• home
• about us
  • make a donation »
    • ways to give
    • who we help
  • thank you letters
  • newsroom
  • contact us
  • subscribe
• dogsbite blog
  • recent fatalities
  • special reports
  • service animals
  • shelter dog attacks
  • view all categories
• dog bite statistics
  • quick statistics
  • dog bite studies »
    • level 1 trauma table
    • 2016 special report
    • dog biting incidents
  • dog bite fatalities »
    • multi-year report
    • 2022 covid report
    • 2021 covid report
    • 2020 covid report
    • see more years
  • fatality citations »
    • collection method
    • 2019 citations
    • 2018 citations
    • 2017 citations
    • see more years
  • studies index
• dangerous dogs
  • pit bull FAQ
  • pit bull myths
  • pit bull owners
  • dog attack videos
  • vicious dog hearings
• legislating dogs
  • BSL FAQ »
    • BSL successes
  • breed safety laws »
    • model & noted laws
    • sterilization laws
    • military policies
    • indian reservations
    • housing authorities
  • state preemption »
    • fighting preemption
    • preemption deaths
  • constitutionality
  • appellate decisions
  • state felony laws
• dog bite victims
  • victim guide
  • victim videos
  • victim funds
  • victim voices
  • victim resources
• staying safe
  • safety materials
  • family dog attacks
  • ownership guides »
    • normal dogs
    • dangerous breeds
• 

ways to give

1. Home » 
2. Dog bite statistics » 
3. Studies index » 
4. Animal Shelter Investigations

Animal shelter investigations ::

County and civil grand jury audits and reports of animal service departments, as well as news investigations exposing taxpayer-funded shelters that hide the bite history of dogs up for adoption.

Audits and reviews of shelters

• Complaint for Injunctive Relief and Restitution, Biggi v. Wagenen, County of Riverside, Superior Court of the State of California County of Riverside, Case No. [not yet assigned], November 25, 2024 | Related press release
• First Amended Complaint, Woodruff v. Gettis, Riverside County Department of Animal Services, Superior Court of the State of California County of Riverside, Case No. CVPS2405127, November 4, 2024| Related Kristen Hassen contract
• Austin Animal Center Animal Shelter Audit, by City of Austin Office of the City Auditor, Austin, Texas, September 2023 | View highlights | Related article
• Austin Animal Center Animal Shelter Audit, by National Center for Animal Shelter Evaluations, Austin, Texas, September 2023 | Related article
• Audit of Dangerous and Aggressive Dogs Investigation and Determination Process, by Office of the City Auditor, Dallas, Texas, August 2022 | Previously: Audit of Dallas Animal Services Operations, by Office of the City Auditor, Dallas, Texas, December 2016.
• Audit of DeKalb County Animal Enforcement, by Office of Independent Internal Audit, DeKalb County, Georgia, July 2020
• Audit of the Orange County Animal Services Division Dangerous Dog Compliance Program, by Orange County Comptroller, Orange County, Florida, June 2018.
• Review of San Francisco Animal Care and Control, by San Francisco County Civil Grand Jury, San Francisco County, California, June 2018.
• Review of Humboldt County Animal Control, the City of Eureka Animal Control, and the City of Fortuna Animal Control, by Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury, Humboldt County, California, June 2018 | Read responses
• Follow Up Review of Multnomah County Animal Services, by Office of Multnomah County Auditor, Multnomah County, Oregon, June 2018 | Previously: Review of Multnomah County Animal Services, by Office of Multnomah County Auditor, Multnomah County, Oregon, February 2016.
• Animal Services Division Organizational Review, by Fairfax County Police Department, Fairfax County, Virginia, June 2016.

News investigations of shelters

• Seattle Animal Shelter accused of safety issues, retaliation, by Jaelynn Grisso, Cascade PBS, May 24, 2024 (crosscut.com).
• Part I: Ex-employees say North Shore Animal League hid dangerous history of some dogs, by News 12, March 9, 2020 (longisland.news12.com).
• Part II: Concerns arise over lack of laws required at NY shelters to reveal dog bite history to adopters, by News 12, March 11, 2020 (longisland.news12.com).
• Goldstein Investigation: Local Animal Shelter Isn't Telling All About Some Dangerous Dogs Up For Adoption, by David Goldstein, CBS Los Angeles, November 18, 2019 (losangeles.cbslocal.com).
• Part I: N4T Investigators: Dangerous Dogs?, by Sam Salzwedel, KVOA, July 11, 2018 (kvoa.com) | Related video
• Part II: N4T Investigators: PACC refuses interview, by Sam Salzwedel, KVOA, August 3, 2018 (kvoa.com).
• Part III: N4T Investigators: County faces lawsuit after adoption from PACC bites woman in face, by Sam Salzwedel, KVOA, October 22, 2018 (kvoa.com).
• Director resigns post at Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department, by Colleen Heild, Albuquerque Journal, December 6, 2017 (abqjournal.com).
• Part I: Multiple dog attacks inside Fairfax shelter, by Andrea McCarren, WUSA-TV, August 11, 2016 (wusa9.com).
• Part II: Pet killed by shelter dog in front of owner, by Andrea McCarren and Erin Van der Bellen, WUSA-TV, August 11, 2016 (wusa9.com).
• Bay Area man attacked by adopted pet, shelter plans changes for dangerous dogs, by KTVU-TV, August 1, 2016 (ktvu.com).
• Part I: Are Austin's no-kill shelters adopting out dangerous dogs?, by Brian Collister, KXAN-TV, February 26, 2016 (kxan.com).
• Part II: An Investigation into Austin's no-kill shelters, by Brian Collister, KXAN-TV, February 27, 2016 (kxan.com).
• Complaint: Dangerous dogs being released by city, by Colleen Heild, Albuquerque Journal, March 31, 2015 (abqjournal.com) | Statement of Jim Ludwick

Mandatory bite disclosure laws

• New California Dog-Bite Law Protects Adopters from Dangerous Animals, by Phyllis Daugherty, CityWatch, October 7, 2019 (citywatchla.com) | California Law
• New Virginia dog bite law helps protect your family and pets, by Scott Taylor, WJLA, September 17, 2018 (wjla.com) | Virginia Law

Related articles:

• 2020 Edition: 125 Behavior Terms for Shelter Dogs Decoded that Mask Aggression in Dogs Available for Adoption, by DogsBite.org, July 31, 2020.
• Shelters and Humane Groups Often 'Encode' and 'Conceal' Aggression in Adoption Advertisements for Unplaceable Dogs, by DogsBite.org, May 11, 2018.
• What's Behind the Clickbait Web Advertisements of Aggressive Shelter Dogs Available for Adoption Today?, by DogsBite.org, September 20, 2016.

Follow
DogsBite

Donate to DogsBite.org »

quick statistics

More »