07/15/2026
July 15, 2026, Tri-City Animal Shelter Community Message
Tri-City Animal Shelter Strengthens Operations and Veterinary Oversight
The Tri-City Animal Shelter (TCAS) has made significant progress over the past year to improve animal care, modernize its operations, and better serve the community.
Recent enhancements include expanded business and adoption hours, increased volunteer participation, updated cleaning procedures, advanced staff development, improved licensing and community outreach, a new lost-pet service, continued trap-neuter-return efforts, recruitment for critical positions and additional veterinary support.
On May 21, 2026, a representative from the State of California Veterinarian Medical Board conducted an on-site inspection of the TCAS. On May 27, 2026, the City received a copy of the inspection report which identified areas of deficiency involving cleaning practices, medical and animal-care records, staff training, and the organization, maintenance, and storage of medications, surgical instruments, and medical equipment. The findings emphasized the need for TCAS to strengthen its compliance with state veterinary regulations and presented a valuable opportunity to implement more robust systems and improve documentation of its procedures.
The City was granted a 30-day period to implement corrective measures for all noted areas of deficiency and responded swiftly to address the inspection findings. TCAS staff developed a comprehensive corrective-action plan, categorized each item, established a tracking system, assigned responsibility, and documented the steps taken to resolve the concerns. The corrective-action documentation was submitted on June 11, just 15 days after the report was received. The State Inspector accepted the corrective measures and forwarded the City’s response to the Veterinary Medical Board for final approval.
A key element of the TCAS improvement plan is the appointment of a full-time veterinarian and the recruitment of additional staff to improve shelter operations. We are pleased to share that, following an extensive and competitive search, the City’s new full-time veterinarian officially started on Monday, July 13. This achievement represents a major advancement for TCAS, which has relied on contract veterinary services for several years.
With a veterinarian regularly present on site, TCAS will benefit from consistent medical supervision, improved support for shelter staff, and strengthened adherence to veterinary board standards. This includes comprehensive management of medications, surgical procedures, medical equipment, animal care, and accurate recordkeeping.
The City is actively in the process of hiring a new shelter supervisor and will soon begin recruiting for a professional manager to oversee all TCAS operations. These key additions are expected to further reinforce the City’s dedication to strong leadership, enhanced support, consistent operations, and greater accountability.
The City remains deeply committed to ensuring the shelter operates in a manner that is safe, clean, compassionate, transparent, and effectively managed.
For more information about the Tri-City Animal Shelter's services, programs, or to view inspection reports, please visit the TCAS website.
https://www.fremont.gov/animalshelter
