LA Animal Services GM resigns after overcrowding issues, high euthanasia claims

LA Animal Shelters GM resigns

The General Manager of Los Angeles Animal Services has resigned, as the department is facing massive overcrowding and reportedly high euthanasia rates.

LOS ANGELES - Staycee Dains has resigned as general manager of Los Angeles Animal Services after being on paid leave since August, Mayor Karen Bass' office confirmed Monday.

A spokesperson for Bass told City News Service Dains resigned effective Saturday. City officials had not explained the reason for her absence.

Annette Ramirez, who led Los Angeles Animal Services on an interim basis for a year and half prior to Dains' appointment in 2023, again began leading the department in September.

Dains, who formerly led Long Beach's animal services department, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Dains addressed issues related to volunteers during her tenure but still faced overcrowding and other challenges at the department's six shelters, some have plagued the department long before her arrival.

A recent Los Angeles Times analysis found about 1,224 dogs were euthanized, an increase of 72%, from January to September compared to the same period last year. Some 1,517 cats were euthanized, also a 17% increase from 2023.

The mayor's office noted that about 25,000 animals were adopted or rescued from the city's six animal shelters, representing a 17% increase compared to 2023.

According to LAAS' website, the population of dogs at the shelters is 1,175, or 159% over capacity. The shelters are designed to hold at most 737 dogs.