First BOS meeting speech in 2015 by Saskia Boisot, MD

1. Hello, my name is doctor Saskia Boisot, and I am a physician who is here today to
represent the No Kill Shelter Alliance, a group of people who are deeply concerned with
the inordinately high kill rates in many Southern California Animal shelters, and
currently focused on Orange County.
I have been following this shelter for some time now, and even in comparison to other
local high kill shelters, I can safely say that I am appalled at what goes on at this facility.
In that time, I have witnessed a barrage of healthy, adoptable dogs be inappropriately
labeled by shelter staff with fabricated excuses to justify killing them, and have
personally spent countless sleepless nights trying to assist with their rescue, often only to
be stymied at the end, and see the dogs die regardless. To say this is heartbreaking is an
understatement.
Early on, as I soon realized that rescuing these dogs was merely putting a plug into a
gushing dam, I took it upon myself to further investigate the inner workings of this
shelter, and it did not take me long to find out that I am not alone in my disgust. Clearly
the two recent Grand Jury reports, Sharon Logan’s lawsuit, and countless negative media
reports attest to this. Aside from the fact that the facility itself is outdated and derelict, I
have come to find that there is zero regulation of shelter operations, and therefore by
extension, absolutely no accountability.
As a practicing hospital pathologist, part of whose job it is to oversee the laboratory, my
facility must adhere to extremely stringent operational guidelines, part of which includes
being subject to surprise inspections multiple times a year. Having discovered that the
last time this shelter was inspected was in 2008, I am amazed to conclude that it is not
held to even any remote semblance of such a standard. No wonder shelter personnel with
absolutely no formal training in animal behavior can decide on a whim who lives or dies.
Orange County shamefully trails behind its two flanking major cities in how it treats its
homeless animal population. While by no means perfect, Los Angeles has made a valiant
attempt at moving towards a climate that embraces, rather than vilifies these animals.
And San Diego is well ahead of the curve in its quest for achieving “no kill” status,
having all but grasped victory from the jaws of defeat. So why, given a very similar
demographic, should the bar be set so low for Orange county?
As Ghandi once famously said: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress is
judged by the way its animals are treated”. So, my question to you today is “do you want
Orange County to be known for its inhumanity towards animals, with animal sheltering
strategies enchained in apathy and cruelty, and comparable to the dog catcher days of old,
or do you want to give it the rebirth it deserves, and work towards building a reputation
for being progressive and forward-thinking?” If the answer to that question, as I hope it
will be, is the latter, then I believe a radical paradigm shift is required here, with a
complete organizational restructuring, including an overhaul of shelter administration. In
that vein, we at the No Kill Shelter Alliance respectfully request the establishment of an
independent oversight committee to be approved by us, details of which can be agreed
upon in writing.