A RECENT REPORT by the Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury alleges that a local animal service provider was not reporting dog bites, sending unsterilized animals to foster homes, and had low licensing rates of animals.
Sonoma County’s Civil Grand Jury, a group of citizens impaneled to investigate local issues, late last month released a report on North Bay Animal Services. NBAS is a nonprofit that provides animal control and shelter services for 21% of the county’s population in the cities of Petaluma, Windsor, Sebastopol, and Cloverdale.
Animal control and shelter services in Sonoma County are decentralized. Multiple organizations, including NBAS, Sonoma County Animal Services, the Humane Society of Sonoma County, and Rohnert Park Animal Services provide services to different regions in the county.
The report blamed decentralization of animal services, the NBAS Board of Directors, and NBAS’ contracting cities for the “unacceptable” shelter standards. It argued that a lack of oversight has allowed NBAS to operate out of compliance with industry standards, applicable laws and contractual requirements.
NBAS won its first contract bid to provide animal control and shelter services in 2018 for the city of Petaluma, where it currently operates its animal shelter. It also has contracts outside Sonoma County in the cities of Calistoga in Napa County and Clearlake in Lake County.
According to the report, the investigation was sparked by “a citizen complaint” against NBAS.
The complaint alleged “failure to comply with state laws and mandate humane care, vaccination and licensing of dogs, quarantine and tracking of dangerous animals, and spay/neuter surgery of animals prior to placement in foster or adoptive homes.”
Not up to standards
To gather their findings, the grand jury visited the NBAS shelter in Petaluma and interviewed representatives from NBAS and its contracting cities.
It also reviewed animal data, budgets, websites, service contracts, and city council minutes. Industry standards for animal care and shelter design were researched, as well as applicable state laws designed to regulate animal control and treatment practices.
The grand jury found “significant failures” in NBAS being able to meet animal care laws, industry standards for shelters, and the requirements dictated in their contracts with each city.
“Evidence collected by the Jurors confirmed the complainant’s allegation that a lack of city oversight is allowing NBAS to operate in violation of applicable laws and other terms of its contracts,” the report states. “The Grand Jury also confirmed the absence of oversight by the organization’s board of directors.”
Jurors allegedly discovered from “multiple professionals and private citizens” that unsterilized animals were going to foster and foster-to-adopt homes. Appointments for spay and neuter surgeries were being significantly delayed, according to the report.
“The Grand Jury obtained an email which confirmed that NBAS was aware of multiple similar complaints about delays in sterilization and vaccination,” the report reads.
NBAS’ Yelp crowd-sourced review page contains multiple similar reviews discussing the issue of foster and foster-to-adopt animals not receiving sterilization for many months.
State law mandates that animals going out for adoption be spayed or neutered, but the same law does not apply to foster and foster-to-adopt animals.
Brian Whipple is the director of Sonoma County Animal Services, which provides animal control, sheltering, and other services for 66% of the county’s residents who live in unincorporated areas, as well as Santa Rosa and Healdsburg.
In March, SCAS took over animal services for the city of Healdsburg after NBAS’ contract expired.
Fixing the breeding problem
Whipple described in a statement the importance of animal shelters prioritizing sterilization.
“Obviously, the longer animals remain unfixed, the more opportunity there is for them to reproduce,” Whipple said. “Stopping the accidental or purposeful breeding of animals contributes to lessening the risk of overpopulation.”
However, a nationwide shortage of veterinarians is contributing to delays in spay and neuter surgeries.
“The key to the success of that process is ensuring that foster-to-adopt animals get fixed as soon as possible so their adoptions can become final,” Whipple wrote. “That’s been a challenge for many shelters post-COVID because of the national and severe shortage of veterinarians.”
According to the report, the grand jury “did not secure evidence” that legally mandated bite reports had been filed, and did not determine whether biting animals had been quarantined as required by state law.
“This is a matter of concern for public safety and poses the potential for city liability resulting from dog bites,” the report reads.
One of the purposes of reporting and isolating biting animals is to contain the spread of rabies, a disease that state law requires all dogs to be vaccinated for annually.
While cases of domestic animals being infected with rabies is extremely rare, according to the California Department of Public Health, animal shelters are still required to comply with laws related to biting animals.
“The risk is very low, despite the fact that rabies is deadly, because California mandates rabies vaccinations for all dogs, which significantly reduces their risk,” Whipple said. “Nonetheless, animal shelters are expected to follow dog bite protocols, which include quarantining an animal for 10 days, either in a shelter or at home.”
Lagging on licensing
The civil grand jury also estimated low licensing rates of animals at NBAS in recent years. Licensing rates are calculated based on the number of households in each jurisdiction and the nationwide average number of dogs owned by each household.
NBAS and SCAS provided licensing data to the grand jury, which calculated that in 2024, NBAS licensed 12% of the estimated total dog population in its contract cities.
On the other hand, SCAS licensed 27% of the estimated total dog population in the areas it serves.
“NBAS does a poor job of facilitating dog licensure and license renewal,” the grand jury report said. “Its dog licensing rates are approximately half of the national average of 23% and are far below those reported by SCAS.”
Enforcing licensing and license renewals can serve as an important source of revenue for shelters, however the requirement is difficult to enforce and can be time-consuming for staff, according to the report.
For NBAS, license renewal notices are currently not being sent due to staff time and cost, the report says.
Licensing and licensure renewals are also an important component of rabies vaccination enforcement since licenses can only be acquired if the animal has received its annual rabies vaccine.
“License compliance is important, both for rabies control, and because it generates needed income,” the report said. “But agencies struggle to achieve high rates of compliance, resulting in a loss of revenue and undermining rabies vaccination enforcement.”
The grand jury’s investigation also revealed that NBAS does not dispense rabies vaccines, raising concerns over county compliance with enforcing rabies vaccinations.
State law dictates that each government jurisdiction is responsible for ensuring that all dogs are vaccinated for rabies annually. Sonoma County has an ordinance that also mandates that cats receive vaccinations against rabies on an annual basis.
“Cities are responsible for enforcing these laws through their designated Animal Control Officers, which is NBAS in the case of Petaluma, Cloverdale, Windsor and Sebastopol,” the report reads.
Overextended, unable to comply
Overall, the civil grand jury surmised that staffing shortages, a lack of funding, and insufficient oversight has allowed NBAS to operate without meeting applicable laws and industry standards that are stipulated in its contracts with each city.
“In short, the Grand Jury concluded that NBAS is extended beyond its financial and organizational capacity to comply with either its contract or applicable laws, a circumstance which, according to shelter standards, is unacceptable,” the report reads. “It is surviving despite a perfect storm of underfunding, an aging facility, insufficient use of veterinary services, and a staff that is too small.”
Mark Scott, the director of NBAS, said in a written statement that its Board of Directors will closely review the report and formulate an official response.
“North Bay Animal Services takes the findings of the Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury very seriously,” Scott wrote. “The report raises important points that deserve careful consideration. We are committed to transparency and accountability, and our Board of Directors will be meeting to thoroughly review the findings in detail to ensure our continued growth, compliance, and alignment with best practices in animal welfare.”
“We will provide a formal response within the timeframe set forth by the Grand Jury and remain dedicated to the animals, people, and communities we serve,” he wrote.
“North Bay Animal Services takes the findings of the Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury very seriously. … (O)ur Board of Directors will be meeting to thoroughly review the findings in detail to ensure our continued growth, compliance, and alignment with best practices in animal welfare.” Mark Scott, NBAS director
Digging into NBAS’ history, the grand jury determined that the nonprofit was able to outbid other competitors for contracts because it offered a full range of services at a lower price.
“Most of the multi-year contracts, including one for 10 years, are for flat annual payments without escalation clauses to accommodate increased costs,” the report said. “The low cost would be desirable if the terms of the contracts were being fulfilled.”
Juliette St. Andrew is a former NBAS volunteer who wrote a letter to Petaluma City Council in February 2024 describing her concerns with the organization’s operations and its alleged shortcomings.
She agreed with the grand jury’s findings and hopes that the report will help instigate reform at NBAS.
“The unacceptable standards at North Bay Animal Services have been an open secret for years,” she said in an interview. “We handed the job to the lowest bidder. As the grand jury’s report shows, you get exactly what you pay for.”
Recommendation: form a task force
The grand jury recommended the creation of an Animal Services Task Force, which would be tasked with recommending a modified governance structure for animal services in the county aimed at ensuring compliance with state laws for animal control and sheltering.
The grand jury believes that a task force, which is recommended to consist of representatives from each of the county’s animal services providers and nine cities, would boost coordination and the sharing of resources.
It also recommended that each city contracting with NBAS inspect the shelter in Petaluma and further evaluate NBAS’ shelter and animal services operations.
The grand jury spoke to representatives of the four cities that contract with NBAS, all of whom allegedly disagreed with the shortcomings the jury presented.
“What the jurors did not anticipate was the uniform lack of oversight and outright denial about NBAS shortcomings that was revealed in every city interview,” the report said.
The city of Petaluma put out a public letter on its website in response to the Civil Grand Jury report.
“The City of Petaluma staff have read the report and are giving it the seriousness and consideration that it deserves,” the statement said. “Ultimately, we agree with a number of the findings and recommendations; disagree with some; and identify a few as factually inaccurate.”
The city pointed to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and wildfire evacuations in recent years as factors that have disrupted NBAS’ success. It also noted that as a new startup, NBAS needed time to develop as a functioning animal services provider.
“In 2018, NBAS was a new non-profit, and the city contracted with them to take over animal services and operation of the Petaluma animal shelter in that year,” the letter said. “New non-profits typically need time to launch and stabilize their operations, and less than two years into their existence, NBAS was contending with the pandemic and fire evacuation impacts.”
Windsor Town Manager Jon Davis said in a statement that the town is reviewing the Civil Grand Jury Report and will have more information as its official response is drafted and submitted.
The cities of Sebastopol and Cloverdale did not respond to a request for comment.
The city councils of all four NBAS contracting cities are required to file official responses to the grand jury’s findings and recommendations within 90 days.