The recent passing of a dog named Lola at the San José Animal Care & Services has sparked outcry from animal advocates and prompted an internal review by the center. On Monday, Lola succumbed to her condition, prompting the City of San Jose to commission an external expert to determine her cause of death, as disclosed by San José Animal Care & Services.
According to a NBC Bay Area report, animal care attendant Courtney Ferro discovered Lola with an IV in her leg, inside a kennel, and with an ill-fitting slip lead, which is likened to a noose, affecting Lola's ability to breathe. "I pulled the dog out frantically and untangled a little bit, but there was still a section twisted around her neck," Ferro stated. Other employees attempted to contact a supervisor but received no response. An animal control officer eventually transported Lola to an off-site vet hospital, where she later died.
The internal review follows a damning city audit of the shelter conducted six months earlier, highlighting significant deficiencies and advising over two dozen improvements. Amid reports of minimal progress since the audit, animal rights group Sustain our Shelters is pushing for better overnight medical care and oversight. Rebekah Davis Matthews, associated with Sustain our Shelters, expressed her dismay at the situation: "I’m horrified that this happened, but I’m also not surprised because we have seen problems at the shelter for several years now," she declared in the NBC Bay Area's coverage.
