City Council

(17) 23-0926 NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT COMMITTEE REPORT relative to the care and preparation of animals for adoption, metrics used to evaluate adequate care and the effectiveness of the volunteer program's recruitment and onboarding practices, current protocol for protecting shelter animals from extreme heat, and related matters. Recommendations for Council action, pursuant to Motion (Harris-Dawson - Padilla): INSTRUCT the Department of Animal Services (DAS) to report to the Council on how its shelters are providing proper care and preparation to animals that are up for adoption, including metrics used to evaluate adequate care and the status of the following: Plan to ensure that all dogs in shelters are regularly exercised and properly attended to; and if not, what additional human and/or budgetary resources are required to fully implement this plan. Plan to ensure the best possible treatment of cats, rabbits and all other small animals by both staff and volunteers during the animals' stay at City shelters; and if not, what additional human and/or budgetary resources are required to fully implement this plan. Use of the orange list to ensure that community partners willing to cover the costs of expensive vet care for shelter animals on the orange list are notified and given the opportunity to provide this care. INSTRUCT the DAS to report to the Council on how the additional funds reappropriated to the Department from the Unappropriated Balance Fund No. 100/58, and General City Purposes Fund No. 100/56, in 2022, the budget increase approved in the Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget were used or plan to be used. INSTRUCT the DAS to report to the Council on the status of the following: Hiring plans for each shelter, and whether each shelter will be fully staffed after this plan is implemented; and if not, the number of staff needed to fully staff each shelter. Expanding the agitator course training, described in the December 30, 2022 DAS report under Council file No. 22-1174, to new and existing Animal Care Technicians (ACTs) and Animal Control Officers (ACOs), how many ACTs and ACOs at each shelter have not or will not receive the training under current funding levels of the Department, and how much additional funding would be required to provide this training to all ACTs and ACOs. Issuing a Request for Proposals for a contractor to provide dog training and behavioral assessment guidance using the $100,000 re-appropriated from the Council District 5 portion of the "Neighborhood Service Enhancements" line item in the General City Purposes Fund No. 100/56 to the Animal Welfare Trust Fund No. 859/06, Account No. 060005, detailed in Council file No. 22-1171. INSTRUCT the DAS to report to the Council on the effectiveness of its volunteer program's recruitment and onboarding practices, including: The Department's efforts to increase volunteering at its shelters, particularly those with fewer volunteers such as Chesterfield Square and Harbor, whether additional budgetary resources are needed to carry out these efforts; and if so, how these additional resources would be spent. The feasibility of allowing volunteers to work shifts that are before or after hours and holidays to accommodate those who work during shelter hours. The Department's work towards boosting cohesion and how it facilitates good working relationships between staff and volunteers. INSTRUCT the DAS, with the assistance of the City's Chief Heat Officer, to report to the Council on the current protocol for protecting shelter animals from extreme heat. INSTRUCT the DAS to investigate and report to the Council on other major cities' procedures related to animal care and adoption preparation, volunteer recruitment and onboarding, spay/neutering promotion, and protecting shelter animals from extreme heat. Fiscal Impact Statement: Neither the City Administrative Officer nor the Chief Legislative Analyst has completed a financial analysis of this report.