Hello,
I understand that the shelters are full to capacity but there has to be a better way of managing them.
Too many cats and dogs are being euthanized too often!!! Please let's move forward with a plan to stop this.
These 3 cats are scheduled to be euthanized today.
Please intervene and help solve this problem ┭┮┯┰
Please address this issue and earn your paycheck for once.
Please do the right thing and speak up for the ones who can’t Apple Valley Shelter Report (07.01.2024 - 07.25.2024)
Total Cats Taken In Alive: 213
Adopted: 8
Rescued: 1
Listed on Website as of 07.25: 30
Euthanized: 102
Not Adoptable: 30
Health Issues: 68
Owner Request: 4
Died at Shelter: 5
Holding: 67
DOA (Excluded from Intake Total): 25
Analysis:
1. Out of 213 cats taken in alive,
-- 102 were euthanized
-- 97 of them outcome unkown ( under holding or still listed on the website)"
2. According to our tracking, only 21 (10%) labeled as friendly / added to adoption area in whole July -- No volunteers are allowed to take videos and photos for cats in the non- adoption area where the 90% cats stays"
3. Only 86 cats (40%), were posted on the AVAS website.
Other 60% are ""invisible cats."" who were not posted and are not in the adoption area.
This lack of visibility contributes significantly to the high euthanasia rate.
4. For cats listed as holding:
-- Most of them were never posted on the AVAS website and are not in the adoption area. -- Their outcomes will not appear in the next shelter disposition report, leaving us unaware of their final status.
5. The disposition report posted by Apple Valley Animal Service is not completed -- the outcomes for those under holding and adoptable should be disclosed.
Dawn Kushner
Time spent with cats is never wasted
Adopt Don't Shop!!
Spay and Neuter your Pets!!
Urgent Concerns and Call for Reform at Apple Valley Animal Shelter Dear Apple Valley City Council Members,
I am writing to express my deep concerns regarding recent practices at the Apple Valley Animal Shelter.
The outcomes for AVAS cats in 2024 may mirror those of 2023 (7% leave the facility alive)
1.The evaluation process at AVAS is merely nominal. Less than 5% of the adult cats are labeled as friendly on average every month, and the 95% labeled as feral were euthanized swiftly
2.Cats in the adoption area receive minimal to no medical care. Once these cats fall ill, they are often removed from public view on the website and euthanized shortly thereafter.
On 5. 19, the cat adoption area was closed due to potential ringworm exposure, resulting in the euthanasia of numerous kittens and friendly cats.
57 cats were euthanized for health reason in May
On 6.12, another 8 kittens were euthanized due to health concerns. 33 cats were euthanized for health reason from 6.1 to 6.18 On 7.5, 9 kittens were unlisted due to health concerns. 7 of them were rescued.
On 7.12, 3 adults and 6 kittens in the adoption area were unlisted after shelter closure, and all 9 were euthanized on the afternoon of 7.13.
There were no urgent list or any notice provided to the rescue partner and only a few hours was given to rescues
On July 13th, our volunteer discovered the adoption area closed due to a suspected ringworm outbreak.
By the evening of July 13th, after the shelter closed, we learned that an additional 35 cats had been removed from the AVAS website, with many placed on hold.
Three kittens—Mozzi (242922), Nugget (242923), and Rio (242920)—had a shelter note from
07.03 indicating they were under monitoring and treatment for URI.
They were posted on the shelter’s website on 07.19.
On 07. 20, their listings were removed, and it was reported that one kitten had died and the other two were euthanized.
This timeline indicates a failure to provide adequate medical care and raises concerns about the shelter's ability to manage and treat animals eƯectively.
This rapid deterioration begs critical questions:
Why did such a major outbreak occur at AVAS?
What actions were taken to address the outbreak?
What treatments were administered?
What criteria were used for euthanasia?
Why were cats delisted and euthanized swiftly, limiting rescue opportunities? Transparency and Public Access Issues:
Transparency remains a significant challenge at AVAS:
Only 36% of cats taken in by AVAS in May were listed on the shelter's website, 42% posed in June, depriving potential adopters of crucial information and contributing to low adoption rates.
In the week of 6.17, no cats with an intake date within the week were added on the AVAS website out of numerous cats in need of adoption, indicating inadequate outreach and communication with the community.
In the first two weeks of July, only 8 adults and 14 kittens were added to the AVAS website With no urgent list sent, rescue and adopters does not know which cats are there/ which ones are urgent
The prohibition of volunteers from non-adoption areas means rescues and adopters have zero visibility of the 95% of cats labeled as feral or non-adoptable.
Call for Immediate Action and Reform
Given these alarming incidents, we urgently request an immediate investigation into the operations of the Apple Valley Animal Shelter.
AVAS should prioritize providing medical care over resorting to euthanasia as a first option.
A comprehensive medical treatment plan must be provided for the cats currently sick . measures must be implemented to prevent further intensive and frequent outbreaks Those responsible for the mishandling of disease outbreaks must be held accountable.
It is evident that AVAS requires increased monitoring as a public shelter.
Listing all animals on the website within 24 hours of intake Improve mislabeling. The majority of “feral” cats pulled out from AVAS are actually friendly Administering necessary vaccinations to all animals within 3 days of intake.
Providing detailed updates on medical treatments, including specific medications and care given, rather than vague claims of treatment.
an urgent list (aka pending euthanasia list) should be provided and accessible to all rescue partners and the general public
Access should be granted to allow volunteers to take videos and photos of the cat in the adoption area and in non-adoption area (aka the holding rooms and the receiving rooms).
Disclose the outcome of each cat in monthly reports to ensure accountability and transparency.
The shelter’s current practices are not only inhumane but also fail to meet basic standards of care.
It is crucial that these issues are addressed promptly to ensure the well-being of the animals in our community.
respectfully,
j. freeman
Dear Friends,
Every day I go to the Apple Valley Facebook page and see more death, it is truly heartbreaking. This is not a shelter really, it is just a holding place for animals to die. I share as often as I can, some days it is too disheartening.
I would like to make a strong auggestion: please hire a rescue coordinator for the shelter, someone who can reach out and save lives. The number of deaths there makes some of us wonder if Apple Valley is not profiting in some way. This happens in other parts of California and elsewhere, and may need to be investigated.
Please do the kind and humane thing and help these animals to live. The death rate is appalling.
There were 30 recent comments for the public meeting: is anyone following up on them? Thank you for listening. If you are people of good will, and I assume you are, you want living outcomes for many more than there are now.
With best wishes,
Janet Feldman
401-245-5520
[email protected]
757 Spencer Rd
Faison NC 28341