⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 14 findings
F1
Mendocino County ACC utilizes both paid staff and volunteers in the day- to-day functioning of the Ukiah facility.
Related Recommendations (3)
R2
The Grand Jury recommends that the Policy and Procedures manual distinguish between tasks that volunteers may do and tasks only to be performed by trained staff. (Findings 1,2,3,4)
R3
The Grand Jury recommends that ACC volunteers become trained in and knowledgeable of those sections of the Policy and Procedures manual which pertain to tasks appropriate to their status. (Findings 1,2,4)
R4
The Grand Jury recommends that relevant changes in State and County policy be immediately communicated to staff and volunteers as well as added to the Policy and Procedures manual. (Findings 1,2,3,4)
F2
The ACC Policy and Procedures manual was revised thirteen years ago (1992). (707) 463-4320
Related Recommendations (3)
R1
Grand Jury recommends that all ACC employees be required to read and develop a working knowledge of the Policy and Procedures manual within two weeks of hire and that verification of this task be timely and consistent. (Findings 2,3)
R5
The Grand Jury recommends that the Policy and Procedures manual be reviewed and revised on a biannual basis by a panel of ACC employees and volunteers; the manual should be displayed and available for use by all employees, volunteers and clients of the ACC. (Findings 2,3,4,14,)
R6
The Grand Jury recommends that the pages of the Policy and Procedures manual be numbered sequentially and that they be dated to reflect updates. (Finding 2)
F3
While all new ACC employees may be asked to read the Policy and Procedures within one or two weeks of hire, records indicate that verification of this reading is inconsistent.
No recommendations for this finding
F4
ACC volunteers are not required to become familiar with the Policy and Procedures.
No recommendations for this finding
F5
There are three microchip scanners available at the Ukiah facility to assist in pet identification, one at the front desk, one in the clinic and one in the back room where animals are euthanized.
No recommendations for this finding
F6
An unidentified dog brought to the Ukiah facility would be scanned for a microchip within a time frame which can be as long as 24 hours.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
The Grand Jury recommends that all dogs be scanned upon arrival at the ACC facility, regardless of their condition, and that the scanning occur before a dog is placed in a cage, freezer or incinerator. (Findings 6,7,8,14) Comments Whatever the circumstances, the death of a pet is a difficult, often traumatic experience for the owner. The treatment of a bereaved owner by a government (707) 463-4320 agency which must often deal with such incidents should be, at the very least, professional. Two owners living outside Ukiah Valley learned from other sources that their two dogs, one unharmed and one dead, had been taken by an ACC employee to the city facility. They left phone messages indicating their desire to retrieve both pets. Although both dogs carried microchips, there is no indication that either was scanned at the Ukiah facility. Upon arrival, they were told at the reception desk that the dead dog was in the freezer. Indeed, the Grand Jury was told that an identified dead animal would be kept in the freezer until the owner is reached, then released to the owner or burned. When one of the owners was directed to the rear of the facility, he was told by another staff member that his animal was in the incinerator. The door was opened, his dead pet was pointed out, and the owner himself entered the incinerator to retrieve the dog. He was not offered, as a courtesy, a container such as a large plastic bag in which to carry the remains to his car. The Grand Jury recognizes the important and necessary work of Animal Care and Control workers. Spaying and neutering programs, the rescue of strays, organization and promotion of the adoption process are all vital services to this community. The Grand Jury believes, however, that those services would be improved by clear and concise guidelines in a Policy and Procedures manual disseminated to all staff members and volunteers. Finally, when saddened owners arrive at the facility to recover a dead pet, Mendocino County citizens expect courtesy and professionalism from ACC employees and volunteers. The Grand Jury would hope, in addition, that such clients be shown sensitivity and understanding. Response Required Mendocino County Board of Supervisors Response Requested Mendocino County Chief Executive Officer Director, Department of Animal Care and Control
F7
A dead dog brought to the Ukiah facility might or might not be scanned for a microchip.
No recommendations for this finding
F8
It is unclear whether a dead dog arriving at the Ukiah facility would be placed in the freezer or in the incinerator.
No recommendations for this finding
F9
The incinerator at the Ukiah facility is kept locked and must be unlocked by a staff member for a specific purpose.
No recommendations for this finding
F10
It is unclear whether an owner, under ACC procedures, might be allowed by an employee or a volunteer to retrieve a dead animal from the incinerator prior to a burning.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
The Grand Jury recommends that the Policy and Procedures manual contain clear guidelines which prevent anyone other than an ACC employee from entering the incinerator. (Findings 11,12,)
F11
The incinerator at the Ukiah facility may contain, at any given time, dead animals which are color-coded as possible biohazards.
No recommendations for this finding
F12
It is unclear whether an owner attempting to recover a dead animal would be offered, by an employee or volunteer, a plastic bag in which to carry the remains.
No recommendations for this finding
F13
The ACC Policy and Procedures manual, as currently written, does not contain specific references to the urgency of scanning dogs immediately for a microchip and the importance of scanning all dogs received at the facility.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
The Grand Jury recommends that the Policy and Procedures manual be reviewed and revised on a biannual basis by a panel of ACC employees and volunteers; the manual should be displayed and available for use by all employees, volunteers and clients of the ACC. (Findings 2,3,4,14,)
F14
The ACC Policy and Procedures manual, as currently written, does not contain specific regulations regarding who may enter the incinerator to retrieve a dead animal. (707) 463-4320
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
The Grand Jury recommends that the Policy and Procedures manual contain clear guidelines which prevent anyone other than an ACC employee from entering the incinerator. (Findings 11,12,)
Comments 1
-
CO1Whatever the circumstances, the death of a pet is a difficult, often traumatic experience for the owner. The treatment of a bereaved owner by a government Page 3 of 4 2004-2005 Mendocino County Grand Jury County of Mendocino Post Office Box 629 Grand Jury Ukiah, CA 95482 (707) 463-4320 agency which must often deal with such incidents should be, at the very least, professional. Two owners living outside Ukiah Valley learned from other sources that their two dogs, one unharmed and one dead, had been taken by an ACC employee to the city facility. They left phone messages indicating their desire to retrieve both pets. Although both dogs carried microchips, there is no indication that either was scanned at the Ukiah facility. Upon arrival, they were told at the reception desk that the dead dog was in the freezer. Indeed, the Grand Jury was told that an identified dead animal would be kept in the freezer until the owner is reached, then released to the owner or burned. When one of the owners was directed to the rear of the facility, he was told by another staff member that his animal was in the incinerator. The door was opened, his dead pet was pointed out, and the owner himself entered the incinerator to retrieve the dog. He was not offered, as a courtesy, a container such as a large plastic bag in which to carry the remains to his car. The Grand Jury recognizes the important and necessary work of Animal Care and Control workers. Spaying and neutering programs, the rescue of strays, organization and promotion of the adoption process are all vital services to this community. The Grand Jury believes, however, that those services would be improved by clear and concise guidelines in a Policy and Procedures manual disseminated to all staff members and volunteers. Finally, when saddened owners arrive at the facility to recover a dead pet, Mendocino County citizens expect courtesy and professionalism from ACC employees and volunteers. The Grand Jury would hope, in addition, that such clients be shown sensitivity and understanding. Response Required Mendocino County Board of Supervisors Response Requested Mendocino County Chief Executive Officer Director, Department of Animal Care and Control Page 4 of 4 2004-2005 Mendocino County Grand Jury