Volunteers press Sugar Land board on animal care, seek pre-euthanasia checklist

Volunteers at the Animal Advisory Board meeting urged clearer policies and faster responses on medical care, sanitation and daily exercise for shelter animals, and asked for a written pre-euthanasia checklist that a volunteer said had received no response since March.

Christine Tierney, who identified herself as "one of the volunteers" and said she bathes the dogs every week, told the board volunteers "are extremely concerned about the status of Joel and Java" and described difficulty finding foster homes. Tierney also said volunteer requests to video dogs had been denied and that a written request from another volunteer, Lynn, "has heard absolutely nothing." She said volunteers were frequently told "there are legal issues, and we don't understand them, and the legal issues supersede everything else."

During public comment, Charlene Avery, a Sugar Land resident, thanked staff for meeting with community members and urged the advisory board to participate in fundraising and outreach. She said she supports an urgent medical or foster list but opposed a policy the board referred to as an "E.U. push list," calling it a "slippery slope."

Board business included a request from a volunteer who said she raised concerns in March about a pre-euthanasia checklist and had received no response. The minutes for the prior meeting were brought forward and approved after a motion and second; the record does not name who moved or seconded the motion. A volunteer said she would like the board to receive a staff response to her March comments before euthanasia decisions proceed. Administrator Melissa Hobson told the board, "I can send out that checklist," and said she would distribute it to the board.

Volunteers gave specific examples they said demonstrate gaps in care: a dog named Archie was described as arriving "severely underweight" and as having taken months to receive a treatment plan volunteers found satisfactory; an elderly Akita with eye crusting was cleaned by a volunteer after staff did not address it to the volunteer's satisfaction; and a dog named "Big Mama" was described as having a soiled two-by-two-foot space until a volunteer cleaned it. Volunteers also said dog walking by staff had fallen to "10 minutes twice a day" in some cases and that understaffing and inconsistent job performance were contributing factors.

Hobson and deputy administrator Mark Grofus acknowledged the concerns, described steps to address them and pointed to an "animal advocacy" meeting held every other Monday that includes management, a vet tech and volunteers to review medical cases. Hobson said the department is coaching staff and implementing accountability measures; she also said some issues stem from being a city employer subject to due process and hiring constraints, and that finding experienced candidates has been a challenge.

The board approved the minutes from the previous meeting; the meeting record shows the minutes were approved after a motion and second but does not record the names of the mover or seconder. Hobson committed to distributing the pre-euthanasia checklist to board members and to continuing case review at the advocacy meetings.