Improving Animal Welfare @OCAnimalCare Orange County Animal Care, California

No Kill Shelter Alliance – Facebook | Twitter: @NoKillShelterCA email: nokillshelterca@gmail.com
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No Kill Shelter Alliance (NKSA)
Meeting w/ Staff* of Orange County Supervisor Bartlett, Nov 30, 2015
Topic: Improving Animal Welfare @OCAnimalCare
Orange County Animal Care, California
* Paul Walters, Chief of Staff, 5th District | Tanya Flink, Office Manager/Scheduler

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Agenda – Improving Animal Welfare @OCAC
Introductions
Where are we now and what are the possibilities?
Many areas for improvement – we will highlight a few
Recommendations; immediate/long term
Wrap-up – review of action items, schedule next mtg
Appendix | Additional Info | Links to Information | Topics that came up in meeting
@OCAC = Orange County Animal Care

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The Problem (where are we now?)
OCAC Largely viewed as one of the worst high kill shelters in
California, not only due to high euthanasia rates (see later), but
also very little time before being placed on euthanasia list, as
compared to other shelters, an old and decrepit facility, unhygienic,
not progressive
Evidence: 5 grand jury reports, 2 lawsuits, recent county audit
report, and countless negative press reports; a handful of cities
considering dropping their contracts with OCAC
Outdated policies and procedures, largely focused on how to kill
the animals and dispose of their remains; no mention of what
should be done to facilitate increased live-release rates
Outdated practices, such as hosing down kennels with dogs still
inside
Empty cage killing

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Euthanasia Data – Oct 2015 | 556 KILLED
In October 2015, 556 animals were killed at OCAC
102 were dogs, 374 were cats, 35 were birds, the rest small pets, wildlife, livestock
57 dogs
Killed
SAME
DAY of
ADMIT-
TANCE
links to
spread-
sheet
version1
(long list)
version2
(by species)

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Euthanasia Data – NEW INFORMATION
CORRECTION!
In October 2015, 556 725 animals were killed at OCAC
Please note that on Thursday Dec 3, 2015, three days after this presentation was
made, we received additional information from OCAC that 169 unweaned puppies
and kittens were also killed and their deaths not reflected in the numbers given in
the Logan lawsuit euthanasia spreadsheet. We are researching this further.
“Of the 2,050 animals entering the county government’s sole shelter in October, 725
were euthanized, according to data from shelter officials.”
Orange County Animal Shelter’s Kill Rate Has Advocates Sounding Alarms
From: Ingram, Katie <Katie.Ingram@occr.ocgov.com>
Date: Thu, Dec 3, 2015 at 4:22 PM
Subject: RE: Difference in numbers
To: Nick Gerda <ngerda@gmail.com>
Hi Nick, Thanks for checking. If you look at the Sharon Logan report, you will see under gender that some animals are listed as M
(male), F (female), S (spayed), N (neutered), U (unknown) or L (litter). The L (litter) is used for multiple underage puppies and kittens
requiring maternal care. It is our practice to use one record for each litter of underage puppies and kittens. The number of animals in
each litter is also stored in a separate field in our database and accounted for in our shelter statistics.
Katie Ingram Administrative Manager I 714-796-6413 561
The City Drive South Orange, CA 92868

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Live Release Rate: OCAC uses flawed algorithm
OCAC EUTHANASIA
STATISTICS ANALYSIS
(link goes to complete presentation)
(Orange County Animal
Care [Shelter], California)
by Dr. James Gardner

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Euthanasia – the KILLED dogs behind the stats
1. Dogs placed on
euthanasia list for
reasons such as
alopecia, flystrike,
dermatitis, and fleas.
2. None of the dogs placed
on the euthanasia list for
behavior who were then
rescued have shown any
subsequent evidence of
aggression.
3. At least one recent dog
who was clearly
irremediably suffering
was not immediately
euthanized, where it
would have been
appropriate, and instead
was found dead in her
kennel.

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Empty Cages does NOT alleviate the daily killings

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Soaking the dogs…
Soaking the dog kennels
while the animals are still
within them is not
recommended as a best
sheltering practice, yet
OCAC continues to do this.
Two separate visits by the
independent group JVR
Shelter Strategies (as part
of the audit), once in 2007
and once in 2015, both
recommended against this
practice. Additionally, this
practice was criticized in
the most recent Grand Jury
report.

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Policies and Procedures Documents (Docs)
High level overview (approx. 193 docs)
Looked at titles, put in categories (raw data)
Looked at creation and revision dates (raw data)
Caveats:
Docs only put in one category
These categories defined by us
Docs were not read, categorization based on title
We believe we can still draw overall conclusions…

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Policies and Procedures Documents (Docs)
General Focus of Document #
financial/fees/business/office/ops mgmt 44
medical/disease control/facility maintenance 28
employee management/job duties 23
licensing/field inspections 20
reporting/legal/cruelty/vicious dog 20
chameleon process 9
owned/impounded animal processing 8
euthanasia/killing/use of force justification 8
safety/weather 5
shelter cats/feral free program 5
livestock/wildlife/rodeos 4
animal tracking stats 3
rescue/adoption partners 3
communications 2
dead animal disposition/cremation/rendering 2
animal adoptability/form 2
newborn puppies/kittens 2
volunteers 2
age calculation 1
foster care 1
miscellaneous 1
193
Not a single document w/ title that
reflects canine welfare* e.g.
training, kennel enrichment, play
groups, outside kennel activities,
adopter meetings
Not a single document w/ title about
marketing adoptable pets, adoption
events, or social media outreach
10 docs about killing animals
and disposal of their bodies
Volunteers/fosters = 2 docs
Focus is on animal control,
licensing & revenue, & employees,
NOT animal welfare
*except one for unweaned puppies

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Policies and Procedures Documents (Docs) 2of 2
Not only the content, but the quality of these docs is
suspect – Why?
Much has changed in the last 3-5 years in animal
welfare, but these docs are generally not recent
193 docs
only 11% originally written in the last 3 years
only 30% updated in the last 3 years
animal welfare and esp. canine – no docs
marketing, social media, enabling adoptions – no docs
YEAR --> 78 79 82 83 86 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 TOTALS
total original 1 2 3 1 5 11 3 16 4 4 2 8 6 11 0 9 11 6 7 8 2 18 4 12 5 0 3 5 5 3 15 3 193
total revised 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 20 27 2 3 5 7 32 15 30 12 161
newly written in last 3 years? 21 11%
revised in last 3 years? 57 30%

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City of Austin No Kill Resolution

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Austin City Live Release Rates

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Major points of Austin’s No Kill implementation plan
Revise mission of Animal Services, with moratorium on empty cage killing
Report public information with implementation of a sound performance-measurement system that clearly connects shelter
operations to the life-saving mission.
Decrease shelter intake via the following:
High-volume, free and low-cost spay and neuter surgeries
Projected cost of $110,000
Decrease owner surrenders
Intervention program run by APA with volunteers to freely converse with owners regarding alternatives and what
will happen to their pets if surrendered
Supply microchips to track success of program
Owner-surrender disclaimer to ensure the owner surrendering fully understands what may happen to their pet
Full-time behaviorist to decrease shelter intake, prevent return to shelter, and assist in giving information on shelter
animals and rescue groups.
Increase live outcomes via the following:
Comprehensive adoption program via partnership with APA and off-site adoptions
Maximizing the use of current shelter building facilities
Large scale foster program
Increase feral cat live outcomes
Public awareness and advocacy
Volunteer public-relations task force to promote shelter needs
Partner with Love-A-Bull to promote positive outcomes for pitbulls, including reestablishing the pitbull task force
Revamp website to provide much more information about each animal in its care (including where stray was
picked up, known personality traits etc), candor about number of animals killed at the shelter, and opportunities to
help reduce the killing.

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Examples of life-
saving programs
in Austin

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Example number 2: Washington D.C.

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Washington D.C.: CEO Lisa Lafontaine’s blog

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Example number 3: Ventura County

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Adoptable Pet Marketing on Website/Petfinder/Adopt-A-Pet
Compare OCAC to another county shelter in CA, that is also using Chameleon/PetHarbor
as their animal management system/adoptable pet display system
Let's compare two dogs that are labeled as "pit bulls". Along with Chihuahuas, these types of dogs are the most common in CA shelters, and
the most likely to be killed rather than adopted or rescued.
Go to OCAC - Look at adoptable dogs. Scroll up and down the first page. Click on Bubba
Look at Bubba's profile. Take note of the information available.
(by the time you are looking at this, this dog may have been adopted, screen shots follow)
Now let's do a comparison of the possibilities...
Go Sacramento County Animal Care - Look at adoptable dogs. Scroll up and down the first page. Click on Turtle
Look at Turtle’s profile. Click on the link provided in the page. Take note of the information available.
(by the time you are looking at this, this dog may have been adopted, screen shots follow)
Look at some other dogs in each shelter.
Which dogs are more likely to attract adoption interest via shelter website viewers?
(includes Petfinder, AdoptAPet, PetHarbor, etc.)
There are many other examples of outstanding marketing of adoptable dogs
• Humane Society Silicon Valley - dog Widget
• Pets In Need, Redwood City - dog Fabi
How do we get from where we are now, to where these other shelters are?
This is one of the areas we want to work on collectively.
County Info
<------------------------- Income -----------------------------------
County Pop Per capita Median house Median family
Sacramento 1,408,480 $27,180 $56,553 $65,720
Orange 2,989,948 $34,416 $75,762 $85,009

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Go to OCAC - Look at adoptable dogs.
Scroll up and down the first page.
Click on Bubba.
Look at Bubba's profile. Take note of
the information available.

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Go Sacramento County Animal Care -
Look at adoptable dogs. Scroll up and
down the first page. Click on Turtle
Look at Turtle’s profile. Click on the link
provided in the page. Take note of the
information available.

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Flawed Behavior Assessments OCAC = > killings
1. The so-called “Head Test”
used at OCAC is not a
recognized behavior
assessment tool. SAFER is
the industry recognized
standard test.
2. OCAC staff do not have any
formal animal behavior
training
3. This issue requires more
comprehensive evaluation,
by someone with an in-
depth understanding of
how behavior should be
assessed, if at all formally
We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know Thursday, December 3 2015 ASPCAPro Blog
If a dog displays a behavior in shelter, what might that say about his behavior in the home – and how we can
best help that dog? Dr. Emily Weiss continues this important discussion

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IMMEDIATE GOALS
Moratorium on empty cage killing
Full review of the shelter by an
independent group (e.g. JVR shelter associates,
Kristen Auerbach at Austin, Humane Alliance) so
recommendations can be made to reduce
killing
Establish a committee for best practices
in progressive life-saving sheltering,
whose composition is yet to be
determined

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Third Party Assessment - Who can do the review?

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Close
Wrap-up
What could be – the power of love (kennel enrichment video)
Action Items
Send presentation (NKSA)
Schedule next meeting w/ Sup Bartlett (Bartlett Staff)

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Appendix & Backup Info
OCAC Oct 2015 Euthanasia List as per Logan Lawsuit Settlement:
version1 (long list) version 2 (listed by species)
Sharon Logan Lawsuit against OCAC (amended)
Performance Audit of Orange County Animal Care Final Report (#141505) March 24, 2015
The Orange County Animal Shelter: The Facility, The Function, The Future
(Orange County Grand Jury Report - 2015)
If Animals Could Talk About the Orange County Animal Shelter
(Orange County Grand Jury Report - 2015)
OCAC EUTHANASIA STATISTICS ANALYSIS
(Orange County Animal Care [Shelter], California) by Dr. James Gardner
OCAC Policies and Procedures – 193 documents released in Nov 2015
OCAC Policies and Procedures spreadsheet data
We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know Thursday, December 3 2015 ASPCAPro Blog
If a dog displays a behavior in shelter, what might that say about his behavior in the home –
and how we can best help that dog? Dr. Emily Weiss continues this important discussion

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Grand Jury Report on Management Issues
Sections of the 2015 Grand Jury report “If Animals Could Talk About the Orange County Animal
Shelter 2014-2015” that attest that management is inadequate
"So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.” Peter Drucker
“EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The 2014-2015 Orange County Grand Jury found that the Orange County Animal Shelter has serious problems
that have needed attention for many years. In addition to the desperate need for a new shelter facility, there have been complaints and
allegations from a number of sources inside and outside the Animal Shelter that have focused on the lack of leadership throughout the
Orange County Community Resources and Animal Care chain of command. This alleged void in leadership has resulted in
either the inability of management to define the problems at hand or, if defined, an unwillingness to correct them. It has been
alleged by many that the lack in leadership has led to a few mid-management personnel assuming control of the Animal Shelter
daily operations with little or no oversight from upper management. Additional information has led the Orange County Grand Jury to
investigate concerns regarding employee morale, human and animal health issues, feral cat policies, and allegations of criminal behavior.
Also, there have been indications of conflict between veterinarians and management staff with regard to medical decisions.”
“Consider a change of leadership within the Orange County
Community Resources Department and arrange for
mandatory leadership training for all managers and
supervisors that includes a curriculum of leadership skills,
people skills, and diversity”

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ASPCA: How Shelters Can Use Data to Save Lives
How Shelters Can Use Data to Save Lives
Date: December 12, 2013
Panel Presentation
Webinar Recording »
Materials
aspca_webinar_slides_Using_Data.pdf
Webinar Slides
What is your Rate 10_2013.pdf
NFHS What is Your Rate
nfhs-basic-matrix-fillable.pdf
NFHS Basic Matrix (Fillable)
- Steve Putnam, National Federation of Humane Societies
- Jodi Lytle Buckman, CAWA, ASPCA
- Emily Weiss, Ph.D. CAAB, ASPCA
Does your agency track the number of lives you save? Do you use data
to gauge your progress or to plan your future life-saving initiatives?
Whether you’re already collecting data or not, learn how data collection
can help you to measure your impact on your community.
Discover how shelters are already using data to save more animals at
risk.
The National Federation of Humane Societies conducted a survey of
animal welfare professionals regarding data collection.
In this webinar, we will share the fascinating survey results, provide an
overview of commonly used rates and their formulas, and introduce a tool
which defines the most basic data all shelters should be collecting.
Webinar attendees will:
• Learn the difference between four live release rates commonly used in
shelters
• Receive a copy of the National Federation’s Basic Data Matrix and
understand how to use it to collect data for their community
Leaders of public or private animal welfare organizations interested in
collecting and understanding their own data to help inform their work and
planning will all benefit from this free, 60-minute webinar.

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Seagoville Animal Services (TX) – dramatic
shelter reform by police sergeant
Shows power of leadership, commitment,
animal welfare, and love
Sgt. Bailey, the little shelter that could and did
(presentation)
2012 live release rate = 98.5%
Seagoville Animal Services website
How Seagoville Animal Shelter Became No
Kill
Police Veteran Makes Open-Admission Animal
Shelter No Kill & Ends Gas Chamber
How Seagoville Animal Shelter Became No
Kill - The Little Shelter That Did!
Published on Sep 13, 2012
The inspirational story of how a 22 yr veteran police officer reformed his
city's animal shelter and saves the lives of the animals in their care -- using
compassion, conscience, and proven methods. To learn more about saving
the lives of shelter pets with the successful no kill equation,

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SAWACON 2015 Presentations (Society of Animal Welfare Administrators Conference)
SAWA 2015 Annual Conference Speaker Handouts
Sticky Frames: Why Negatives Lodge in the Mind and What to Do
Align Cultural Diversity to the Community You Serve (handout link will be given on site)
Changing Dynamics between Animal Shelters and the Veterinary Community
Your Role in Developing Your Leadership Team
Fitting your Baggage in the Overhead…So you can Take Off and Fly! (no handouts; networking session)
Transform the Board’s Contribution to the Organization
21st Century Animal Welfare: Using Technology to Save Lives
Prospect Research in Fundraising
Managing Skills and “Refreshing” Your Board
Eureka! Wheels on Suitcases! How Organizations both Promote and Stifle Innovation and what a Leader Should Do
Taking the Fear of the “Ask” (What would John Wayne do?)
SAWA 2015 National Council on Pet Population Research Symposium Speaker Handouts
When do you implement policy based on Research?
Perceptions that Impact Pet Adoption: What Non-Adopters Say About Shelters and Shelter Pets
Closing the door on Policy based adoptions
What's in a Name? Effect of Breed Perceptions & Labeling on Attractiveness, Adoptions & Length of Stay for Pit-Bull-Type Dogs (no
handouts)
Characteristics of Clients and Animals Using High-Volume NonProfit Spay-Neuter Clinics
Comparative costs and demographic impact of alternative strategies to manage free-roaming cat populations, as evaluated using
bioeconomic stochastic simulation modeling
Responsible and cost-effective solutions to address the urban cat overpopulation crisis
Increasing shelter cat welfare through a better understanding of human-cat interactions
Placing Dogs with Behavioral Issues in Foster Homes: Observations and Outcomes
Minimizing Animal Entry into Shelters through Social Tools & Main Stream Technology
Opening the door to a changed perspective of relinquishers / rehomers

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Areas for immediate improvement
Many areas for improvement – we have just highlighted a few…
adoptable pet marketing
euthanasia
behavior assessment
kennel enrichment
policies and procedures
fostering program
engaging community
spay and neuter
breed definition elimination
data access
best practices
use of technology
increase licensing revenue
More, more, more!

Improving Animal Welfare @OCAnimalCare Orange County Animal Care, California

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