General (04)Date:8/18/2025 10:53:04 AM
From:"Michael Mavrovouniotis"
To:"Public Comment" publiccomment@anaheim.net
Subject:[EXTERNAL] General Public Comment for City Council (subject: OC Animal Care)
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The c ity has 10 months left in its contract w ith OC Animal Care. City staff should produc e an itemized report on w hether OC Animal Care fulfilled its
obligations under the existing c ontrac t. (Citizens w ill do that anyway, and they’ll have plenty to say.)
OC Animal Care told the c ontrac t cities that it w as going to follow the Strategic Plan it commissioned in 2016. (A plan the c ities paid for.) We need to
see an itemized report on whether OC followed this Strategic Plan, not empty w ords and glossy PR. For each metric in the Strategic Plan, give us a
status report. For any metric OCAC doesn’t meet, tell us w hat it’s doing to get there. OCAC does n’t s how the Strategic Plan on its w ebsite. You c an find
it on OCShelter.com.
A few months from now, is the city going to rubber stamp a contract renewal, with the excuse that “there is no time” and “there are no alternatives”?
There is time, if you start now . There are alternatives, if you reac h out to local, regional, and national non-profits now !
Here’s one alternative: San Diego Humane Soc iety runs a first-rate operation, beloved by its community, at c ompetitive c ost to the cities it serves. How
about asking them to bid to take over and operate OC Animal Care? I’d be happy to help explore this option w ith them.
Meanwhile, there’s no end to OC’s incompetenc e. Just this month:
(1)
OC Register, August 17, 2025
Owner of Woofy Acres dog rescue charged with 16 counts of animal cruelty
https://ww w.ocregister.c om/2025/08/15/ow ner-of-woofy-acres-dog-rescue-c harged-w ith-multiple-c ounts-of-animal-c ruelty/
Excerpts:
The owner of a Southern Calif ornia dog rescue has been charged with 37 criminal counts of mistreating the animals, nearly 100 of which were in such bad
condition they had to be euthanized.
Woof y Acres f irst made headlines in early 2024 af ter Bedf ord was accused of abandoning 32 dogs — many f rom Orange County — at a Rowland Heights
k ennel in Los Angeles County.
Woof y Acres was heav ily used by Orange County Animal Care.
Orange County Animal Care has released a total of 149 dogs to Woof y Acres, with the last placement in January 2024. It is unclear whether any dogs f rom
Orange County were among the dogs seized by authorities.
(2)
Voice of OC, August 14, 2025
Lamirande: Orange County Government Makes Bad Decisions About Safety – and the Animal Shelter
https://voic eofoc .org/2025/08/lamirande-orange-c ounty-government-makes-bad-decisions-about-safety-and-the-animal-shelter/
Buried in OC’s bureauc ratic jungle, cruc ial dec isions are made w ith no citizen input, no explanation, and no evaluation. The “CEO Risk Management”
offic e failed in matters ranging from a billion-dollar w ildfire to the welfare of animals in the c ounty shelter. Days ago, tw o dogs died in a c ounty transport
van. We must put an end to this culture of inc ompetence.
(3)
Voice of OC, August 7, 2025
Two Dogs Dead in Transport from OC Animal Care to Idaho
https://voic eofoc .org/2025/08/tw o-dogs-dead-in-transport-from-oc-animal-c are-to-idaho/
Excerpt:
“U.S. Department of Transportation statistics show shortnosed breeds of dogs are more likely to die during air transport than dogs with normal-length
muzzles, and similar risk s are lik ely during road transportation,” reads a best practices resource document f rom the AVMA f or relocating pets in non-
emergency situations.
“This is thought to be related to respiratory problems that are exacerbated by stress and dif f iculty with thermoregulation, so caution should be exercised
when transporting these animals during warm weather,” it continues.
When transporting animals on the road, the American Veterinary Medical Association recommends k eeping the trips as short as possible.