This article was written by BenitoLink intern Vivian Guadalupe Sierra
The 2022-23 San Benito County Civil Grand Jury report on the Hollister Animal Shelter highlights understaffing and its impacts as an issue that compromises the unit’s “ability to provide necessary services to the community.”
The grand jury has investigated the City of Hollister’s Animal Shelter over the past two years. The 2022-23 report serves as a follow-up after recommendations were made in its 2021-22 report. The latest probe identifies areas of progress and persisting concerns within the shelter’s operations.
The Civil Grand Jury is convened annually and consists of 19 citizens who are sworn in to serve as grand jurors and investigate various local government agencies.
Understaffing at the shelter, the Grand Jury noted, reduces “the opportunity to attend required animal control officer training,” which can impede the prosecution of criminal cases.
In its report, the grand jury suggests that the shelter implement a provisional hiring agreement, allowing candidates to assume limited duties while preliminary background checks are conducted.
The grand jury report calls for the city to pursue additional training opportunities for shelter staff. This may include virtual training, mentorship programs and collaborations with neighboring shelters to expand animal control officers’ skills and expertise.
The grand jury’s 2021-22 report on the shelter recommended that it stop accepting feral cats from the city and county, “as feral cats are not regularly adoptable and add significantly to the euthanasia statistics.”
In its 2022-23 report, the grand jury determined that “the shelters’ practice of refusing to accept feral cats due to the vocal concerns of a few do not reflect humane care and community expectations.”
Consequently, the grand jury now recommends that the shelter develop and enforce a municipal code for spaying or neutering feral cats and accept all animals regardless of its ability to adopt, foster or rehome the animal.
The 2022-23 report also found volunteer involvement has remained insufficient since it was noted in the 2021-22 report and acknowledged the difficulty of addressing the issue when staffing and training are inadequate.
The absence of a licensed veterinarian on-site continues to affect the overall quality of care provided by the shelter; the grand jury wrote. It also highlighted the “small and outdated” shelter facility. Both of these challenges were also covered in the grand jury’s 2021-22 investigation.
The 2022-23 report did note some positive outcomes, including the shelter’s updated website, which enables users to access the shelter’s monthly reports. The jury also praised the notice on the site seeking volunteer applications, and a prominent link to submit complaints regarding animal abuse or neglect.
The information contained in the Civil Grand Jury’s 2022-23 animal shelter report was acquired through interviews, unannounced visits and analysis of online resources and paper documents.
Hollister Police Department, which oversees the animal shelter, did not immediately respond to BenitoLink’s request for comment. However, the department is required to respond to the grand jury’s findings within 90 days of the report, which was released in July.
The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by Monterey Peninsula Foundation AT&T Golf Tour, United Way, Taylor Farms and the Emma Bowen Foundation.
You must be logged in to post a comment.