A San Diego County spokesperson has confirmed that Rachael Borrelli, who was assistant director of the county’s animal services department, is no longer working for the county.
Borrelli went on leave in September just as KPBS uncovered a crude voice message she sent in 2024 regarding dogs at the county’s Carlsbad shelter.
“In Carlsbad, they don’t euthanize anything — even if the dog fucking bit a kid,” Borrelli said in the voice message that KPBS confirmed came from her phone. “So that’s why I was like, ‘Euthanize the dog.’ Like, I’m so sick of us keeping shit dogs that aren’t going to get adopted. That’s why we’re overcrowded. Call me heartless, but I’m also realistic.”
Borrelli oversaw operations at the county’s Carlsbad and Bonita animal shelters and regularly signed off on the euthanasia of dogs. KPBS spoke with former volunteers and staff who questioned Borrelli’s decisions on euthanasia.
Emails obtained by KPBS revealed that a few months after sending the voice message, Borrelli implemented a policy when owners released a dog to the county shelters. If the dog was not immediately adoptable, she instructed shelter staff to euthanize it “as soon as possible.”
“It was the most meaningful volunteer work I've ever done, and the most heartbreaking,” said Molly Higgins, a former Carlsbad shelter volunteer. “And the heartbreak piece didn't have to be as prominent as it was.”
She sees Borrelli’s departure as a step toward accountability.
“It was a small measure of justice, for sure, for all the animals, innocent animals, especially dogs … who were euthanized, I believe unnecessarily and unethically,” Higgins said.
KPBS reporting in December revealed Borrelli had written an apology letter for her words, but she also claimed the audio recording was made without her knowledge. Borrelli declined to comment when reached by phone on Monday.
The updates regarding Borrelli follow KPBS investigations that examined problems at county-run animal shelters. KPBS reporting uncovered a skyrocketing dog euthanasia rate and poor record-keeping practices.
“What volunteers have seen over the past couple years shows that (the) Department of Animal Services has a hard time honestly self-governing and so that's the part that has been eye-opening and very disappointing to me as a taxpayer, as a citizen,” Higgins said.
The department is currently being audited and has acknowledged the need for improvements.
A county spokesperson declined to be interviewed about Borrelli’s departure but sent a statement to KPBS.
“County Animal Services is committed to the protection of the health, safety and welfare of people and animals in unincorporated San Diego County,” the spokesperson wrote.
