DENTON, Texas — After an external review, Denton Animal Services is preparing to finalize a new euthanasia policy after the controversial death of a missing family dog.
The review, conducted by Shelter Savvy, found several areas that need improvement but overall reported that the department is in a good position to align with national best practices, according to the report.
The city of Denton announced the external review after a shelter euthanized a dog while its owner was still looking for him, WFAA previously reported. Staff assessed the dog and found him geriatric with severe mobility impairment and poor bladder and bowel control, the shelter said in a statement. The dog was euthanized before the end of the city's 72-hour stray hold policy to alleviate suffering, the city said.
The external review, which assessed the department's operating procedures to objectively provide recommendations, suggested that one staff member be designated to track the progress of every animal and coordinate each animal's outcome in regular meetings. The euthanasia decision flow chart and policy public and include details about when and how decisions are made.
The city fired its animal services manager in September, but the firing was unrelated to the death of the dog, WFAA previously reported.
"With stable leadership now in place, DAS is well-positioned to implement meaningful changes that will improve both staff efficiency and animal welfare," the report reads.
In a memo in response to the report, the city of Denton said it developed a euthanasia policy using feedback from Shelter Savvy and Best Friends Animal Society.
The new policy is intended "to ensure limited, consistent, and humane euthanasia practices are in place, including disallowing euthanasia on days that the shelter is closed," the response reads.
The policy will now go to the Animal Services Advisory Committee for feedback before going to the city council in January to be discussed in a work session.
Other changes recommended in the report include improving internal communication, discontinuing formal behavior assessments for dogs, scheduling daily playgroups for dogs to interact outside their kennel, improving cat kennels to add more enrichment, extending adoption hours and allowing adoptees to view all animals.
"To improve internal communication and coordination with staff, DAS has introduced weekly meetings and daily morning briefings," the memo states. "Additionally, there has been a marked increase in focused training on essential topics, including cleaning procedures, now exceeding best practice standards, medication administration, animal handling, disease control, microchip implantation, and animal CPR."
