St. Louis County Council members heard June 26 that the transition of animal shelter operations from the Animal Protective Association to county control this winter left operational gaps, failed procurement channels and delayed standard operating procedures that complicated timely clinical responses.

At the Committee of the Whole hearing, Dr. Douglas Pernicoff, who served as the shelter’s veterinary director for a period this year, told council members he did not receive the county’s finalized standard operating procedures until the first week of May, months after he began working at the facility. “Our SOPs came to us the last week I was there,” he said. Pernicoff also said he had sought critical items such as IV lines, testing kits and an IDEXX blood analyzer but that county procurement processes and vendor limitations delayed receipt of essential supplies.

Why it matters: committee members and multiple public speakers said the county’s assumption of shelter operations folded into broader questions of priorities, budget and staffing. Several public commenters urged the council to authorize funding or change ordinances to allow the shelter to accept donations or to use fee-waived adoptions and expanded spay/neuter programs to lower the shelter population.

Public commenters and experts urged specific actions. Shannon Blatzky, a master’s-level shelter-medicine practitioner, told the council she supported Bill 41 (fee-waived adoptions) and Bill 116 (greater flexibility to accept grants, gifts and donations), saying those measures could reduce population pressure while long-term renovations proceed. Another commenter, Cynthia Anderson, urged countywide changes including expanding the number of pets allowed per household and boosting funded spay/neuter access.

Council questioning focused on staffing numbers, training and who was responsible for communicating shelter conditions up the administrative chain. Pernicoff told the committee APA had previously staffed 15–17 cage-cleaners per day; after the county takeover he said the shelter averaged “5 to 7,” which he said increased pressure on ACOs and kennel operations. He repeatedly linked the need for more hands-on caretakers and direct procurement access so veterinary staff could get routine supplies without long delays.

Members also asked about inspections: Pernicoff said he invited himself to a Feb. 13 Department of Agriculture inspection and described the inspection process as limited to visual checks and medication recommendations. He suggested inspectors should emphasize physical facility needs as well as animal husbandry.

On communications and oversight, council members sought clarity about whether Dr. Cunningham and department leadership received timely notice of the parvovirus outbreak and euthanasia actions; Pernicoff acknowledged a lapse in direct notification to Cunningham and said he had apologized for that omission.

Ending: speakers urged the council to prioritize funding and permit the shelter to accept gifts and to use adoption incentives as immediate tools. The committee has requested detailed shelter records and Chameleon system exports to assess intake, vaccination and treatment logs as it considers follow-up oversight.