San Diego County Animal Services is undergoing an audit that, among other things, is examining the department’s recordkeeping and policies relating to euthanasias, KPBS has learned.
A KPBS investigation in July found that the euthanasia rate for dogs at county-run shelters had more than doubled in recent years. The reporting also revealed poor recordkeeping and communication breakdowns when it comes to dog euthanasias.
In August, KPBS reported on a previous audit from 2023 that was kept under wraps by former shelter leadership.
KPBS uncovered the current audit through a request under the California Public Records Act. County spokesperson Tammy Glenn confirmed that an audit is ongoing, but would not answer specific questions about what auditors are looking at.
Glenn emailed a statement that included the following:
“The audit was requested by the Department of Animal Services’ current director to assess the efficiency of operations and compliance with applicable policies and regulations while leveraging the previous assessment completed by an outside contractor under the prior director several years ago.”
Venus Samayoa-Ramirez, a former employee at the county’s Carlsbad shelter, said an audit is needed.
“I think there should be an audit, because looking into those things, they were not followed correctly,” Samayoa-Ramirez said. “Like, factually, they were not followed correctly, and things that were in place were not being implemented.”
Samayoa-Ramirez worked as an animal care attendant for about a year but quit in April 2025. She said staff were not properly trained on the department’s policy handbook when she worked there.
“I did receive the book on email, which I did read, but there was no discussion,” she said.
The handbook offers guidance on how staff and leadership should maintain shelter operations. She said the policy guidance was especially important when it came to euthanasia decisions, but she often did not get clarity on how those decisions were made.
“For example, I would ask one of my supervisors or temporary supervisor, 'so what is the specific behavioral protocol when we're examining animals for euthanasia?'" Samayoa-Ramirez said. “And she's like, ‘Well, there is none.’”
Samayoa-Ramirez said she witnessed uneven policy enforcement in multiple areas when she worked for the department. Problems ranged from administering euthanasia to cleaning the kennels.
The emails obtained by KPBS show the auditor has requested policy and procedures for a number of areas. They include: animal population management, animal handling, sanitation practices, animal’s medical health, euthanasia, disaster response, public health and general guidance related to the facility.
Glenn said in her email to KPBS that a completion date for the audit is not yet known.
