Dear City Council Members,
I am writing to express deep concern about the current state of animal care services provided by Apple Valley City. Based on recent observations and data, several critical issues demand immediate attention and action in Apple Valley Animal Shelter (AVAS).
Last week cat LUKE ID: #av242158 was euthanized due to a miscommunication at your county shelter. This cat had an adopted fill out the required paperwork and drove 2.5 hour to adopt him. In this time, the shelter euthanized this poor cat. His future owner showed up with a cat cage in hand only to be told their new cat was no more.
Some other concerning facts about your animal shelter:
Only 36% of cats taken in by AVAS in May were listed on the shelter's website, depriving potential adopters of crucial information and contributing to low adoption rates. All cats are posted on the Devore website.
With no urgent list sent, rescue and adopters do not know which cats are there/ which ones are urgent. Emails are sent out daily to all Devore rescue pranters.
Prohibiting volunteers from non-adoption areas means rescues and adopters have zero visibility of the 95% of cats labeled as feral or non-adoptable. Volunteers are allowed in Devore if they fill out the proper form and a staff member is present with them.
Only 7% cats are adopted or rescued from Apple Valley.
An investigation needs to be launched about LUKE ID: #av242158.
Kayla Cochran