Former employees speak out against Yucca Valley Animal Shelter manager’s euthanasia protocols

Two former employees of the Yucca Valley Animal Shelter have spoken out against the policies of the current manager. Reina McAlexander began working as an Animal Shelter Specialist and an Animal Control Officer in February 2020. The job entailed taking a course in which she was trained to administer euthanasia humanely; when an animal is awake and not sedated, the standard protocol is to euthanize intravenously or through a measured intraperitoneal injection. During McAlexander’s employment, the Yucca Valley Animal Shelter rarely sedated animals before euthanizing them, which can be humane when following standard procedure. However, she states that Animal Care and Control Manager Doug Smith would routinely euthanize cats with a pole syringe through their boxes without securing them or ensuring the solution was administered properly. McAlexander asserts that his handling would allow them to be struck outside of the target area, resulting in extended deaths for the animals. “In the way that he was euthanizing them, there is not really a good way of knowing exactly where he was hitting. He would be hitting the cat somewhere, but it could be hitting a kidney. It could be closer to the lungs. It could be in the bladder, theoretically. It could just be in the stomach. Because of the number of times I was there and found cats later that were not fully euthanized, I very strongly suspect that there were many times he was not in the appropriate location with his injection.” McAlexander argues that Smith’s method not only deviates from the standard but also that his method is inhumane. “There are places where you can humanely inject euthanasia solution where they go quickly, so it would be considered humane. But if you are blindly injecting euthanasia solution into an animal, not even seeing where it's going, and then just leaving it there, that is inhumane.” HR and Town Staff made aware of practices McAlexander voiced her complaints to Human Resources and Risk Manager Debra Breidenbach-Sterling during her employment with the shelter, but did not see resolution. She quit the shelter in July of 2021, citing compassion fatigue as the reason for her departure. McAlexander requested an exit interview with Breidenbach-Sterling and Deputy Town Manager Shane Stueckle, during which she again voiced her grievances about Smith’s management and methods that deviated from standard protocol. A second former shelter employee also contacted Z107.7, who would like to remain anonymous. This source confirmed that the methods described by McAlexander were also used by Smith during their employment, citing euthanasia policies and the lack of networking animals as reasons for their departure. Further, they said that rather than treating dogs for kennel cough, either in group kennels or isolation, Smith would instead regularly use euthanasia as mitigation. They said, “I think the shelter manager finds it more cost-effective to simply euthanize the animals rather than to treat them. I think recently they've changed this and are starting to treat more animals, which is good. When I was there, a lot of animals were being euthanized for kennel cough, something that is very much treatable with antibiotics and cough medicine.” McAlexander confirmed that dogs with kennel cough were typically euthanized during her employment at the shelter as well, as opposed to being treated with antibiotics. The anonymous source also said that they contacted Stueckle during their employment to voice concerns about Smith’s management and euthanasia policies, which were dismissed. This source emphasized that shelter staff do their best to provide proper animal care and viewed the operating procedures as a managerial problem. "There is a specific way to do euthanasia." Z107.7 consulted with management from two other shelters in the Inland Empire area, both of whom requested to remain anonymous for the privacy of their shelters. While they refrained from commenting on whether the practices were humane without knowing full details, both confirmed that it is not standard procedure to euthanize an awake animal such as a cat without administering to a proper source site. As one explained, “There is a specific way to do euthanasia; you’re not just shooting an injection into the animal. There is a very specific protocol, and those that do euthanasia literally have to go through the training.” Further, one of the sources stated that amongst shelters, it is typical to try and treat kennel cough with antibiotics and cough medicine, even in the cases of multi-dog outbreaks. With the shelters they are familiar with, euthanasia is not considered a routine method for curtailing kennel cough unless there is a secondary factor impairing quality of life. Z107.7 contacted the Town of Yucca Valley for comment; they responded that the Town follows standard euthanasia protocol for cats, which is a single intraperitoneal injection, per the Reference Manual published by the Humane Society of the United States. As described by McAlexander and other sources, Smith’s actions were not consistent with the standards in the Human Society's manual. The Town also states that they do not comment on confidential personnel records, but that they take all complaints seriously and investigations are conducted as appropriate. The Yucca Valley Animal Shelter has been a hot topic of discussion during the Public Comment period of Town Council meetings. In recent weeks, upwards of 40 residents have attended meetings as part of the movement; comments range from concerns over shelter policies and lack of volunteer programs to sharing negative experiences with the shelter. At the meeting on March 4, Town Staff announced that the shelter would undergo a 90-day operational review; interim results are expected to be delivered to the Town Council at their meeting on April 1. Previously Reported: https://z1077fm.com/yucca-valley-town-council-meeting-has-big-turnout-over-animal-shelter-concern/