Challenging Stockton Animal Shelters Care of Animals

The Stockton Animal Shelter in Stockton, California, was rife with serious problems. The facility euthanized animals earlier than legally permitted, denied access to animals who could be saved by the public or rescuers, did not provide adequate veterinary care, kept adoptable animals away from the public, and failed to maintain records that could facilitate adoption.

In 2014, the Animal Legal Defense Fund and a Stockton resident, Emily Ballus, filed a lawsuit in California state court against the city of Stockton and Stockton Animal Services for violation of local and state laws. The shelter was also charged with violating the California Public Records Act, which requires full disclosure of public records.

Improvements in the Stockton shelter’s practices became evident in the months immediately following the lawsuit’s filing. Among them: Senior management was replaced, overall adoptions in the first three quarters of 2014 increased 93 percent over the previous year’s figures. Spay-neuter procedures, which were the primary barrier to placement of the shelter’s adoptable animals, also increased 61 percent. These and other improvements contributed to 2,487 fewer euthanized animals at the shelter during that period—a decrease of 56 percent in just one year.

With these improvements, the Animal Legal Defense Fund and Emily Ballus agreed to settle the lawsuit in 2015.