Meet Julian, a beautiful Tabby Point Siamese cat, who was hit by a car and received stabilizing initial treatment at OC Animal Care.  Julian is friendly, affectionate, and calm.  At the shelter, he was looking for human attention and interaction.  Instead of continuing treatment in their state-of-the-art facility by the OCAC veterinary staff, they decided that he would be euthanized unless a rescue stepped up to save him. Thankfully, the day before his euthanasia date, he was rescued by Sky Sanctuary Rescues, a private non-profit which relies on donations to save animals. 

This is a critical time for homeless pets. In 2023, there was a 24% or 78,000 increase over 2022 in non-live outcomes for dogs, and 8% or 34,000 for cats. 2023 Shelter Animals Count Report  Sending Julian to a rescue instead of treating him likely took away a precious spot from another animal that desperately needed saving. OCAC management (under Monica Schmidt) is eager to get animals off its books as live outcomes, to make its numbers look good at the expense of the rescues. Managing the numbers instead of caring for animals under their care is short term irresponsible thinking. But in the long term, this risks the relationships with critical and cooperative rescue partners. This is the reason that OCAC has increasingly leaned on out-of-state rescues that are unfamiliar with its pattern of behavior.  

Julian is one of many instances of animal neglect by OCAC. In 2022, a lawsuit was filed by three animal rescue groups stating that the shelter was euthanizing adoptable animals and not giving them the medical care they needed.  Yet this is still going on in 2024.

Well before the lawsuit, in 2018, OCAC created a Strategic Plan with the assistance of respected animal shelter experts.  Having spent almost half a million in taxpayer funds to create this plan, it has failed to implement it.   

The Strategic Plan Summary clearly states the parameters for caring for animals in need of treatment.  These are the success measures it specifies:

(3-b) 75% of medical animals (any animal under veterinary care at OCAC) placed for public adoption while undergoing treatment

(3-c) Increase number of fosters able to house animals with medical conditions by 50% by Summer 2018.

(3-d) Length of stay for cats with upper respiratory infections is reduced by 20%, as cats recover quicker through targeted medical fosters.

OCAC has done a 180-degree turn away from its Strategic Plan. Did Dylan Wright and Cymantha Atkinson (who are in charge of OC Community Resources) decide this in deliberations without any public consultation?

Please don’t be misled into believing that the overcrowding, minimal public viewing, shortage of animal care staff, and general mismanagement are caused by the pandemic. That’s just the bureaucracy’s latest excuse. This shelter has a long history of improper care for the animals and gross mismanagement. Between 1999-2022 it has warranted 6 Grand Jury investigations. The latest report came out in June, 2023 and exposed dysfunction and neglect.

What can you do as an OC taxpayer and someone who cares about animals? Plenty. Spread the message on social media, posting articles from this list or from OCShelter.com. Contact your county Supervisor and other elected officials. Hold them accountable for the taxpayer-funded shelter. It is time for competent and capable county management, or perhaps shifting responsibility to an outside nonprofit that can make better use of the available budget. OC companion animals depend on it – and on you.

Jackie Lamirande is a Laguna Beach resident. She has served multiple animal welfare organizations both municipal shelters and non-profits across the country since 1992. Including a volunteer position at Orange County Animal Care (OCAC). Her prior service in animal welfare includes serving as a paid volunteer services manager, volunteer foster care administrator, and a member of the Board of Directors. Serving homeless animals has been Jackie’s passion her entire life.

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