Euthanasia Rate Increases at Long Beach Animal Shelter

City records show that from Jan-Aug 2018, Long Beach Animal Care Services euthanized more than 18% of animals taken in, up 2 percentage points from the same period last year, while taking in only 85% of the animals impounded by this time in 2017. This points to inefficiencies in operations, in alignment with two recent reviews by the Long Beach Auditor, which found that LBACS suffers from mismanagement, financial irresponsibility and poor decision-making.

(September 1, 2018) – City records obtained by animal advocacy group No Kill Long Beach through the California Public Records Act and the City’s press office indicate that during the first eight months of 2018, Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS) took in significantly fewer animals but reached insignificant gains in lifesaving and euthanized animals at a higher rate than they did during the same period in 2017.

Euthanasia Rate is Up

“In spite of the fact that LBACS has taken in fewer animals during the first eight months of 2018, LBACS is nevertheless euthanizing animals at a higher rate than they were the same time last year,” said Patricia Turner, Ph.D., Director of No Kill Long Beach. “From January to August this year, LBACS has euthanized 18% of animals, whereas during the same period last year, they euthanized 16%, Turner said. “If LBACS is taking in fewer animals, that means less cleaning, less vet care, and less administrative work. With less work needed to maintain the population, they should be euthanizing a smaller percentage of animals. Instead, we’re seeing the opposite.”

The City circulated a press release stating that euthanasias have “continued to drop,” and downplayed the severity of the findings of the second phase of City Auditor Laura Doud’s review of LBACS, which found that serious staffing deficits at LBACS are affecting animals’ welfare. The report details a number of problems at LBACS that are having negative effects on the animals, including:

· Animals impounded by LBACS are only getting 6 minutes of care per day, compared to the industry standard of 15 minutes;

· There are not enough staff to properly feed or clean animals’ housing;

· The ratio of animals to medical staff is among the highest when compared to peer shelters (235 animals to one veterinarian); and

· Veterinarians often don’t have time to complete daily rounds – a crucial element of shelter animal care and operations.

· On a financial note: Almost $1 million in citations have not been collected since 2009.

“It’s odd that the City would continue to downplay the severity of the findings of the two audit reviews,” Turner said. “The shelter clearly has problems that have been copiously documented not only by our organization, but also by the City Auditor’s office on two occasions now. The deficits at LBACS are wide-ranging, and have an impact on the shelter animals’ welfare. It just seems strange that Mayor Garcia is choosing not to properly acknowledge that.” The group has published its response to Phase Two of the auditor’s review on its website.

Adoptions Remain Stagnant

As for adoptions, the group is surprised to see the City applauding LBACS in its press release for its commitment to adoptions. “Adoptions are still among the least likely outcomes for animals at LBACS, and they have not increased in any significant way, but adoptions are an area where real progress could be made,” Turner said. According to City records, during the period of Jan-July 2018, LBACS did 308 adoptions. Sacramento ACS did 2,455 adoptions during the same time period. Sacramento has a population size, demographics and median income comparable to Long Beach.

“Mayor Garcia campaigned and won the 2014 election on an animal-welfare ticket, in which he specifically said that he would build a strong adoption program at LBACS. That promise has never been fulfilled,” Turner said. “308 adoptions over seven months is an incredibly low number. The City seems to be deliberately avoiding a full adoption program, and we think taxpayers would like to know why.” Since Mayor Garcia was elected in 2014, LBACS has euthanized over 8,000 dogs and cats.

Although the City budget, which is up for City Council vote this Tuesday, contains a line item for a “pilot adoption program,” Turner points out that this is unnecessarily tentative and likely does not require additional funding. “Sacramento has a phenomenal adoption program – run almost entirely by volunteers; Austin, TX has an amazing adoption program, also with a large cadre of volunteers. Adoption programs are a staple, a crucial element in sheltering, and they’ve been around for a long time. Their effectiveness is proven. We’re not sure why this has to be a ‘pilot program’ that’s contingent on receiving additional funding. That said, we’d be thrilled if this leads to a full adoption program – we’ve been asking for that for over 5 years now. We’re just waiting to see if it happens.”

No Kill Long Beach’s comparisons of LBACS’ Jan-August 2017 and 2018 euthanasia rates can be found here. The City of Long Beach does not post LBACS’ shelter outcomes as Sacramento does.

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Additional references:

Phase One of audit

https://tinyurl.com/AuditPhase1

NKLB Response to Phase One

https://tinyurl.com/NKLBResponsePhase1

About No Kill Long Beach

No Kill Long Beach is an initiative whose ultimate goal is to make Long Beach a no kill city, as defined by saving all healthy and treatable animals in the city shelter. No Kill Long Beach accomplishes this by advocating for the implementation of the No Kill Equation: responsible, humane, cost-effective policies and programs that will reduce the shelter population and increase adoption rates. For more information on the organization’s work to promote an end to the unnecessary killing of healthy and treatable animals in the Long Beach Animal Care Services shelter, check out their website at www.NoKillLongBeach.org.

No Kill Long Beach can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NoKillLB and on Twitter www.twitter.com/NoKillLongBeach