With city shelters facing an overwhelming number of homeless animals, Los Angeles could soon call a moratorium on issuing breeding licenses, officials said Tuesday.
Staycee Dains, general manager of Los Angeles Animal Services, said at Tuesday's LAAS Commission meeting that the city has issued about 1,200 breeding permits so far this year, and is on pace to finish the year with about 1,800. She said there is currently no criteria to get a breeding permit other than to pay a $235 fee.
"This is a problem, because when our shelters are over capacity, we have no business issuing breeding permits. It is antithetical to what we are trying to do," said Dains, who took over the top post at LAAS this summer after the department operated without a permanent GM since April 2021.
"We should only consider issuing a breeding permit when our shelters are at or below 50% capacity," she said. "Anything else is pouring gasoline on a fire."
Commission President Larry Gross agreed that a moratorium is called for, but questioned its effectiveness, saying many breeders would likely continue even without a permit.
Dains acknowledged that "most people who are breeding do not have a license," and said funding for more enforcement officers is a high priority, but added she's looking into a number of possible approaches.
Ultimately, Gross said, "I think we should do a moratorium on breeding licenses, because it will make it clear to the public that anyone who is breeding is violating the law."
Commissioners were not clear on the process for issuing a moratorium. Dains said LAAS staff is looking into whether the commission could act alone or whether the City Council would have to approve a ban on licenses.
A city permit is not currently required for breeding rabbits, but Dains said that might change.
"I think we have an obligation that whenever we look at what we're doing with dogs and cats, we're also including rabbits in that discussion," she said, adding that domestic rabbits are increasingly popular pets and are "especially vulnerable."
In an lengthy and unusually blunt oral report, Dains laid out a plan to address the overall state of the city's six shelters -- which includes calling on Angelenos to help relieve overcrowding by adopting shelter animals.
She said LAAS will fill dozens of vacant positions for Animal Care Technicians in the next 30 to 45 days.
"Our ratio of Animal Control Technicians to animals in the shelter is one to 85. The industry standard is one to 30," she said.
She also emphasized that the department will have greater transparency about animals in distress, and will work to develop greater collaboration with stakeholders on a long-term strategic plan to address what she called systemic issues.
"We have a deeply demoralized staff," she said, acknowledging that staff and volunteers have complained about morale for years. While she praised some LAAS employees as some of the best people working in animal care anywhere, Dains also said that "some staff seem uneducated and frankly uninterested in animal behavior."
Dains said wage and compensation in the department have not been studied for over a decade, and "animal control officers are historically underpaid."
The department will use the city's Targeted Local Hire program, which is intended to expedite hiring for entry-level positions, while opening opportunities for full-time, paid city jobs to people in underserved communities.
LAAS currently has 45 open positions for ACTs, and a cohort of 50 people will be invited this week to apply for work starting as early as Sept. 25. Another cohort will be invited to apply to start working every two weeks thereafter until all positions have been filled, according to the department.
Dains said each of six shelters remain well over capacity to properly care for the animals housed there, regarding both sanitation, exercise and enrichment activities.
While the shelters remain overcrowded, enforcement officers out on abuse or neglect calls also face the problem of deciding to remove an animal in poor conditions, without a guarantee of better conditions at the shelter.
"Animals are suffering in our shelters, and so are those who care for them," Dains said in a statement prior to the meeting. "We keep animals in crates in hallways for days, weeks, or months at a time. Staff and volunteers are injured by animals subject to fear, anxiety, and stress. Our caregivers know that the animals receive substandard care, which harms their mental well-being. We cannot allow the suffering to continue."
Additionally, Dains told the commissioners that the department continues to deal with serious liability issues related to dangerous animals at the shelter.
"We recently paid out $6.8 million to a volunteer who was attacked by a dog with a history of biting," she told the commission, adding that LAAS has also paid out $1.15 million in smaller settlements in recent years for bites at the shelters, with five lawsuits pending vs. LAAS for alleged negligence.
She bemoaned the fact that some animals with a history of biting or attacking staff, volunteers or members of the public have been kept at the shelters in the interest of maintaining a no-kill policy, with no long-term plan in place to address the problem.
Dains' stark report left an impression on the commission.
"Our shelter system is not in crisis, it's in shambles," Gross said when she was finished.
"To deal with issues like this, you have to be honest, you have to put it on the table," he continued. "It's not many times a leader of an organization will come in and say (such critical things)."
Gross said the commission needs to ask itself "How do we chip away at this? It's not going to turn around overnight. It's going to be a long process."
Dains said some new processes have already begun, including getting mental health support for staff, more regular staff and volunteer meetings, and regular meetings with New Hope partners, the private rescue groups that work with the shelters to pull vulnerable animals and find them homes.
LAAS is also encouraging Angelenos to adopt shelter animals if they can. The department has animals vaccinated, microchipped, spayed/neutered, given flea treatment and other care to ensure their health before they go to their new homes.
Angelenos can volunteer at any of the six shelters, and help animals feel safe by interacting with them. The department said volunteers can significantly reduce animals' fear, anxiety and stress.
Angelenos who foster agree to provide a temporary home outside of the shelter while staff and volunteers work to find a permanent home for that animal.
The city of Los Angeles provides discount and full-cost vouchers to help people take steps to avoid unwanted litters. Animals that have not been fixed can contribute to overpopulation and crowding at shelters.
The department asks Angelenos to donate, if they can, to its Special Treatment and Recovery program, which covers the medical needs of shelter animals.
Angelenos who want to work at the shelters are encouraged to apply through the city's Targeted Local Hire program. Candidates can begin their career as an Animal Care Attendant providing hands-on care to animals in the department's shelters.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok