The City of San Jose released a report calling for the city's Animal and Care Services to do more to protect the health of animals in its shelters.
The city council called for the audit after the community complained about poor living conditions for dogs and cats in the shelter.
The report found that while the shelter's capacity was roughly 500 animals, there were close to 700 on-site. Additionally, the report said the ACS lacks the space to prevent disease and promote animal welfare.
"The ultimate impact is death from disease, and overcrowding can also make a dog more stressed and cause behavior issues, which can also lead to not being adopted and being euthanized, so the impact is potentially death'," said Jennifer Flick of Scritch Kitten Rescue.
Flick championed the city audit and said if nothing is done, there would be extreme impacts on dogs and cats.
The audit also found that the shelter needed to improve its collaboration with rescue groups to provide more space for incoming animals.
The ACS said it agreed with the audit's recommendations.
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"There is a national crisis in shelters across the country, and the crisis is felt right here at home, with more pets entering our shelter and staying longer, especially our large-breed dogs. We look forward to delivering all the recommendations of the audit," the ACS said in a statement.
Mayor Matt Mahan said the audit offers a roadmap to make improvements that will hopefully help animals find their forever homes.
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"What we learned is that many of our community leaders and advocates are right—our shelter is overcapacity and underwater and needs to expand staffing and embrace the support of rescue groups," Mahan said.
