Vigil held for animals who died at San Jose Animal Care Center

Vigil held in San Jose to honor animals who died at San Jose Animal Care Center

All eyes are on the San Jose Animal Care Center after a dog named Lola died in its care last week. The shelter volunteers say this death was preventable, and they are calling for new leadership at the shelter. KTVU's Tori Gaines reports from San Jose.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - A vigil was held in San Jose on Tuesday to honor animal lives lost at the San Jose Animal Care Center; the vigil was spurred by the death of a dog in the shelter last week. 

Maria Habiger, a San Jose resident, tells KTVU she felt the need come out on Tuesday because she couldn't imagine her dog facing what Lola did. She was brought to tears at the thought. 

"To imagine my baby…because these are my family right? They are so loyal to us. And they are a part of our lives, but we’re all of their life," Habiger said. 

The group chanted, "They don't have voices, we do!" as cars honked while driving by. Posters with photos of animals lost at the shelter were held high. 

"We think there’s a problem with the veterinary management there with a medical director, and, in general, with the shelter management. We think that there needs to be a change in both," Rebekah Davis-Matthews, a vigil organizer, told KTVU. 

An audit of the shelter that was spurred by another dog’s death in December called the conditions inside ‘inhumane’, and called for sweeping changes.

Those changes weren’t enough to save a dog named Lola. 

Lola's story

What we know:

Shelter volunteers say Lola died on May 12 after she was left unattended with an IV in and a leash around her neck in a kennel. They say the death was preventable. 

"With weak management, there’s no protocols in place, there’s no set schedules for people to be there around the clock, and that’s how Lola ended up with what happened," Farah Ravon, founder of One Planet Rescue told KTVU. 

The City of San Jose, which manages the care center, issued the following statement about Lola’s death:

"The City is currently conducting an internal review to better understand what occurred with Lola and are seeking input from an external expert to determine the cause of death. If any wrongdoing is found, there will be accountability. We take this incident very seriously and ACS considers animal care its highest priority, along with the quality of life of the animals in our care." - City of San Jose

This all comes as kitten season ramps up across the Bay Area, overwhelming local shelters with high-need kittens. 

"Little tiny ones that need to have a heat source…the shelter ends up with too many to care for themselves," Davis-Matthews said. Attendees at the vigil say it is understandable that shelter workers would be overwhelmed with the number of animals who need care, but that should not leave animals at risk. 

Because many shelters across the Bay Area are overwhelmed with animals, the demonstrators say there’s one big thing you can do to save animal lives right now:

"Fostering saves lives. So people: please, consider fostering. If you love animals, you can save all these lives from the shelter," Ravon said. 

The woman who found Lola in her kennel is an employee at the center. She has been advised against speaking with the media by her management team. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has made statements in support of change at the care center, so the demonstrators say they are hopeful some new management could be in place soon.