51黑料

The chief of the county鈥檚 health department called the suit 鈥渕aliciously false鈥� and said her executive leadership team had 鈥渘ever considered a shelter wide euthanasia policy.鈥�

But a health department staffer did write such a transition plan, according to records obtained by the Post-Dispatch. The plan indeed calls for 鈥渟helter wide鈥� euthanasia. And it was sent to multiple top health department staffers, including Director Dr. Kanika Cunningham herself.

鈥淲hile euthanasia is never a subject anyone likes to talk about,鈥� the plan says, 鈥渋t鈥檚 important to remember that animal control is a division of the Department of Public Health. With that, animal control has to make decisions on animals based on the safety of the public in mind.鈥�

The three-page plan calls itself a 鈥渃ontingency,鈥� to be put in place when the Animal Protective Association, which has contracted with the county to run the Baur Boulevard shelter for two years, passes operations back to the county 鈥� a transition now slated for Friday. The plan says 鈥渁 shelter wide euthanasia should be implemented,鈥� allowing 鈥渓imited鈥� county staff to start with low animal numbers.

On Tuesday, county officials acknowledged existence of the plan. They said it was written by operations manager Lee Jackson to help with the shelter鈥檚 transition back to the county.

But when Cunningham saw it, she said 鈥渘o way,鈥� said health department spokeswoman Sara Dayley, and never considered the suggestions.

鈥淣ever would she support what Lee suggested,鈥� Dayley said in an email.

Jackson did not respond to requests for comment.

APA chief Sarah Javier said on Tuesday that there are about 100 animals left at the shelter. The nonprofit never uses euthanasia for population control, she said.

鈥淎t the APA, euthanasia is a last resort and it is a decision that is made by multiple qualified people when we鈥檝e exhausted every other option and an animal truly is suffering,鈥� Javier said.

Animal advocates have long worried about the Olivette shelter. In 2017, it briefly achieved no-kill status, which limits euthanasia to 10% of the population. But an audit later revealed the shelter had fudged kill rates, kept animals longer than necessary and couldn鈥檛 control infectious disease because of overcrowding.

By 2022, a deputy director in the health department called the shelter a warehouse for dangerous dogs that aren鈥檛 fit for the community and said the county would have to begin euthanizing more animals. After taking over operations that December, the APA blasted the county for leaving its facility in shambles and dogs neglected.

Two years later, the APA declared it had engineered a 鈥渄ramatic鈥� turnaround. And, it said, it would turn management back to the county by early 2025.

On Aug. 28, 51黑料 County resident Lisa Pearse requested, via the state鈥檚 Sunshine Law, a copy of the county鈥檚 transition plan. On Aug. 31, a county staffer responded saying there were no records relevant to the request, as did Cunningham herself.

Local lawyer Mark Pedroli sued on behalf of Pearse. The lawsuit broke the news that the county had a secret plan recommending shelter-wide euthanasia.

Last week, Cunningham replied to the news. 鈥淭he Department of Public Health has adopted a socially conscious sheltering philosophy. My focus will be getting as many animals in our care either reunited with their families, fostered or adopted,鈥� she said in a statement.

County Executive Sam Page also lambasted the accusations.

鈥淒r. Cunningham has never considered shelter wide euthanasia at the animal shelter as part of taking back operations later this month,鈥� he said.

But in the past week, none of the officials publicly said the record didn鈥檛 exist.

Plan outlines details

Records now show that Jackson, the operations manager, sent the plan on Aug. 22, the same day the APA announced to donors it was ending its contract with the county. His email went to health department division director Carole Baskin.

The next day, Jackson forwarded the plan to Cunningham, acting deputy Director Damon Broadus, fiscal services Director Mark Barry, accounting manager Sharon Belko, grants manager Andrea Zeilman, administrative services manager Natalie Fiala and public health coordinator Madeline Friedmann.

The plan outlines how the county would keep the shelter 鈥渞unning effectively and efficiently鈥� once the APA departed. It calls for:

• Pausing adoptions and volunteering for six to eight months.
• Fixing the shelter鈥檚 incinerator and maintaining its power washers.
• Promoting the spay and neuter program.
• Hiring 10 additional animal care officers who would also clean the shelter.
• Hiring more veterinary staff.
• Not returning animals until fines and fees are paid.
• Killing animals that have been in the shelter between 30 and 60 days; have an incurable illness or major injuries; have a bite history and have not been claimed by their owners; or show stress from confinement including aggression, destructive behavior, and fear or anxiety.

鈥淭he focus should remain on the care of the animals within the community and shelter as well as the public and their safety,鈥� the plan says.

On Feb. 13, a day after news broke on the secret plan, the APA told donors in an email that the county hadn鈥檛 shared its plans for operating the shelter.

But the email said the APA provided a manual to the county, with hundreds of pages outlining 鈥渉ow the APA successfully turned around and operated the county shelter over the past two years, including policies, detailed procedures and critical program information.鈥�

Dayley, the county health spokeswoman, on Tuesday said the county intended to follow it.

The nonprofit has also trained county staff and had county staff shadow APA employees.

Moreover, the APA email continued, it was waiving adoption fees ahead of the transition, placing animals with foster families and transferring animals to other shelters and rescue groups.

On Tuesday, the APA opened the Olivette shelter to the media.

Over the weekend, 23 animals were adopted, said Javier. As of Tuesday morning, there were 107 animals left in the building, mostly large dogs. Volunteers took them out for walks in the frigid cold. An employee put a sweater on a wiggly puppy, Cherub, because she looked cold in her cage.

The APA plans to try to get as many animals out of the shelter as possible, Javier said. The organization has relocated 5,529 animals since it took over operations in December 2022.

鈥淚t is our goal to help every adoptable pet to get out of the shelter,鈥� Javier said, 鈥渂efore we transition operations back to 51黑料 County.鈥�

The APA ends its operations at 6 p.m. Friday.