Committee Recommends Troubled Animal Shelter Convert To No-Kill Status

STOCKTON (CBS13) — A city committee has recommended turning a troubled Stockton animal shelter where workers are accused of killing hundreds if not thousands of animals that weren't supposed to die into a no-kill shelter.

After years of allegations of killing a high number of dogs and cats, some even illegally, things could be changing in Stockton.

Tammie Murrell, the interim manager at the shelter agrees that no dogs or cats that come in should die, but getting there will be a challenge.

"It's going to take a lot of work, and frankly a lot of money to get there," she said. "We're up to the challenge."

She says the shelter gets more than 11,000 animals a year with an annual budget of $1.6 million. The Sacramento County Animal shelter gets nearly the same number of animals, but its budget is $4.7 million.

Gina Knepp at the Front Street Animal Shelter in Sacramento is very familiar with what Stockton's shelter needs to do. She's working on a no-kill policy at the shelter, where just three years ago 80 percent of its animals were euthanized.

"Engage your community open your doors invite people in," she said.

It's a policy to keep dogs and cats alive, and kill the controversy surrounding the shelter.