Animal Services director reports record surgeries, higher adoptions and 88% live‑release rate

Interim director Michael Wachsman told the Animal Services Advisory Committee (ASAC) that August and fiscal‑year totals show the department handled roughly 31,538 calls and reached record surgical volumes. "We hit 18,000 surgeries in FY26," Wachsman said, noting that the department surpassed 17,000 surgeries in FY25.

Wachsman described several trends: field intakes and owner surrenders have risen (owner surrenders increased from 122 to 182 year‑over‑year, a 49.2% jump), citations issued have risen to about 13,000, and the shelter recorded 9,859 adoptions for the fiscal year so far. He summarized outcomes by reporting an overall live‑release rate of 88.0% and a dog live‑release rate of 89.63%.

Committee members pressed for detail on citation categories and revenue accounting; Wachsman said citation revenue posts to the general fund and that municipal budget offices would need to be consulted for revenue breakdowns. He also explained how clinic operations and TNR (trap‑neuter‑return) activities are recorded to avoid double‑counting.