Newsom truly desires a no-kill state he must mandate—and the public needs to advocate for— the following:

#1. True No-Kill Shelters

It sounds counter-intuitive that reform starts with hiring leadership that is true no-kill. If animal pounds get crowded—due lack of transparency and political will to create ample kennel space—how can a true, no-kill shelter system increase adoption rates ?

My rescue experience taught me potential adopters prefer no-kill shelters due to the atmosphere and not feeling guilty about the fate of the animals left behind.

True no-kill shelters also attract top-tier staff who view animals’ fear as a temporary state that doesn’t merit death. Instead, staff discuss, what can “we” do better to help those animals thrive.

True no-kill shelters also draw quality veterinarians, which would reduce the dire veterinary shortage in California animal pounds. Because most animal doctors entered the field to save pets’ lives– not take it.

#2.   Complete Transparency

Animal Rescuers for Change (ARFC), noted approximately 70% of California animal shelters don’t submit intake and outcome data to the Shelter Animals Count database. Taxpayers should not be paying for secrecy. ARFC is seeking a sponsor for the reintroduction of SB 631, which mandates this vital transparency.

#3. Enforce Animal Cruelty

Comedian Rebecca Corry is a tireless canine advocate. She is the founder of a life-saving organization called Stand up for the Pits Foundation.  Her group has filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other city officials for the poor treatment of shelter pets and for ignoring the plight of dogs on Skid Row who she reports are raped, bred, used to test drugs, and live in squalor.

Bass’s response about skid row dogs was, “they are not neglected.”

Animal cruelty enforcement and shelter reform are intertwined. Enforcement can lower the shelter population and deter future abuse.

Californians, ponder the immoral chaos if your reps allowed your hospital system to operate the way your animal pounds do. No data required, space issues remedied by death, patients “euthanized” for any reason, lack of proper cleaning procedures and cruelty ignored due to hubris.

Ironically, it was Mayor Bass’s rescue dog “Stax” that potentially saved her from an intruder, as discussed by the LA Times.  Imagine if Bass, Newsom and other public officials— who have the power to hire life-saving leaders and ensure each facility had adequate kennel space for each betrayed or lost shelter pet—had Stax’s sentient altruism.

Dana Fuchs is a writer and animal advocate living in New York.