St. Louis County’s application to run animal shelter denied

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - St. Louis County’s application to run an animal shelter was denied.

The denial comes after a number of issues were reported to the Missouri Department of Agriculture. This news adds to other issues the county has been trying to navigate.

The shelter in Olivette has had a difficult few months. In February, a Missouri Department of Agriculture Inspection Report noted two dogs were in enclosures too small for them, cables weren’t up to safety standards and live roaches and gnats were found near food storage.

St. Louis County Animal Care and Control was given time to improve the area. They also had issues with a Parvovirus outbreak and other concerns.

In a formal complaint in March, a number of issues were claimed to exist for both human and animal safety. A whistleblower claimed the animal enclsorues weren’t safe and that waste, food, vomit and blood were flowing under kennel walls.

In the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s final report, not all of the claims were substantiated. But, they did find some concerning facts about unsealed kennels, waste and food and that food and vomit spreading was partially substantiated by investigators.

St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page said, “We’re going to attack this head-on. We’ll put our resources into it, and we’ll be in compliance with the Department of Agriculture.”

Page said that new staff is on site. The state agriculture department said the St. Louis County Animal Shelter will continue to be monitored with unannounced inspections or those brought up by complains.

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