From: Anna Harrison
Sent: Thursday, March 5, 2026 4:23 PM
To: City Council <[email protected]>
Subject: Public Comment for 3/17 Meeting
To the City Council of Sebastopol,
I regret that I am not able to be there in person today, and appreciate your time in considering my comments regarding North Bay Animal Services (NBAS).
My name is Anna Harrison and I have been working and volunteering with animal rescues since 2008. I had the great privilege of serving as the Admissions and Animal Care Manager for the Humane Society for over six years, and am now the Operations Administrator for Goatlandia Farm Animal Sanctuary here in Sebastopol.
Mark Scott and North Bay Animal Services took over the Petaluma animal shelter shortly after I started working at the Humane Society, and I worked with Mark personally throughout my time there. After the previous leadership at the Petaluma shelter, I was so hopeful that NBAS would prove to be a step in the right direction. However, Mark Scott’s leadership has unfortunately been nothing short of a nightmare.
I was in charge of the intake department at the Humane Society when the city of Sebastopol decided against renewing their contract for animal services with us, and instead opted to go with Mark Scott’s cheaper offer. We were deeply concerned by this, not only for the geographical hurdle it would cause for pet owners to find or reclaim their lost animals, but also because we knew that access to quality services simply could not be provided at the price that Mark Scott promised. And we were right. We immediately witnessed the lack of care provided to not only the animals, but to the community NBAS served. Families needing assistance with surrender, spay/neuter, and animal control services were completely ignored. I personally spoke with multiple families each week who lived in the jurisdiction of NBAS, who were unable to receive even a phone call or email in return, let alone the services that NBAS promised to provide. They called my line on a daily basis, exasperated by their experience with NBAS (or lack thereof) and desperate for help from anyone who could provide it.The community was understandably outraged that we, the Humane Society, were no longer providing the services they had come to trust and rely upon accessing.
As the years went on, Mark continued to acquire contracts by low-balling bids. NBAS' jurisdiction grew, and the level of care provided continued to plummet. He has left dogs with significant behavior concerns and bite histories to suffer for years in the shelter, untreated, only because he didn’t want his live release rate to be negatively affected. He has put his public image first, and the welfare of the animals in his care second. He has repeatedly chosen to NOT ask for help from his rescue partners, and instead chose to let animals suffer. And that has all led to what we have all seen for ourselves: starved, emaciated, neglected dogs living for years in crates, in their own urine and feces, riddled with parasites, unvaccinated and unneutered. He claims that his neglect was due to lack of funds…a lack of funds that he created by low-balling offers for contracts time and time again. It is simply not possible to provide quality care at the prices that he was offering, and he knowingly pushed out organizations like the Humane Society and Sonoma County Animal Services that have a proven track record of quality care. Mark Scott has demonstrated that he is not motivated by the desire to help animals, but by power and control.
I urge you to please make the right choice for Sebastopol and discontinue the city’s contract with North Bay Animal Services immediately. The people and animals of this community deserve so much better than Mark Scott and NBAS.
Thank you again for your time,
Anna Harrison