Animal advocates are demanding change after the death of a dog Monday at San Jose’s Animal care shelter.
They claim the dog’s death was preventable.
Animal care attendant Courtney Ferro found the dog when she responded to the sound of a medical alarm coming from a kennel at San Jose Animal Care Center.
Ferro said Lola had an IV in her leg and had been placed inside the kennel with a slip lead at-ill..a leash similar to a noose still around her neck. She added the leash tightened around the dogs neck – affecting her breathing.
“I pulled the dog out frantically and untangled a little bit, but there was still a section twisted around her neck,” she said.
Another employee helped her remove the lead but Lola was not doing well.
“Lethargic, dull she was not responding to sound or motion, and her breathing was slow and shallow,” Ferro said.
Ferro and other employees said they tried several times to reach a supervisor, but they got no response. An hour later, an animal control officer was contacted.
Lola had a limp in her enclosure before the officer transported her to an off site vet hospital where she died.
“It’s heartbreaking it highlights the need for more oversight and medical care overnight,” Ferro said.
Lola’s death comes in six months after a scathing city audit of the shelter that highlighted major deficiencies and recommended more than two dozen improvements.
Rebekah Davis Matthews with Sustain our Shelters said that she has seen very few changes since then.
“I’m horrified that this happened, but I’m also not surprised because we have seen problems at the shelter for several years now,” she said.
San Jose Department of Public Works oversees the shelter. The agency issued the following statement:
“We are saddened by the passing of Lola on Monday, May 12. Our hearts go out to all who care about animals and to the community member who found Lola in dire condition and brought her to the shelter for help. An internal review is currently underway to understand the circumstances that led to this heartbreaking outcome.”
Matthews, who used to work at the shelter, said Lola should not have been left with an iv in her leg overnight without medical supervision and she should not have been placed in the kennel with the slip lead still on.
She says the city needs to do more to prevent other animals from dying at the shelter.
Sustain our shelters said they plan to file a complaint with the state veterinary medical board , contact the district attorney about Lola’s death and call for the resignation of the shelter director.
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