Town of Apple Valley
Town Council July 28, 2026
Public Comment
Hello,
I am writing because I am very concerned about the Apple Valley Animal Shelter. The shelter workers there do not seem to care about the animals that are in the shelter and in their care. There is unnecessary euthanization where the workers are not reaching out to rescues or putting cats on their website to be adopted. Rescuers are also interested in pulling many cats and are not allowed by the shelter and they are being put to sleep. They do not give the animals a chance to be adopted and mistake them for ferals or being unhealthy. The shelter needs an on-site veterinarian that can analyze their health issues.
I think that the workers also kill animals in retaliation against volunteers and rescues, which is heartbreaking and very immature. An animal's life should not be measured in such regard.
Also, there is an ongoing lawsuit against this shelter. Does your town really need such publicity and expense when the workers there can be replaced with caring and competent employees who actually care about the animals and can work competently and with high regard to the public? Why would a town want such actions when they can be solved in simple ways? A manager at a shelter does not need to be paid 6 figures a year when they are a terrible employee. They do not answer calls either or have a place to leave comments on their social media sites. The whole world is watching you shelter and knows what goes on there. Is someone on the council telling the shelter workers to kill these cats so they can be sent to rendering plants? This is highly unethical and can result in more lawsuits and being relieved of your council position. This is a terrible way to run a public shelter.
Please take my suggestions at heart and help make the shelter a better place for the animals there and find new workers who are competent and caring and a wonderful place for the community and volunteers and rescues to go.
Thank you very much. And I would like a response to my email that I have sent to you with much thought and time. This is the right thing to do.
Brenda Herring
Dear Mayor and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
Kimberly Patterson
Dear Mayor and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement.
Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume
TNVR program and revisit managed intake
Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
Stephen Longan
To the Mayor & Town Council,
I am writing due to my concerns about the continuing
poor outcomes for cats & kittens at AVAS. In June the save rate was a dismal 57.8%. In July 3 cats were euthanized while rescuers were working out a rescue plan. Thirteen kittens were euthanized for treatable conditions.
I am requesting that the following changes be implemented:
1. Cats in all parts of the shelter should be visible online along with their status.
2. Rescuing needs to be made easier. Staff should work with, not against rescuers to improve outcomes. Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley & allow out of area 501c3 rescues.
3. Improve medical care plans & behavior assessments before euthanasia.
4. Establish a publicly funded TNVR program& revisit managed intake which places the onus of caring for found outside cats on an untrained & unfunded public.
Many public shelters in CA have a much better save rate than AVAS. Public taxes fund this shelter & I believe that implementing these changes,especially TNVR can drastically improve outcomes.
Thank you for reading.
Kris Nill-Snow
Dear Mayor and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
Ana Martin
Dear Mayor and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
I live in Hesperia and have years of experience with bottle babies, I have references from multiple Rescue and I have worked with Hesperia Shelter for several years. When I submitted a request to foster a bottle baby, I was denied because I do not live in Apple Valley. Too.put it plainly, this policy is ludicrous. I ask that you try a pilot program to expand fosters from at least Victorville and Hesperia. There is no reason you cannot try a new approach.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
Diane Reed
Dear Mayor and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
Karla Barela
This needs to stop! You keep euthanizing cats and kittens and leave them in a back room without posting them as being available. The care you give there is horrendous and they are dying! Stop euthanasia! Give the animals to rescues! Ban euthanasia all together! Would you put a person to sleep? These are sentient beings and they feel. Stop killing them! You are not even giving them a chance to be adopted. Stop murdering them! This needs to change!
Thank you,
Dawn Ball
Dear Mayor and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
Ana M.
Hello,
Cats and kittens are euthanized and dying needlessly in this “shelter.” They are not put up for adoption on shown on the website.
I have concerns for their medical well-being. They deserve a chance at life like the rest of us God’s creatures. We need to be a lifeline for these animals, not a death sentence!! Diana Guerrero
Dear Mayor and Town Council Members,
Enough is enough!! I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement.
Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
Elizabeth Neubrand
Dear Mayor and Town Council Members,
Community Cat Foundation is submitting this comment because we have personally experienced barriers at Apple Valley Animal Shelter that have interfered with our ability to save cats and kittens.
We have attempted to become an approved rescue partner and have encountered paperwork requirements that have prevented or delayed our pull privileges without a clear lifesaving justification. Most recently, we were required to provide two individuals’ driver’s licenses even though one individual would never be transporting or picking up animals and could not provide identification because of prior identity theft.
More disturbing, we have attempted to pull kittens from AVAS as a rescue courtesy. We were told at night that we could pull them, only to learn the following morning that they had been euthanized as late as 5:45 PM. We were given no meaningful explanation for why the kittens were euthanized despite an identified 501 c3 rescue willing to take responsibility for them.
This is unacceptable.
These experiences are especially concerning in light of reports that cats and kittens are being euthanized without ever being publicly posted or given adequate opportunity for adoption, foster placement, or rescue.
We are asking the Town Council to require immediate corrective action:
1. Every cat and kitten must be publicly visible before non-emergency euthanasia, including animals in medical areas, back rooms, behavioral holds, or rescue-only status.
2. Qualified rescue offers must be honored and facilitated. Administrative requirements should never become the reason an animal dies when a legitimate rescue is prepared to take responsibility.
3. Recent cat and kitten euthanasias should be independently reviewed, particularly cases in which rescue, foster, or adoption interest existed before euthanasia.
4. AVAS rescue approval and pull procedures must be reviewed and streamlined so that reasonable documentation requirements do not obstruct lifesaving placement.
5. Apple Valley needs a meaningful, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program to address the source of continued cat and kitten intake rather than relying on euthanasia after animals enter the shelter system.
When a qualified rescue says, “We will take this animal,” the system should be designed to help that animal leave alive.
Community Cat Foundation stands ready to work collaboratively with Apple Valley and other rescue organizations on solutions. But the repeated loss of cats and kittens while willing rescuers are trying to help requires immediate action, transparency, and accountability.
Respectfully,
The Board, Pet parents, and volunteer team of Community Cat Foundation Dear Adriana, Kristin, and Members of the Apple Valley Town Council, I am writing to request immediate transparency and action regarding the treatment and outcomes of animals at Apple Valley Animal Services Shelter.
There are growing concerns among members of the rescue community and the public that animals—particularly cats and kittens—are being euthanized without adequate public visibility, without sufficient time for rescue organizations to intervene, and without meaningful efforts to expand foster, rescue, and placement opportunities.
A municipal shelter has a responsibility to operate with transparency and to make every reasonable effort to preserve the lives of healthy and treatable animals. The community cannot support or improve outcomes when animals are not consistently posted, rescue partners are not adequately engaged, and foster opportunities are not actively pursued.
I respectfully request the following:
1. A public explanation of current euthanasia policies, timelines, and criteria.
2. Transparency regarding animals euthanized, including dates, reasons, and whether rescue placement was attempted.
3. Clarification of the shelter’s process for working with approved rescue partners and fosters and the process.
4. A review of current practices to ensure animals are being posted promptly and given every reasonable opportunity for placement.
5. A meeting or public discussion regarding steps the Town is taking to improve live outcomes and community partnerships.
Many dedicated rescuers and community members are willing to help, but they need cooperation, communication, and timely access to information. Preventable euthanasia should be addressed through stronger collaboration with the rescue community, increased foster support, and transparent reporting.
Personally I have tried to work with Brandie there over the past several weeks only to be told to: “ help cats in my own area”, with absolutely NO help from her. Other rescues I’m networking with have the same feedback as I’m sure you are aware. She’s abysmal to try to work with.
I respectfully request a written response outlining what immediate steps will be taken to address these concerns.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and for your commitment to the animals and residents of Apple Valley.
Mark Walters
Mayor and Town Council Members,
I am again reaching out via public comment because the concerns so frequently raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have yet to achieve any improvement. If anything, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious, which is only doubly troubling as it continues to confirm some very real suspicions we have regarding the staff at this facility.
Throughout 2026 and even before, community members have asked the council to intervene in order to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and community-cat prevention at a facility that is ostensibly intended to care for the lives in their charge. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program to humanely and drastically reduce the number of homeless cats at the source with zero harm before they can even come into the facility system. Despite our ongoing requests and increasing concern, the community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests, or even acknowledgment in many cases. We have compiled some numbers for your benefit in the hope that you can begin to understand the root of our concern even if you are not involved in the actual work; even if you feel like you have heard this one thousand times before now, please read this in its entirety so that my knowledge of the situation can become your knowledge:
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly report, the facility recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
This is one of our major sources of frustration with the current system, as many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. As such, these lives in desperate need had no opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help. In essence, their entire existence was kept secret for no reason whatsoever until it was too late to save their lives.
Recent July losses
The already troubling situation building with this facility only worsened in July, suggesting either no action was taken after previous public comments, or even retaliation of some sort was inflicted upon the cats at AVAS. You may think this unlikely, but my time spent working in cat rescue during my stay in the deep south revealed it to be quite common for embittered people to seek employment with animal services only to secure a relatively simple government job with low qualifications, bringing with them none of the care for animal lives one would like to see in people employed in such facilities. Cat- and doghaters alike can and will end up in positions of power, where they derive some sort of sick pleasure in bringing harm to lives they see as nothing more than nuisances to be dealt with.
Bearing that in mind, please observe the following:
According to facility status information available to the public, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were killed while multiple rescues and community members were working furiously to secure placement despite AVAS fighting them every step of the way. Involved members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were killed, and that staff were aware that placement was guaranteed as soon as their questionable hoops were jumped through. These cases in particular highlight my personal disgust with the facility and leave me questioning whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving succeed or making them more difficult (sometimes borderline impossible) to complete -- something I personally witnessed with Pumpkin, Peanut, and Chicken when AVAS staff appeared to be actively interfering with their safe rescue for no other reason than they could.
Ongoing systemic concerns
Though little of this is new after what we have been pleading you to intervene in for some time now, the ongoing issues here reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens often remain hidden in back rooms without being listed online. Oftentimes this results in them being killed without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible urgents list. Again: If people don't know the cats exist, how can they be expected to help?
• Barriers to lifesaving: Outdated foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, needlessly complex and rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-torescue coordination, and denials to qualified and registered out-of-area rescues frequently prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time. • Archaic evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be handled often still receive severe behavioral descriptions, scaring potential adopters and denying the cats the chance for a meet-and-greet session that would have shown them to simply be frightened by the terrifying environment they are suddenly in.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with treatable conditions rarely receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before they are killed. Why is a simple upper respiratory infection (a mere "kitty cold") triggering a death sentence when a week of antibiotics can cure it? • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: AVAS continues managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to shelter assistance or population-control services. TNVR IS NECESSARY TO SAFELY REDUCE HOMELESS CAT POPULATIONS.
AVAS claims that it depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save lives, yet its policies do far more to hinder these lifesaving efforts than they do to facilitate anything. Why does AVAS staff continue to act as if both animals and those who would save their lives are their #1 enemy in this world? Requested corrective action
We respectfully request that the mayor and council direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those concealed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia -- visibility is absolutely critical.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions No one wants to have cause to doubt their staffing picks, so please bring in an independent reviewer to examine the June and July cases; any findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available if trust is to be restored and healing begin.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Stop treating rescue volunteers as if they are your mortal foes. Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation (the documentation required at AVAS is easily the most ridiculous I have seen at any facility across the country), permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified and registered out-of-area and out-of-state organizations. When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue initiates contact to offer assistance, AVAS should actively work to help the placement succeed rather than fighting us every step of the way as if they are being paid a bonus for each life destroyed.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before any non-emergency killing is considered. Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment; even the friendliest of lap cats has been known to become a biting, clawing terror when exposed to horrifying conditions sufficient to trigger their defensive survival instincts. The facility must also facilitate meet-and-greet opportunities with potential adopters rather than actively discouraging them through subjective and unfair descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious" -- few staff at AVAS understand cats, and rushed decisions made in impatience and/or ignorance are killing a truly shocking number of cats.
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without a TNVR program leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance. More than anything else, this is what causes outdoor cat populations to grow exponentially and become an even greater future expense for the government. Even a modest TNVR program can have a huge benefit both for the lives of those who have little else in this world, and the town as a whole. Effort should be made to establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand. I also request that the mayor and council take the time to review the effect its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance. When the community feels that a short life of suffering and hardship on the streets is still far kinder than the care homeless cats would receive at the local animal services facility, something has gone very, very wrong with the system.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
This plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public. Relying upon blind faith has cost too many lives needlessly cut short at AVAS; rigid structure and oversight are both badly needed to set things right, and in a way the public can both see and understand.
Closing
None of this is new or isolated. These incidents and many more are a symptom of a continuing system in which cats remain concealed, treatable kittens die or are killed simply because the powers that be did not want to bother with it, and available immediate lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed due solely to active resistance and interference from those in power at AVAS. I personally have come to feel that this interference is actively malicious in nature after too many unexplained incidents and overbearing arrogance from public-facing contacts there. They do not want us to save lives, even if it means they have to get in our way to prevent it from happening.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations which have apparently done nothing more but end up recorded in meeting minutes before being promptly forgotten by all involved. We are now asking the mayor and council for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the atrocious state of affairs at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives. These are all lifesaving measures within your control, if only action is taken before more tragic and avoidable loss of life occurs under the current watch.
These comments are submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic failures, and requested corrective actions are formally documented in the public record for future reference.
Please show the strength to make desperately needed change at AVAS. It is so exhausting, demoralizing, and frankly embarrassing to know that this facility has gotten away with everything for so very long while those who could stop it do not seem to care enough to intervene. We are trying very hard to make the difference between life and death for these outcasts who have lost everything but their very lives, but we cannot do it alone. We need you. Please help us so that we can help them.
Your friendly neighborhood cat rescuer,
Richard Hamel
Dear Mayor and Town Council Members,
I'm submitting this comment because AVAS's own reported numbers show the problems this community has raised all year are not improving — and some recent cases raise questions about compliance with California's Hayden Act (Food & Agricultural Code, "Hayden's Law").
In June, AVAS's own monthly report shows a 57.8% live-outcome rate for cats: 208 intakes, only 78 live outcomes, 48 euthanized for health reasons, 9 died in care. In July, 15 kittens confirmed alive on July 18 were dead within four days — 13 euthanized, 2 from medical causes. Separately, three cats (Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, Chicken #AV259186) were euthanized while rescues were actively working to secure their placement, reportedly while paperwork was still in process.
Hayden's Law requires that a stray dog or cat, other than one irremediably suffering from serious illness or severe injury, be released to a requesting nonprofit rescue before scheduled euthanasia. If Pumpkin, Peanut, and Chicken were not irremediably suffering and rescues had already made a request, their euthanasia may not have complied with state law — not just shelter policy. None of these animals were listed online before their deaths, which also runs counter to the transparency standard the state legislature is actively moving to strengthen (AB 2265, requiring public euthanasia lists 24–72 hours in advance).
These are the Town's own records, not outside allegations — which means this is something the Town can verify and correct directly.
I'm asking the Town to direct AVAS to:
1. List every cat/kitten online for the duration of their shelter stay, including those pending euthanasia
2. Independently review the June/July cases specifically for Hayden's Law compliance, and publish findings within a defined timeframe
3. Remove rescue/foster barriers (residency limits, slow approvals, rigid paperwork) that are costing animals placement before a legally required release window closes
4. Require documented medical evaluation before non-emergency euthanasia, consistent with the "irremediably suffering" standard under state law
5. Fund a real, high-volume TNVR program
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan with dates, owners, and public reporting Respectfully,
Magdalena Martinez
US Veteran
Dear Mayor and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
Guadalupe Guardado
Dear Mayor and Town Council Members,
My name is Sherry, and I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement.
Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized. This is unacceptable.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
Sherry
Dear Mayor and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
Signed,
Miguel Alonso Jaimes Coronado
Dear Mayor and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
Signed name,
Daisy Morales
Mayor and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
In Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF THE CONSTITUENTS
DO BETTER FOR THESE ANIMALS AND WITH OUR TAX DOLLARS
WE ARE WATCHING YOU AND THE DECISIONS AND MOVES YOU MAKE DO. SOMETHING. NOW!
-F.M.
Mayor and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
In Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF THE CONSTITUENTS
DO BETTER FOR THESE ANIMALS AND WITH OUR TAX DOLLARS
WE ARE WATCHING YOU AND THE DECISIONS AND MOVES YOU MAKE DO. SOMETHING. NOW!
From S. Liking
Mayor and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
In Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF THE CONSTITUENTS
DO BETTER FOR THESE ANIMALS AND WITH OUR TAX DOLLARS
WE ARE WATCHING YOU AND THE DECISIONS AND MOVES YOU MAKE DO. SOMETHING. NOW!
From L. Internet
Mayor and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
In Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF THE CONSTITUENTS
DO BETTER FOR THESE ANIMALS AND WITH OUR TAX DOLLARS
WE ARE WATCHING YOU AND THE DECISIONS AND MOVES YOU MAKE DO. SOMETHING. NOW!
From Kam Mission
Dear Mayor and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement.
Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns:
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action:
I request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice.
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions:
Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers:
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand.
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan:
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
Myself and others have sent these comments for at least two years, with no evidence of action taken. In fact it seems after some progress with rescues that they are being denied, adopters turned away, no vet care, little visibility. This amounts to animal cruelty, and more people are closely watching. Please do the needful to make major improvements, too long in coming.
It does make a number of us wonder why the town pays so much money to a rendering facility. I would hope the taxpayers would agree that it would be better to have life-saving outcomes, both for humanitarian and financial reasons. The fact that there is now a lawsuit should spur action, but it should never have reached this point. This is a result of neglect and total mismanagement of the shelter. Again, please correct this course and get on the path of life-saving solutions.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Janet Feldman
A Public Plea and Public Comment for the Mayor and Town Council Members, I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
In Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF THE CONSTITUENTS
DO BETTER FOR THESE ANIMALS AND WITH OUR TAX DOLLARS
WE ARE WATCHING YOU AND THE DECISIONS AND MOVES YOU MAKE The fact that we even have to urge you to do this is preposterous! This is a horrible way of squandering our tax dollars
The blood is on your hands
You are killing US as well when you KILL these animals
It is so wrong is so many ways
I CANNOT take it anymore
You MUST change your protocols NOW!
For public comment - K. Beeswax
Dear Mayor and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescue-to-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before nonemergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Lily Feliciano
Dear Mayor Nassif and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
Chris Schulze
Dear Mayor Nassif and Town Council Members,
I am submitting this public comment because concerns repeatedly raised regarding Apple Valley Animal Shelter have not resulted in observable improvement. Instead, recent cat and kitten outcomes indicate that the situation has become more serious.
Throughout 2026, community members have asked the Town to improve public visibility, behavioral evaluations, medical care, foster access, rescue procedures, and communitycat prevention. We have also repeatedly requested a consistent, publicly funded, highvolume TNVR program.
The community has not observed meaningful implementation of these requests.
June 2026 shelter outcomes
According to the AVAS June 2026 monthly shelter report, the shelter recorded 208 cat intakes and 174 cat dispositions.
The reported outcomes included:
• 78 live outcomes
• 48 cats euthanized for health reasons
• 9 cats who died in shelter care
Using the reported live outcomes compared with euthanasia and died-in-care outcomes, the live outcome rate was approximately 57.8%.
Many of the cats and kittens euthanized for health reasons were never posted on the AVAS website. They therefore had little or no public opportunity to be seen by adopters, fosters, rescues, or community members who might have been able to help.
Recent July losses
The situation appears to have worsened in July.
According to shelter status information available to the community, 15 kittens who were still alive during a July 18 status check had non-live outcomes by July 22:
• 13 were euthanized for health reasons
• 2 died from medical conditions
In another July case, Pumpkin #AV258994, Peanut #AV258961, and Chicken #AV259186 were euthanized while multiple rescues and community members were attempting to secure placement. Community members report that required documentation was still being worked on when the cats were euthanized.
These cases raise urgent questions about whether AVAS procedures are helping lifesaving offers succeed or making them more difficult to complete before time runs out.
Ongoing systemic concerns
These recent losses appear to reflect several continuing systemic problems:
• Lack of visibility and public notice: Cats and kittens may remain in back rooms without being listed online and may be euthanized without first appearing on a complete, publicly accessible pending euthanasia list.
• Barriers to lifesaving placement: Foster residency restrictions, lengthy rescue approvals, rigid documentation requirements, restrictions on rescue-to-rescue coordination, and limits on qualified out-of-area rescues can prevent willing organizations and individuals from helping in time.
• Questionable evaluation and adoption practices: Cats who can be touched or handled may still receive severe behavioral descriptions, while adopters may be discouraged or denied appropriate meet-and-greets.
• Insufficient medical and placement opportunities: Cats and kittens with potentially treatable conditions may not receive adequate stabilization, public visibility, foster outreach, or rescue opportunity before euthanasia is considered. • No comprehensive community-cat strategy: Apple Valley continues to operate managed intake without a consistent, publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program. This leaves friendly cats and community cats outdoors with limited access to either shelter assistance or population-control services.
If AVAS depends on adopters, fosters, rescues, volunteers, and community members to save animals, its policies must support those lifesaving efforts rather than create additional barriers.
Requested corrective action
I respectfully request that the Town direct AVAS to implement the following:
1. Provide complete public visibility and notice
List all cats and kittens online throughout their shelter stay, including those housed in back rooms, receiving medical care, under behavioral or barn holds, available only to rescue, or pending euthanasia.
2. Conduct an independent review of recent deaths and euthanasia decisions Review the June and July cases, the findings and any resulting corrective measures should be made publicly available.
3. Remove unnecessary foster and rescue barriers
Expand foster eligibility beyond Apple Valley residents, expedite rescue approvals for urgent animals, accept reasonable veterinary and outcome documentation, permit rescueto-rescue coordination, and consider qualified out-of-area and out-of-state organizations.
When a qualified adopter, foster, or rescue offers assistance, AVAS should actively help the placement succeed rather than allow procedural or technical barriers to prevent a lifesaving outcome.
4. Improve medical care, behavioral evaluations, and adoption access Require documented medical evaluation and stabilization whenever appropriate before non-emergency euthanasia is considered.
Behavioral designations should be based on clear, evidence-based criteria and should include timely re-evaluation when an animal’s initial behavior may have been affected by fear, illness, or the shelter environment.
Potential adopters should also be allowed reasonable meet-and-greet opportunities rather than being discouraged through unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous” or “ferocious.”
5. Establish a publicly funded, high-volume TNVR program and revisit managed intake Managed intake without adequate TNVR leaves community cats without either shelter access or meaningful population-control assistance.
The Town should establish an ongoing, publicly funded TNVR program with sufficient capacity to meet actual community demand
The Town should also review the effect of its managed-intake policy on friendly, abandoned, vulnerable, and community cats who are currently left outdoors without a meaningful pathway to assistance.
6. Publish a measurable improvement plan
The Town should provide a public implementation plan addressing:
• Cat visibility
• Medical-care standards
• Foster and rescue cooperation
• Behavioral evaluations
• Euthanasia protocols and pending euthanasia procedures • TNVR and managed intake
The plan should identify specific actions, responsible departments, implementation dates, and a schedule for reporting progress to the public.
Closing
These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a continuing system in which cats remain unseen, potentially treatable kittens die or are euthanized, and willing lifesaving assistance is not always able to succeed.
The community has repeatedly offered practical recommendations. We are now asking the Town for a clear implementation plan, measurable reform, and accountability for the outcomes occurring at AVAS.
Visibility saves lives. Timely medical care saves lives. Cooperation with adopters, fosters, and rescues saves lives. Prevention through TNVR saves lives.
This comment is submitted so that the recent losses, continuing systemic concerns, and requested corrective actions remain formally documented in the public record.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
Tony Bryce
Apple Valley Mayor and Town Council,
Please address these questions about the town funded Apple Valley Animal Shelter that is under your leadership:
-Why do AVAS staff continue to make operational decisions that leave the town exposed and culpable under the ongoing litigation? These operational decisions are described below.
-Why are cats and kittens who can be petted being described to adopters as “dangerous,” “ferocious,” or “may be dangerous” by AVAS staff? Why are meet-and-greets being denied? -Why are kittens staying week after week in the back without ever being posted on the AVAS website?
-What is the purpose of a pending euthanasia list if cats and kittens can still be euthanized without ever being included on that list?
-What is the shelter’s mission and vision if so many cats and kittens are repeatedly placed at risk, while the responsibility is shifted almost entirely onto rescues and the community -Why are lifesaving suggestions not being adopted?
-Why must fosters live in Apple Valley when many shelters allow fosters from nearby cities as standard practice?
-Why are rescue requirements not being updated when they create barriers to lifesaving? why are outdated /overly strict documentation requests still blocking rescues that are trying to help?
-Why is AVAS focusing on calling Animal Control or requesting investigations into rescues who are trying to pull, instead of helping those rescues complete the process and save lives?
-Why are out-of-state rescues a few hours away not allowed, when nearby shelters are flying their animals out of state?
Regards,
Stephan Spencer