Oxnard shelter may have to euthanize animals if faced with shut down

OXNARD, Calif. - An animal shelter in Oxnard may soon be forced to shut down as the Ventura County planning board works out permit issues for their shelter facility. If that happens, workers at the shelter say it may have to euthanize all their animals.

Paw Works hasn't been at its newest facility in Oxnard for long. They found their current location after losing the lease at their last facility. In order to stay at their current home, the shelter needs to apply for a Commercial Use Permit with the county. 

In a recent Instagram post, Brittany Vizcarra with Paw Works said the group was ready to submit their application for their permit, but a nearby property is holding up the whole process. According to Vizcarra, the County is refusing to accept Paw Works' application because an adjoining property is dealing with a technical violation.

While the County deals with the permit issues, Vizcarra said that the County may ask the shelter to vacate the premises for "at least six months."

"We have done everything that has been asked of us to try to resolve this, to be able to put in our application or shelter in place while we do so. So that way we are not displaced," Vizcarra said in her Instagram post. "But at this time, the entire County Planning Department is not budging and they are not making any exceptions for us, and we aren't sure what to do."

If the shelter is forced to vacate, Vizcarra said the worst-case scenario is that they'll have to euthanize all their animals.

The shelter is filing an appeal. They have a hearing with the Ventura County Planning Division on Thursday, July 20 at 8:30 a.m.