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Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Prepared by No Kill Shelter Alliance - Page 1 of 16
To: Orange County Deputy Purchasing Agent – Cathy To Copy: Orange County Board of Supervisors and CEO From: No Kill Shelter Alliance, Save More Kill Less Protest Group Date: March 1, 2016 Topic: Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies that was signed by Orange County management and supervisors: ASR Control #: 15-001566, Agreement CT-012-016010713, Sole Source BidSync Number: 012-C007965-LM
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA
Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
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Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Prepared by No Kill Shelter Alliance - Page 2 of 16
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA
Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
NOTE THAT THE FIRST FOUR PAGES ARE TITLE ONLY AS
SLIDESHAREDOES NOT ENABLE HYPERLINKS UNTIL PAGE 5
If you need a pdf without these blank pages please send an email to
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Prepared by No Kill Shelter Alliance - Page 3 of 16
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA
Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
NOTE THAT THE FIRST FOUR PAGES ARE TITLE ONLY AS
SLIDESHAREDOES NOT ENABLE HYPERLINKS UNTIL PAGE 5
If you need a pdf without these blank pages please send an email to
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Prepared by No Kill Shelter Alliance - Page 4 of 16
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA
Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
NOTE THAT THE FIRST FOUR PAGES ARE TITLE ONLY AS
SLIDESHAREDOES NOT ENABLE HYPERLINKS UNTIL PAGE 5
If you need a pdf without these blank pages please send an email to
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Prepared by No Kill Shelter Alliance - Page 5 of 16
To: Orange County Deputy Purchasing Agent – Cathy To Copy: Orange County Board of Supervisors and CEO From: No Kill Shelter Alliance, Save More Kill Less Protest Group Date: March 1, 2016 Topic: Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies that was signed by Orange County management and supervisors: ASR Control #: 15-001566, Agreement CT-012-016010713, Sole Source BidSync Number: 012-C007965-LM We respectively request that your office review the Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies (for Orange County Animal Services - OCAC) that was signed at the Orange County Supervisor Meeting on Feb 24, 2016. We became aware of this contract on Feb 25, 2016. We believe this contract violates the Orange County Contract Policy Manual as the contract was awarded as sole source procurement. Additionally, we have deep concerns that this contract will not achieve the desired goal - to make Orange County Animal Care (OCAC) a more humane place for homeless pets. The organization awarded the contract does not have the depth and breadth of experience to properly fully assess the current OCAC situation. Our objections to this contract are fourfold:
1. Improper definition of the Issues (actually, there is no definition of the issues since an RFP was not prepared)
2. Sole procurement contract inappropriately awarded (for up to $150K) 3. Disregard that two previous assessments by this same vendor were ineffective 4. No community involvement in contract definition or decision
Please note that the contract appears to be a pdf of a scanned document, thus making it impossible to copy/paste sections of it here.
Improper Definition of the Issues
Since there is no RFP issued, the problem being addressed is not defined, nor the goal, however we believe
that the goal should be to make OCAC a safe temporary haven for homeless pets at the level of the City of
Austin (How Austin Became America's Largest No Kill City) and San Diego County (San Diego Animal
Welfare Coalition’s efforts to eliminate euthanasia). The contract has a list of the policies, procedures, and operations shelter that JVR Shelter Strategies will address (see “Scope of Work” Phases 1-3). This list is woefully incomplete and focused on areas in which JVR Shelter Strategies has an expertise – shelter medicine. However, running a successful animal shelters involves much more than veterinary skill. There is nothing in this contract about reviewing and recommendations for improving in the following key operational areas:
marketing of adoptable pets
underlying computer, software, and mobile app technology used by OCAC, and their capability in using the system efficiently and effectively
social media
finances including animal licensing
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Prepared by No Kill Shelter Alliance - Page 6 of 16
animal control
volunteer recruitment and management*
foster recruitment and management*
working with rescue organizations
working with the community and building a county-wide animal welfare coalition
salary policies (for example, OC Community Director Steven Franks makes $310K including benefits and pension, yet Gary Weitzman, the CEO of San Diego Humane Society makes only $150K)
shelter management skillsets, competence, and training at the director level, manager level, and employee level
*there is mention of reviewing these areas in Scope of Work Phase 3, but they appear to be an aside and we do not believe the contractor is qualified since she is a shelter medicine specialist.
The contract is totally focused on what this supplier knows best - shelter medical issues. That focus not provide the whole picture of what needs to be done to make Orange County a humane place for homeless pets.
“Dr. Jyothi Robertson, a veterinarian who is board qualified in Shelter Medicine, a relatively new and complex veterinary specialty. She specializes in large- scale population dynamics, including outbreak management, infectious disease control and shelter statistics.” – from the OC press release
As just one example of why these other areas are so important; here is what the most recent OCAC Grand Jury report says about the management of the shelter:
It is our opinion that JVR Shelter Strategies does not have the expertise to make valid, actionable, senior management related recommendations. Health and enrichment are vitally important to the animals during their stay at the shelter, but this means nothing to those that are being euthanized upon intake. Given that this
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Prepared by No Kill Shelter Alliance - Page 7 of 16
population make up about half of the dogs’ euthanasia numbers, efforts to develop “best practices” will have little to no impact on the euthanasia rates unless management clearly endorses a “Saving More Lives” policy. Communities that have greatly reduced shelter euthanasia rates have done so by reducing shelter intakes and increasing adoptions. This requires community outreach, education, and awareness programs, which the JVR Shelter Strategies contract does not address. Again, while the condition of the shelter and the well-being of the animals is a major concern, a huge issue is with minimizing intake and euthanasia in the first place. Preventive rather than reactive.
Sole procurement contract inappropriately awarded (for up to $150K)
Attachment A – Sole Source/Proprietary Request Form argues that only JVR Strategies is qualified to perform the assessment. The rationale given in the OC press release is:
JVR Shelter Strategies was successful in improving animal welfare at Irvine
We counter that Irvine did much more than hire JVR Shelter Strategies. Their existing animal services director "resigned"; they brought in an interim director for three months and subsequently hired a new director. They also halted all euthanasias (except extreme medical suffering) for 60 days, thus responding to concerns by animal advocates and starting the process of building trust with the community. Repeated requests (here and here and here) for a moratorium on “Empty Cage Killing” have been ignored by Orange County management.
The rationale given in the sole source procurement document includes:
Only JVR Shelter Strategies is qualified The rationale given in the sole source procurement document states that several veterinary schools were contacted and they declared that no other organization was able to do a shelter medical assessment. Our counters to this are: Veterinary schools are not the experts in running animal shelters! The queries for recommendations of qualified animal shelter assessors should have been directed to those that are in the animal sheltering business e.g. the ASPCA (ASPCAPro.org), Humane Society of the United States (AnimalSheltering.org), Best Friends Animal Society, Society for Animal Welfare Administrators, and
Maddie’s Fund, for example. Given that there are approximately 13,600 community animal shelters in the U.S. it's not believable that there is only ONE company that can do an assessment given the size of the market. In our first meeting with OC in Nov 2015 we named alternative organizations that do assessments and in our January 2016 meeting we recruited two peer industry recognized outstanding leadership shelters (Austin ACC and San Diego HS) that would do an assessment for free! At the minimum before awarding a contract OCAC should have done these FREE assessments.
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Prepared by No Kill Shelter Alliance - Page 8 of 16
Disregard that two previous assessments by this same vendor were ineffective
While we are not stating whether or not JVR Shelter Strategies is qualified for assessing animal shelter medicine, we would like to point out that JVR Shelter Strategies previously did TWO other audits of OCAC and no improvements were made.
Performance Audit or Orange County Animal Care Final Report #141505 March 24, 2015 (contains JVR Shelter Strategies assessment)
The NKSA correspondence with JVR Shelter Strategies also indicates that they may have a lack of concern about whether their recommendations are actually implemented (see email correspondence at the end of this document).
No community involvement in contract definition or decision
The volunteer, rescue, and other animal advocates were not involved in the process at all. No requests were
made for the community to identify issues to be addressed. In fact, despite two in-person meetings with OC
management (the second one included CEO Frank Kim), no feedback from the No Kill Shelter Alliance (NKSA)
was requested before the contract was signed. NKSA was specifically told “trust us” in an email sent Feb
23, 2016 by Chairwoman Bartlett’s staff (attached) rather than engage in a dialogue. Trust is built on open
communications and dialogue and mutual agreement on actions. Given the history of OCAC, at this
point there is no foundation for trust.
Summary
Thank you for your review of this contract. Please direct all correspondence to [email protected].
Saskia Boisot, M.D. – Founder No Kill Shelter Alliance Email: [email protected] | Phone: 619 895-0599 available before March 3 and after March 23, 2016 Website: No Kill Shelter Alliance - facebook.com/groups/nokillshelteralliance
Slideshare: slideshare.net/NoKillShelterCA
Twitter: @NoKillShelterCA
Summer Parker – Animal Advocate and Founder
Save More Kill Less OCAC Protest Group
Email: [email protected]| Phone: 310-728-9710
Website: Save More Kill Less OC Animal Care Protest Group - facebook.com/groups/1697623777151429/
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Prepared by No Kill Shelter Alliance - Page 9 of 16
Appendices
Links to related documents and websites:
This letter on No Kill Shelter Alliance Slideshare: Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies (for Orange County Animal Services) [all four parts on the OC website] and Board Discussion (video): Orange County Supervisor Meeting on Feb 24, 2016
Please note that the contract appears to be a pdf of a scanned document, thus making it impossible to copy/paste sections of it here.
o JVR Shelter Strategies Contract (revised) Attachment B
o JVR Shelter Strategies Sole Source Procurement defense Attachment A
Orange County Press Release: February 24, 2016 Orange County Board of Supervisors Approves JVR Shelter
Strategies, LLC for a Veterinary and Operational Review of OC Animal Care (Orange, CA)
No Kill Shelter Alliance website (Facebook page)
Save More Kill Less OC Animal Care website (Facebook page)
Save More Kill Less OC Animal Care Press Release: Orange County Animal Advocates Demand: “Save More,
Kill Less”
NKSA Save more Lives presentation – Improving Animal Welfare @OCAnimalCare made to Orange County
Supervisors’ Chairman Bartlett, CEO Frank Kim, supervisors’ staff, OCAC Director Jennifer Hawkins, OCAC
Deputy Director Katie Ingram - 1/28/16
NKSA Presentation Improving Animal Welfare @OCAnimalCare made to Supervisor Bartlett’s staff Nov 30, 2015
OCAC EUTHANASIA STATISTICS ANALYSIS (Orange County Animal Care [Shelter], California) by Dr. James
Gardner
o Response by OCAC to OCAC Euthanasia Statistics Analysis – Clarification of OC Animal Care
Euthanasia Rate (be sure to also read the counter response from Dr. Gardner in the slideshare
comments)
Policies and Procedures documents from OCAC (nearly 200 of them) – via a public records request we asked for
ALL of them but we know some are clearly missing as they are referred to in other documents. The ones we
know are missing are:
o Volunteer Interest Application o Volunteer Application o Interview Questions, if applicable o OC Animal Care Volunteer Policy o Foster Caretaker Agreement o Foster Caretaker Application
OC Grand Jury Report: If Animals Could Talk About the Orange County Animal Shelter - 2015
OC Grand Jury Report: The Orange County Animal Shelter: The Facility, The Function, The Future - 2015
Performance Audit of Orange County Animal Care – Final Report (#141505), March 24, 2015
Sharon Logan lawsuit against OCAC (amended)
Euthanasia Reports (via Sharon Logan Lawsuit): (note – statistical analysis in progress)
o Oct 2015, Nov 2015, Dec 2015, Jan 2016 [links will be added later, by March 5 latest]
OCAC Animal Adoptability Policy – discussion here
Many news articles (Google search examples: orange county animal care grand jury | orange county california
animal care lawsuit logan)
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Prepared by No Kill Shelter Alliance - Page 10 of 16
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Prepared by No Kill Shelter Alliance - Page 11 of 16
Additional Information attached to this document on the following pages: Email from staff member of OC Supervisor Chairwoman Lisa Bartlett to No Kill Shelter Alliance
(Feb 23, 2016)
Save More Kill Less Press Release
Email conversation between principals of No Kill Shelter Alliance and JVR Shelter Strategies
(August 2015)
Email from Chairman Bartlett’s staff to No Kill Shelter Alliance Feb 23, 2016
Note: While we appreciate the agreement that change is needed, we do not agree with the selection of
JVR Strategies as a sole source procurement contract, the lack of involvement of the community, nor
the belief that nothing at all can be done now, immediately.
Irvine did much more than hire JVR Shelter Strategies. Their existing animal services director "resigned"; they
brought in an interim director for three months and subsequently hired a new director. They also halted all
euthanasias (except extreme medical suffering) for 60 days, thus responding to concerns by animal advocates
and starting the process of building trust with the community. Repeated requests (here and here and here) for
a moratorium on “Empty Cage Killing” have been ignored by Orange County management.
To: No Kill Shelter Alliance, dated Feb 23, 2016
“(We) empathize with you and share your desire to change the situation at OCAC for the better. We
appreciate the information you have sent us and your passion for the well-being of Orange County’s
animals. Unfortunately, during our numerous conversations with the CEO, OC Community Resources, and
OC Animal Care, we have learned that the issues at stake cannot be solved by just one office. This will
take the entire Board, as well as a consensus among the shelter’s contract cities. Change is not impossible,
and by no means are we giving up, we are simply admitting that there are further considerations we must
acknowledge before we can inspire a major, positive, and permanent change.”
“We have been researching the issues daily. I check the Special Needs list every day, and follow up with
OCAC staff when I suspect an animal can be saved by a rescue. I have personally spent hours calling and
emailing various rescues to take dogs in need. (We) have had conversations with Kristen Auerbach and
the executive management at the San Diego shelter and the Washington D.C. Humane Society shelter.
Further, today the Board should approve JVR Strategies to provide consulting services and conduct a full
review of our shelter, as well as assist with the design of the new shelter. As you know, the Irvine shelter
credits this company with their successful turn-around last year. We are also looking forward to our tour
of the San Diego shelter next Wednesday. We are dedicated to the success of our shelter, and we are
making strides toward that goal.”
“Again, we appreciate you both reaching out to us to bring our attention to the issues we face at OCAC.
Now that we have committed ourselves to the task, you need to trust in our strategy. We have
seen that the emotional argument is not effective, and a more calculated approach is essential to
implement change. (We) are exploring all options, and we will continue to work toward a more successful
shelter.”
Signed, OC Staff, Chairman Bartlett’s Office
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Prepared by No Kill Shelter Alliance - Page 12 of 16
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: Saturday, February 27, 2016 Contact: Summer Parker (310) 728-9710
Orange County Animal Advocates Demand:
“Save More, Kill Less”
Orange County, CA – Animal advocates protested today to draw awareness to the senseless killing
that happens daily at Orange County Animal Care, while kennels sit empty.
“Day after day we fight tirelessly to give these animals a chance, and we find ourselves blocked by
outdated policies,” said Danielle Parker. “There are nearly 200 policies and procedures at OCAC,
many of them filled with measures on how to kill a cat or dog, and not a single document that reflects
animal welfare or marketing adoptable pets. When a County puts more effort into killing these pets
than giving them a second chance at life, it’s time to revise their priorities.”
“Five Grand Jury reports, two lawsuits, and multiple negative press reviews later, and OCAC
continues to hoard empty kennels by killing healthy, treatable dogs,” said Danna Cruzan. “Orange
County is the sixth wealthiest county in California, headquarters to many Fortune 500 companies, yet
the way our animals treated is deplorable. Orange County can do better, and we’re asking the Board
of Supervisors to step up and be a model to other counties on how a shelter should be run.”
The animal advocates are protesting for the following:
1) Moratorium on “Empty Cage Killing” – Dogs and cats should not be placed on euthanasia lists
when there are empty kennels such as the current 175 empty kennels at OCAC
2) Transparency from OCAC and an Oversight Committee – There is no transparency of the daily
operations at OCAC, and there is no oversight. It is unacceptable that the Director allows low level
employees decide which animals are euthanized without her review and approval.
3) Implementation of proven animal shelter best practices – To become a better run facility, OCAC
must utilize foster programs, kennel enrichment, play groups, and social media marketing of
adoptable pets
###
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Prepared by No Kill Shelter Alliance - Page 13 of 16
Email conversation between principals of No Kill Shelter Alliance and JVR Shelter Strategies (August
2015)
On Aug 13, 2015, at 12:52 AM, Saskia Boisot wrote:
Jyothi V. Robertson , DVM
Chumkee Aziz, DVM
JVR Shelter strategies
Dear Drs Robertson and Aziz,
I am writing to you as the representative of a group of concerned citizens that fall under the umbrella of the No Kill Shelter
Alliance, who are disenchanted, or perhaps more accurately disgusted, with current shelter euthanasia practices in certain
Southern California shelters, in this case specifically pertaining to the Orange County shelter, which I know your group did a
partial audit of earlier this year. I have personally been tracking events at this shelter for some time now, and it is quite apparent
that, aside from showing no compassion whatsoever for their resident animals (and while this letter pertains to dogs, their track
record for live outcomes with cats is even more offensive), there is an alarming trend in their euthanasia practices towards
exclusive killing of large breed dogs, with no effort whatsoever being made to adopt them out first. In short, the shelter staff are
making up excuses on a whim to take dogs off the available list, and make them “rescue only”, and thereby condemning them to
a pathway that leads to inevitable euthanasia. Generally speaking, some of these dogs may be at the shelter for all of four days
total, and then summarily executed. In that short space of time, the rescues and networkers may only be given 24 hours notice
before the dogs are killed, which obviously is usually not enough time to coordinate appropriate foster and rescue, and despite a
lot of last ditch and heroic efforts by the local rescue and volunteer community, the dogs end up being killed regardless.
Although this problem is not unique to the Orange County shelter, I feel they are definitely one of the worst offenders, even in
comparison to other high-kill Southern California shelters, such as Carson, SBC, and Moreno Valley, to name but just a
few. That being said, the specific reason I am contacting you at this point in time, is because yesterday two particularly
egregious incidents occurred, one involving a 10 month old pit bull/boxer puppy named Savannah (the white dog in the attached
picture), the other involving a 3 year old pit bull mix named Dante (the brown dog in the attached picture).
Savannah was killed for behavior that unquestionably falls in the realm of normal puppy behavior, but was deemed “bratty” by
shelter staff, many of whom have absolutely no formal training in animal behavior in the first place. Like most of the dogs there,
Savannah was a very young dog, with a great zest for life and playing, who could have benefitted from a small amount of
socialization, but most certainly would have been highly adoptable if given the chance. Savannah was placed on the euthanasia
list and killed in the space of less than two days.
While Savannah’s case is certainly beyond tragic, Dante’s case provides a direct and tangible example of the shelter’s disregard
for the recommendations made by your group earlier this year, specifically not spraying dogs down while they are in their
kennel. Dante was placed on the euthanasia list for trying to bite the hose that was doing just this, and was executed
yesterday. He too was young, vivacious, and highly adoptable, a fact which can be attested to by any of the volunteers who
interacted with him. And his death was entirely a direct result of their continued violation of a practice that is deemed antithetical
to best shelter practices. I am aware that the recommendation to not spray down kennels with animals inside was made
previously in 2007, at which time it was ignored, and then once again earlier this year; currently this practice (along with many
others addressed in your report) continues on a routine basis.
Since your group was contracted to conduct this audit, I would like to ask you what accountability and recourse there is for the
continued infractions perpetrated by this shelter, and if the answer is none, then I would have to ask the question “why even
perform an investigation at all”. While I know your group does not regulate shelters specifically, since you were contracted to
perform this audit, and came up with the recommendations pertaining to the shelter’s adherence to what is considered a
universally accepted code of conduct within the shelter system, I thought you would be able to address what can be done when
said conduct is so blatantly breached. I would also like to use this opportunity to ask you how we might go about triggering a
more full and comprehensive audit, one in which you can clearly and specifically comment on the aforementioned euthanasia
practices, since I know this shelter clearly violates the central tenet of exhausting all possible efforts before euthanizing an
animal. In a similar vein, many volunteers can testify to the large numbers of perpetually empty kennels at this facility, so even
that cannot be used as a justifiable excuse.
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Prepared by No Kill Shelter Alliance - Page 14 of 16
In closing, and on a personal note, I would just say that as a human physician myself, who has sworn to uphold the Hippocratic
oath to do no harm to my patients, I am left to wonder why those entrusted with looking after our homeless pet population aren’t
held to some similar standard.
I look forward to hearing your views on these matters.
Sincerely,
Saskia Boisot, MD
On Friday, August 14, 2015 9:31 AM, Jyothi Robertson wrote:
Hello Dr. Boisot,
I am currently about to begin maternity leave so this will be a brief reply, but wanted to thank you for your email.
I am not familiar with the euthanasia practices/policies/statistics regarding OCAC to comment on specific cases. As you mention,
it was a limited consult that focused primarily on medical protocols. That said, I was interested in following up with the shelter
director regarding that aspect which I commented on in my report, specifically the cleaning protocols that you refer to. Please
see my email below and her response. Some of the policy changes take time, others can be implemented more quickly. I will
see if I can assist with implementation of any of the recommendations I made, once I am able. Many consults often have an
implementation phase to them, but this was a very brief one-day site visit that was conducted without follow-up. I do not “audit”
shelters per se. My role is to offer recommendations for improving shelters to move forward, rather than investigating past
events. The goal is to improve and create positive change.
On a different note, I want to mention that empty kennels do not reflect a shelter’s capacity to care for the animals, and isn’t a
factor used when determining true C4C calculations. There are many factors involved in those calculations which are based on
reviewing past statistics and evaluating current staffing levels, length-of-stay to outcome, etc. that all need to play a factor. As I
mention above, I am about to have a baby so I am taking some time away briefly but I am very interested in helping shelters
determine what their capacity is and how to achieve what is best for the animals within that capacity. I am hoping to have the
opportunity to help Orange County in the near future in this regard as well.
Thank you for reaching out to me.
All the best,
Jyothi
From: Jyothi Robertson
To: Saskia Boisot
Aug 14 at 9:53 AM
I forgot to attach the director’s email in my reply. Here it is!
Jyothi V. Robertson, DVM
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Hawkins, Jennifer"
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Prepared by No Kill Shelter Alliance - Page 15 of 16
Subject: RE: Question regarding dog cleaning
Date: August 13, 2015 at 4:45:11 PM PDT
To: Jyothi Robertson
Hi Jyothi!
Yes, we are actively working to implement protocols whereby dogs would be removed from the cage or separated by a
transfer door from the area of cleaning. As you know, this takes some staff and resources. Thus far, we have initiated
the hiring of 8 additional kennel attendant positions and have sought quotes for repair of the transfer doors in the cages,
as well as the needed front and rear door repairs. We are considering everything from the "move-one-down" method
(which does pose some control issues regarding identification of each dog--but we are working on that too!) vs a "buddy
system". The buddy system would use pairs of staff members to clean cages, one to hold the dog/dog leash and the
other to clean the cage. We hope to practice these methods and determine which is most effective and efficient. We
expect repair of the transfer doors to take some time as Facility Operations takes issue with the entire mechanism and
is working on a method that will maintain functionality. So...long story short--in spite of being delayed by HR and facility
barriers, we continue to work hard to align our practices with the ASV Shelter Guidelines.
Thanks for checking in!
Jennifer Hawkins, DVM
Director
OC Animal Care
561 The City Drive South
Orange, CA 92868
www.ocpetinfo.com
714-796-6417
From: Jyothi Robertson [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2015 3:12 PM
To: Hawkins, Jennifer
Subject: Question regarding dog cleaning
Hello Dr. Hawkins,
I recently received an email regarding cleaning protocols at OCAC and recommendations that I made last year. I would
like to know if there have been changes made regarding the cleaning procedures for dogs in runs with and without
transfer doors. There were concerns at the time of my site visit that some kennels were being cleaned with dogs still
inhabiting them. Thank you for your feedback.
Kind regards,
Jyothi
Jyothi V. Robertson, DVM
Owner and Principal Consultant
JVR Shelter Strategies
Concerns regarding the Orange County, CA Feb 24, 2016 Contract for services by JVR Shelter Strategies
Prepared by No Kill Shelter Alliance - Page 16 of 16
To: Jyothi Robertson
From: Saskia Boisot
Aug 17 at 4:25 PM
Dear Dr. Robertson,
Many thanks for your response to my recent inquiry. A few key points about it stood out to me, which I felt required a little
further expounding on. While I fully appreciate what you say about the necessity for a temporal lag between when a
recommendation is made and actually implementing it, this particular recommendation had previously been made to officials at
the Orange County shelter back in 2007 by your group, so I would contend that they’ve had more than ample time to
comply. And I can tell you that I myself was at the shelter on Saturday, during the NBC “Clear the Shelters”, where I witnessed
a shelter worker quite flagrantly doing just this, in front of hundreds of people, so clearly no effort whatsoever is being made to
address the issue, despite what Dr. Hawkins may say. Perhaps more shockingly though, I should like to add that, despite a
busy adoption day that had received significant media attention beforehand (although none at this facility the day of), with 137
animals being adopted out in total, and thereby leaving the shelter almost completely clear, shelter officials elected nonetheless
to proceed unabated with their routine Monday morning euthanasia roster, that included killing 9 dogs; I’m hard pushed to
believe all nine were in such a condition as to require this as an act of mercy for untenable suffering.
Although you say your group is not there to conduct an audit per se, the report you issued was part of a document entitled
“Performance Audit of Orange County Animal Care”, so if not classified as such, then I would have to ask what purpose it serves
at all? It is my understanding that shelters across the country fall under the purview of the American Veterinary Medical
Association, so would I be correct in assuming that they conduct semi-annual inspections, and if so, are these available for
public scrutiny? As a pathologist who works in the field of laboratory medicine, including the hospital blood bank, our laboratory
is forced to adhere to very strict criteria of operation, and we are policed by multiple regulatory institutions. As part of this, we
are subject to frequent surprise inspections, and if at the time of inspection we are not found to be in complete compliance with
these set standards, we are instantly cited for these deficiencies, and are given a set period of time to correct the deviations,
along with proof of correction. While I might not expect quite the degree of stringency for shelter operations, I would hope at the
very least there is some protocol in place for ensuring adherence to the accepted code of conduct, with a similar organizational
structure for accountability.
I will close by saying that, while I understand the sentiment of trying to effectuate “positive change”, from what I have personally
witnessed thus far, that term is a complete misnomer when applied to this facility. The reason I chose to approach you
specifically in the first place was that I am aware that you also conducted a similar assessment of the Irvine Shelter, where
accusations of neglect had previously run rampant. It was as a direct result of your report (and perhaps that was not the only
reason) that breaches of conduct and animal neglect and abuse were exposed to the public, with subsequent big changes being
forced, the most notable of which was the resignation of the reigning shelter director. It is my firm belief that similar infractions
are pervasive at the Orange County shelter, and therefore by extension, I would argue that similar consequences will be
necessary there too, in order to see the radical changes needed that would benefit the resident animals, rather than the
employees.
I hope you understand my persistence with this matter, since it is only with the animals’ interest in mind.
Sincerely,
Saskia Boisot, MD
END OF CORRESPONDENCE – THERE WAS NO FOLLOW UP EMAIL FROM DR. ROBERTSON
