This Beautiful Dog had a Rescue coming for him but was Euthanized by the Oakland Animal Shelter Instead. The Oakland Animal Shelter says it was a mistake! The dog was Euthanized by Mistake! 2 INVESTIGATES: Workers claim understaffing, red tape led to unnecessary dog euthanasia oakland dogs By Eric Rasmussen OAKLAND, Calif. — A former volunteer, former staff member and a current part-time employee at the Oakland Animal Shelter say chronic understaffing and frequent turnover at the top of the organization is taking a toll on the animals theyre trying to help. Its a problem managers say theyre in the process of fixing, but the three women who contacted 2 Investigates say some dogs that have been put down could have been saved. I do think there were animals that slipped through the cracks and have been euthanized that did have other options, said former animal care attendant Pi Piraeus. Misidentification, miscommunication and close calls The story of a German Shorthaired Pointer is especially troubling to part-time employee Martha Cline. Cline provided 2 Investigates with a photo of the nine-month-old-male. Cline says she thought the dog could be placed with a rescue group and made notes that the dog was shy, but workable by advanced volunteers at the shelter. Despite those notes, Cline says the dog was labeled a pit bull and signed off for euthanasia. Cline also shared photos of two more dogs, terrier mixes that were euthanized for failing temperament tests, even though Cline says she had already found rescue groups willing to take them. In the case of two dobermans, Cline says they were waiting for a rescue group to pick them up when a supervisor signed them off for euthanasia. Cline says she caught the mistake from her computer at home and was able to alert her director before the dogs were put down. She blames the high volume of animals and the low number of staff at the shelter. People at the shelter do care, said Cline. I really sincerely do believe that, but if you become stressed because theres not enough staff, because theres not enough support, over time, you begin to say I cant do anything. Critical positions vacant While the cases described by Cline are uncommon, she and others say theyre examples of a larger problem related to staffing. In addition to a revolving door of directors and acting directors, workers say the shelter had gone without an on-site veterinarian for six months and without a volunteer coordinator for more than a year. I left feeling very frustrated, very fatigued and pretty hopeless about the situation, said Piraeus. New interim Animal Services Director and Oakland Police Lt. Chris Mufarreh says work to fill open positions has already begun with at least four candidates, including two officers, a volunteer coordinator, and a veterinary technician. So, were functioning. Were functioning well, said Mufarreh. We want to be a lot more efficient, of course. Euthanasia Rates Mufarreh says the Oakland Animal Shelter has recently made large strides to reduce the number of animals that have to be euthanized. According to statistics obtained by 2 Investigates, Oakland Animal Services has euthanized about 25 percent of the animals that came into the shelter since January 1, 2014. (READ THE STATS) However, the numbers in Oakland have been higher than other major shelters in recent years. The Oakland Animal Shelter euthanized 35 percent of animals in 2013, which was down from 40 percent in 2012. In San Jose, a larger shelter, the euthanasia rate was closer to 30 percent. San Francisco euthanized 25 percent of its animals in 2011. Nobody wants to euthanize any type of animal, said Mufarreh. Unfortunately, its the reality of this facility. Pushing for changes Oakland City Council Member Libby Schaaf has experienced her own frustration with the Oakland Animal Shelter. Schaaf says her family had to wait weeks to take home one of two cats they adopted because there was no veterinarian on-site to perform spay and neuter procedures. Assistance from the SPCA has since allowed families to take their animals home faster, but Schaaf is still pushing for other changes at the shelter -- she wants Oakland Animal Services moved out of the Oakland Police Departments control. Their mission is to fight crime, so giving them the management of the shelter is really not serving public safety and its not serving our animals or our animal owners, said Schaaf. Schaaf says shes also requesting monthly updates on vacancies at the shelter. Volunteers only hope better days for animals and people at the shelter in Oakland are not far off.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Apr 2014 05:13:37 +0000
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