Calaveras County Grand Jury • 2025-2026

Calaveras County Animal Services: Road Map to a Modern Shelter

Published: June 09, 2026 11 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 7 findings

F1
Calaveras County Animal Services lacks any centralized, organized, and up-to-date policies and procedures to guide Animal Services Officers and shelter staff in the performance of their jobs, negatively affecting accountability among staff and leadership.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1a
Calaveras County Civil Grand Jury recommends Calaveras County Animal Services update and organize their policies and procedures for Animal Services Officers and shelter staff to current standards and in accordance with State law by December 31, 2026. Required Response Calaveras County Board of Supervisors Invited Response Director of Calaveras County Environmental Management Agency 7
R1b
Calaveras County Civil Grand Jury recommends Calaveras County Animal Services distribute its updated policies and procedures to all paid Animal Services staff and obtain signed acknowledgement of receipt by December 31, 2026. Required Response Calaveras County Board of Supervisors Invited Response Director of Calaveras County Environmental Management Agency
F2
Calaveras County Animal Services job descriptions, with the exception of Animal Care Specialist, have not been updated in the last eight years, listing duties that are no longer relevant to the job or legally allowed, resulting in inconsistent and delayed resolution to problems as they occur.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Calaveras County Civil Grand Jury recommends Calaveras County Animal Services update the job descriptions for Animal Services Manager, Animal Services Officers I and II, and Office Technician II by December 31, 2026. Required Response Calaveras County Board of Supervisors Invited Response Director of Calaveras County Environmental Management Agency
F3
Calaveras County Animal Services management is not conducting annual performance reviews of its staff, denying staff members a crucial opportunity to receive and provide feedback on their job performance, as well as opportunities for advancement, and negatively affecting team cohesion and morale.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Calaveras County Civil Grand Jury recommends Calaveras County Animal Services management conduct performance reviews of hired staff, beginning no later than December 31, 2026, and annually thereafter. Required Response Calaveras County Board of Supervisors Invited Response Director of Calaveras County Environmental Management Agency 8
F4
Calaveras County Animal Services Officers are ill-equipped to fulfill their duties in the field, due to a lack of deescalation training, adequate protective gear and safety equipment, a Use of Force policy, and vehicles that are safe for Officers and the animals in their care.
Related Recommendations (3)
R4a
Calaveras County Civil Grand Jury recommends Calaveras County Animal Services provide current Officers with deescalation and crisis training as part of their standard Officer training regimen by December 31, 2026, and as new Officers are onboarded. Required Response Calaveras County Board of Supervisors Invited Response Director of Calaveras County Environmental Management Agency
R4b
Calaveras County Civil Grand Jury recommends Calaveras County Animal Services adopt a Use of Force policy and provide Animal Services Officers with the appropriate protective gear and safety equipment by December 31, 2026. Required Response Calaveras County Board of Supervisors Invited Response Director of Calaveras County Environmental Management Agency
R4c
Calaveras County Civil Grand Jury recommends Calaveras County Animal Services repair the equipment on their Animal Services Officer vehicles and create a routine maintenance schedule to make sure safe, fully functioning equipment is always available, each by December 31, 2026. Required Response Calaveras County Board of Supervisors Invited Response Director of Calaveras County Environmental Management Agency
F5
Currently Calaveras County Animal Services spends a large portion of its budget on veterinary services and transportation to animal hospitals, and the time spent in transportation greatly decreases the amount of time Animal Services Officers have to address a growing backlog of complaints from the public. 9
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
Calaveras County Civil Grand Jury recommends Calaveras County Animal Services conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether taxpayer money and Animal Services Officer time could be saved by hiring or contracting for in-house veterinary services, by December 31, 2026. Required Response Calaveras County Board of Supervisors Invited Response Director of Calaveras County Environmental Management Agency
F6
Calaveras County Animal Services has not obtained grants for spay and neuter programs since 2022, despite such programs having proven to reduce the number of stray dogs and feral cats in the community as well as shelter intake.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
Calaveras County Civil Grand Jury recommends Calaveras County Animal Services apply for new spay and neuter grants to offset the cost of these crucial services to the County by December 31, 2026. Required Response Calaveras County Board of Supervisors Invited Response Director of Calaveras County Environmental Management Agency
F7
The Calaveras County Animal Services shelter remains overcapacity for dogs despite staff and volunteers’ dedicated struggle to increase adoption rates through community education and outreach to rescue organizations.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
Calaveras County Civil Grand Jury recommends Calaveras County Animal Services adopt a policy to identify and list eligible rescue organizations in order to reduce the shelter population, beginning no later than December 31, 2026. Required Response Calaveras County Board of Supervisors Invited Response Director of Calaveras County Environmental Management Agency 10