The Mayor of San Jose calls for reforms after the last death of the animal shelter

When she went to the break room of the San Jose Animal Care and Services Center on Monday evening, a strange beeping noise of an IV pump in the medical area of ​​the Courtney Ferro animal shelter drew attention.

At that moment, the Animal-Care companion, who worked in a non-medical role in the animal shelter's kitten hut that evening, was the alarming and traumatic strain on a dog called Lola-Ihr Hintere Ende hedden the rust of her kennel and her neck and a laser that slowly had life.

“When I completely opened the kennel, I realized that she had wrapped her IV line around one of her front legs and then her leash (leash) – which shouldn't have been on her – a dozen or several times around her neck and the other line, so that it was held in place,” said Ferro. “She had no cycle in one leg and was also strangled.”

In her hectic state, Ferro finally freed the dog, the leash of which was tied up around his neck in several knots. Without medical staff on site, she tried to excite the administration, but no answer. Finally, another employee found an animal control officer who transported Lola to medical emergency care.

While she left the building alive, Lola died shortly afterwards – another Blackeye in the fighting animal shelter, from which the supporters say that six months after a devastating examination, they have the task for their inferior conditions, insufficient care and capacity problems.

In response to this audit, the mayor of San Jose, Matt Mahan, called for change and said that he would demand new management if he did not find any immediate improvements. He followed this promise on Thursday.

“As this terrible incident shows, we still have a failure to lead,” said Mahan. “It is common sense – the workers on the front need to know what to do in moments of the crises. It is not their failure that they clearly did not do it – this is the failure of their managers to set up adequate procedures to ensure that we do properly from our animals. We need change.”

A flood of complaints and an increase in animal deaths that caused the animal shelter to lose the no-kill label attracted the audit, which confirmed concern and had pointed out the lawyers of the red flags for years.

While the shelter is located to implement the 39 recommendations of the exam that could improve the well -being of the animals under their care, the supporters blown it out last week continued to consist.

“If something happens, it is treated as if it were a unique, but what it really signals is a lack of guidelines and procedures, training and accountability,” said Advocate Jennifer Flick.

After Lola's death, many asked whether the animal shelter did not follow the guidelines of the Association of Shelter veterinarians for tethering and medical emergency care.

“You should never leave an animal unattended, and there was no medical staff in the shelter that evening,” said Rebekah Davis-Matthews, co-founder of Sustain Our Shelters.

According to industry guidelines, accommodations should have an emergency management plan that guarantees adequate and timely supply, including the available employees, according to which it is trained, according to which it is reported.

Proponents also found that this was not the first time that animals at the animal shelter stay on the lines on the lines. For example, a volunteer documented who recorded the leash of a dog in his kennel door.

The animal shelter did not answer any questions from the Mercury News, including the existing protocols or supervision overnight, especially if medical emergencies arise.

In a social media contribution that went online late Wednesday evening, the shelter explained that they had committed an internal evaluation and were open to an external expert who dealt with death and made an obligation to account if misconduct was determined. In the same contribution, Lola was also called “emaciated, sluggish and difficulties while walking” when it was accepted earlier on Monday a day and evaluated to potential humane euthanasia.

To the concerns, Ferro said that she learned that another zookeeper earlier in the evening an animal shelter coordinator about the beep – an indicator that the IV has separated, has attracted her attention. Ferro said the coordinator allegedly advised the other companion to switch off the pump, but do not do so.

Ferro added that the incident during her short term in the shelter was contributed to a uniform pattern of non -reading and lack of management protocols.

“I was not taught or instructed in any emergency plan, and I was worried whether there would be a fire or anything else that I should do because I have no written travel guide,” said Ferro. “Almost my entire training was not verbal and in writing. Most of my e -mails to management are unanswered when I have any questions.”

While Ferro had hoped that the audit would improve the conditions in the shelter, she said that Lola's death had prompted her to rethink there, unless the city had made profound changes.

“I have the feeling that I have to push into the same poorly managed situations as people in the past, so I just don't know that changes have occurred, which is really sad,” said Ferro. In the meantime, the supporters of the tragedy this week blame for the Shelter management and the city officials and say that they have become tired of performative acts.

“Lola's death is her fault and you should have changed something,” said Flick. “The animals suffer and die. Show blame or the card” We the victim “no longer cuts.”

Originally published: May 15, 2025 at 11:43 a.m. PDT