OC Animal Care (OCAC) just announced a partial opening. It’s long overdue, and it doesn’t go far enough. Let’s review how the shelter got into trouble.
Shelter management kept pandemic restrictions in place through 2023, restricting public access to the kennels. That meant fewer adoptions. Animals lingered at the shelter for far too long. By November 2023, dogs were being housed in “temporary kennels” (i.e., wire crates) stashed in unsuitable areas, like the outdoor sally port, kitchens, or the evaluation room. They had to urinate and defecate in their crates. Despite the best efforts of stressed-out kennel staff, these dogs were only allowed out of the crates for less than an hour a day. Dogs sometimes had to sit in their excrement for hours until someone had time to clean their crate. Interior kennels previously reserved for small dogs were split in half or used for large dogs. Some small kennels were housing two or more dogs at a time. Many small dogs were in small bank cages meant for rabbits. All this was inhumane, dangerous, and stressful for people and animals alike.
When the hangar fire happened in early November, the community took in dozens of foster dogs and the ASPCA flew more than a hundred dogs out of state. That relieved the overcrowding, but the root cause remained: Mismanagement. Back in June, the OC Grand Jury found a slew of problems. The shelter was especially negligent on safety. It under-reported recent bite incidents, to hide its poor performance and create excuses for its outdated policies. While the shelter was deteriorating, OCCR was complicit in a misinformation campaign to hide the problems. The advocates’ appeals fell on deaf ears.
The mismanagement led to serious injuries, including, this summer, a life-threatening one: An experienced volunteer suffered extensive injuries to the legs, arm, stomach, and neck. That dog had been found with sores caused by the constant use of a muzzle and was listed as a cruelty case. Nonetheless, he was featured in special programs designed for the safest, most adoptable dogs (“Kennel Connection” and “Pooches on the Patio”). The Grand Jury told the shelter to hire an animal behaviorist and establish a clear protocol for behavior evaluation. OCCR dismissed the Grand Jury’s recommendations, placing people and animals in unnecessary risk.
The kennels are chronically understaffed, because OCCR refused to follow national guidelines. There aren’t enough kennel staff to properly care for the animals, let alone evaluate them.
In July, a change was made, switching dog feeding to just once a day – a side-effect of understaffing. Volunteers reported dogs were becoming more anxious for treats because they were hungry. The incessant barking increased. This change made the dogs more irritable, more likely to guard their food – and bite. The volunteer who was severely mauled had tossed a treat to the back of the kennel right before being attacked. Was the attack a severe case of food guarding (undetected by the shelter’s superficial evaluation)? Soon after this attack, feeding returned to twice a day.
To reduce the number of animals, the shelter needs to fully open to the public. The change that was just announced will have many dogs viewable in the kennel area. It’s a move in the right direction, but it doesn’t go far enough. About 1/3 of currently adoptable dogs will still be out of sight. Allowing the public to see all available dogs in their kennels would make adoptions easier. A win for the animals, the public, and the taxpayers.
The county should stop pretending that everything is great. We don’t want a return to overcrowding, stress and injuries for staff and volunteers, and more animal suffering and deaths.
The responsible path is to address the underlying problems:
– Hire more kennel staff, not superfluous managers.
– Give kennel staff time to get to know the dogs. Provide thorough on-going training.
– Expand kennel access for the public to view all ready-to-adopt animals.
– Improve animal-handling and safety training for staff and volunteers.
– Institute a thorough behavior assessment procedure.
– Reinstate dog playgroups to reduce stress and make adoptions more successful.
The county must reactivate the OCAC Strategic Plan. It was put together by experts in 2018 but the shelter (currently directed by Monica Schmidt) capriciously abandoned it, with OC Community Resources (under Cymantha Atkinson and Dylan Wright) turning a blind eye.
How many volunteers and staff members have to be injured, and how many animals have to die needlessly, while the Board of Supervisors stands idly by? Urge elected officials to act.
Margot Boyer lives in Yorba Linda. She is an experienced Event and Trade Show Manager, Green Industry Hall of Fame Director, and Event Director for the California Association of Landscape Contractors.
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