Orange County, Calif. (KNX) – Recent data from the Orange County Animal Care shelter has revealed a concerning trend: euthanasia rates for adult dogs have more than doubled from 2018 to 2022.
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This rise in kill rates has been ongoing since before the pandemic, and one former volunteer who analyzed the data attributes it to the shelter's policies.
The former volunteer, Michael Mavrovouniotis, tells KNX reporter Margaret Carrero issues include the absence of playgroups for large dogs and restrictions that prevent potential adopters from freely walking through the kennels to find a dog they connect with.
Mavrovouniotis argues that without the opportunity to view all the dogs in the kennels, many will miss out on the chance to be adopted.
And because of these policies, "Dogs will linger at the shelter and may very well develop behavioral problems," says Mavrovouniotis.
With animal intakes increasing, he predicts that 2023 will be an even more challenging year for the shelter, and poor policies will only exacerbate the situation.
Despite the steep increase, an Orange County Animal Care spokesperson would not address the kill rates and instead highlighted their achievements in recent years – noting that the shelter's save rate for dogs was over 93% in 2018 and just over 94% in 2022.
The spokesperson also expressed pride in the staff's daily efforts to find appropriate placements for animals in their care.
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