A divide over shelter animal care
Current and former volunteers air their concerns about San Diego County agency.
SAN DIEGO — Bonnie Kutch loves animals, dogs especially. The marketing and public relations professional from Linda Vista felt so strongly about helping unwanted pets that she volunteered at the county shelter for years, eventually becoming a mentor to other volunteers.
Late last year, Kutch left the county’s central shelter in Mission Valley as a volunteer for the last time. Now she donates her spare hours to the humane society next door.
“They were euthanizing perfectly good dogs to make space for other dogs coming in, and not devoting enough effort to getting the existing dogs adopted,” she said. “They have the perfect role model in the San Diego Humane Society, but the difference is like night and day.”
Kutch is one of more than a dozen current and former volunteers who came to the San Diego Union-Tribune with their concerns about conditions within the county Department of Animal Services.
Longtime Animal Services Director Dawn Danielson said volunteers are not always aware of why the department operates the way it does. She said the department has not put down a healthy, friendly dog in six years — although animals deemed unhealthy or unfriendly can be.
Danielson said the department is committed to protecting the health and safety of people and animals, and to placing as many pets as possible into stable homes.
“We have to put the animals’ needs first,” said Danielson, a 35-year department veteran who has served as director since 2004. “All we ask of our volunteers is to follow the rules and to work with us and follow our philosophy.”
Not only are officials too quick to put down pets, volunteers say, they resist practices that could lead to more adoptions, such as opening on Sundays as many shelters do so more animals can be adopted out at a time convenient to the public.
The volunteers say many shelter animals languish in cages for days or even weeks at a time without walks, making them “kennel crazy” and lessening their chance to be adopted.
“I told Dawn I felt the most valuable use of my volunteer time was spent walking the dogs,” said Leslie Davies, a substitute teacher from Oceanside and nineyear volunteer who said she was let go in July for expressing her preference. “She told me the dogs don’t need to get out every day.”
At least 10 other volunteers have been similarly dismissed in recent months, Davies said.
Danielson said she could not discuss specific volunteers or why they were released. She said her priority with adoptable dogs is to promote “kennel enrichment,” spending quiet time with the animals inside their cages so they learn to be calm when potential adopters arrive.
“It’s nice to get the dogs out, but it’s not required,” Danielson said.
According to the Assn. of Shelter Veterinarians, dogs should be walked multiple times a day to promote health and to reduce stress. At the San Diego Humane Society next door to the shelter, the dogs are walked at least twice a day.
“Multiple daily walks are essential in a shelter environment, so we’re very appreciative of the people who donate their time to help all of our animals,” society spokeswoman Kelli Schry said.
The county receives more than 20,000 animals a year, some found as strays and others dropped off by owners who are no longer able to care for them.
In the 12 months ending June 30, 2014, the most recent year for which data were posted on the county website, slightly more than 21,000 animals were taken in at the county’s three shelters. Of those, a little more than half were placed with new families and about 4,300 were returned to their owners.
The rest, almost 6,600 dogs, cats and other animals, were killed.
The county says it has a 0% euthanasia rate among animals deemed healthy and friendly, but that leaves a lot riding on those who don’t meet those criteria.
Last year, the county reported putting down 1,590 animals who were deemed unhealthy but had conditions that could have been treated.
That amounted to 20% of animals with a treatable condition being killed, higher than the county’s goal of 12.9%.
“The department provided medical care to as many treatable animals as it possibly could and made every effort to place all animals with rescue partners and adopters,” the county budget notes state.
Danielson said her department has steadily reduced that number, and between July and September of this year not one treatable animal was euthanized.
She said the agency relies on more than 1,000 volunteers who donate tens of thousands of hours a year at the county shelters in Carlsbad, San Diego and Bonita.
Volunteers must complete a two-hour orientation course offered several times a month across the county. Once approved, they provide hands-on animal care and administrative support and help educate the community.
The volunteers who spoke to the newspaper say those who question management decisions or suggest practices that would add to the workload are dismissed.
“Volunteers have to walk on eggshells because if you say anything wrong or do anything wrong, they kick you out,” said Scott Dveris, a telecommunications manager from Encinitas who was let go in April 2014 for unspecified reasons after fiveplus years at the Carlsbad shelter.
The allegations from volunteers are similar to those included in a pair of lawsuits filed this year by former county veterinarians.
In May, 45-year veterinarian Bruce Cauble said his bosses neglected the animals, allowing some to die unnecessarily, and also retaliated against those employees who spoke out against the abuse.
Cauble’s former colleague, Jennifer Zeisse, filed a similar lawsuit in September.
“The complaints from other workers are entirely consistent with information we have gathered,” said attorney Dan Gilleon, who represents both plaintiffs. “It’s a shame the county of San Diego is more interested in protecting pet employees than taking care of innocent animals who need help.”
The county has denied the allegations and has asked the court to dismiss the complaints.